Apple on Thursday announced that it is making some updates to AirTags designed to cut down on unwanted tracking. The changes will be rolled out in multiple phases.
Apple has plans for an upcoming software update that will implement new privacy warnings that will display during AirTag setup to foil malicious tracking.
Apple says that the alert will basically convey the following information:
AirTag is Linked to Your Apple ID. AirTag is intended solely to track items that belong to you. Using AirTag to track people without their consent is a crime in many regions around the world. AirTag is designed to be detected by victims and to enable law enforcement to request identifying information about the owner.
In the upcoming software updates, Apple will take the following steps and will make the following changes:
Advancements Coming to AirTag and the Find My Network
The following updates represent important steps Apple is taking:
- New privacy warnings during AirTag setup: In an upcoming software update, every user setting up their AirTag for the first time will see a message that clearly states that AirTag is meant to track their own belongings, that using AirTag to track people without consent is a crime in many regions around the world, that AirTag is designed to be detected by victims, and that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag.
- Addressing alert issues for AirPods: We’ve heard from users who have reported receiving an “Unknown Accessory Detected” alert. We’ve confirmed this alert will not display if an AirTag is detected near you — only AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or a third-party Find My network accessory. In the same software update, we will be updating the alert users receive to indicate that AirPods have been traveling with them instead of an “Unknown Accessory.”
- Updated support documentation: Today Apple is updating its unwanted tracking support article on apple.com to communicate the safety features built into AirTag, AirPods, and Find My network accessories. This page now includes additional explanations of which Find My accessories may trigger an unwanted tracking alert, more visuals to provide specific examples of such alerts, and updated information on what to do after receiving an alert, including instructions for disabling an AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory. There are also links to resources individuals can use if they feel their safety is at risk, such as the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Center for Victims of Crime.
We’re also investigating a series of updates that we plan to introduce later this year, including:
- Precision Finding: This capability allows recipients of an unwanted tracking alert to locate an unknown AirTag with precision. iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 users will be able to use Precision Finding to see the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag when it is in range. 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.
- Display alert with sound: When AirTag automatically emits a sound to alert anyone nearby of its presence and is detected moving with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, we will also display an alert on your device that you can then take action on, like playing a sound or using Precision Finding, if available. This will help in cases where the AirTag may be in a location where it is hard to hear, or if the AirTag speaker has been tampered with.
- Refining 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.
- Tuning AirTag’s sound: Currently, iOS users receiving an unwanted tracking alert can play a sound to help them find the unknown AirTag. We will be adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag more easily findable.
Apple is also updating its Unwanted Tracking support article to provide more information on the safety features built into AirTag, AirPods, and Find My network accessories. Apple has not announced a specific timeline for when these new features might be released, but Apple has them in the works for later in 2022.
In recent months, there have been numerous reports of folks discovering that they are being stalked by someone using an Apple AirTag. Currently, iPhone users will receive a notification if an AirTag that does not belong to them is tracking their location, allowing them to disable the device’s tracking feature. As for Android users, they can use Apple’s Android Tracker Detect app, to detect if they’re being tracked. In both cases, users can force an AirTag to emit a sound if it’s detected near a user.