Apple Announces AirTag Update To Tackle Unwanted Tracking

Apple’s AirTag was initially designed to help users keep tracking of items like their keys or bags. However, in the months that followed, we’ve come across an alarming number of stories of how the AirTag has been used to illegally stalk people or even cars, which sounds rather worrying.

The good news is that Apple is aware of these issues and have since announced that they plan on updating its AirTag with better warnings and protection against unwanted tracking. One of the changes they are making is during the setup process of the AirTag where they warn users that using the AirTag to track people without consent is a crime, and that since AirTags are linked to an Apple ID, law enforcement can request details about the owner of the AirTag.

Some other changes include better precision finding, where according to Apple, “As an iPhone user moves, Precision Finding fuses input from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer, and gyroscope to guide them to the AirTag through a combination of sound, haptics, and visual feedback.”

The company also notes that they plan to further refine the unwanted tracking alert logic. “Our unwanted tracking alert system uses sophisticated logic to determine how we alert users. We plan to update our unwanted tracking alert system to notify users earlier that an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory may be traveling with them.”

We’re not sure if these changes are enough to deter or stop people from using the AirTag in an illegal manner, but it’s good to see Apple is actively taking steps to mitigate it.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Gadgets
Tags: airtag, airtags, Privacy