Apple’s AirTag is a marvel of a device. It’s a tiny tracker that can hide in your luggage, car, handbag or anything else you want to be able to find. But, please note the word hide: if you can, so can somebody else. New features are coming to AirTag in the next few weeks to help address these stalker-related worries.
Apple AirTag.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
April 5 update below. This post was first published on April 4, 2024.
The first developer beta of iOS 17.5 is out now. That’s the next iPhone software update which is expected to reach general release soon (read full details of exactly when here) and the code has revealed a lot of what might be coming.
For example, according to 9to5Mac, there are references to alerts for third-party item trackers. This all fits with the work Apple did last year when it, jointly with Google, proposed an industry standard specification to help make sure that Bluetooth trackers were not misused.
Now, the software mentions suggest that the Find My app will identify tracking accessories even if they’re not AirTags. If it finds one, it will notify the iPhone user saying, “This item isn’t certified on the Apple Find My network. You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item.”
Right now, the iPhone software can spot Bluetooth trackers, but only ones which are certified by Apple. This is going to change, and it represents a big step forward.
And it’s probably not coincidence that today Google announced it is launching its own Find My Device network in the next three days, that is by Sunday, April 7 or Monday, April 8. This was reported in 9to5Google and comes from emails sent out by Google. This said, “With the new Find My Device network, you’ll be able to locate your devices even if they’re offline. You can also find any compatible Fast Pair accessories when they’re disconnected from your device. This includes compatible earbuds and headphones, and trackers that you can attach to your wallet, keys, or bike.”
According to the report, “To the benefit of iPhone owners, Google held back the launch of its network so Apple could apply this protection in iOS, something that appears to have finally happened in iOS 17.5.”
In other words, the next days and weeks look like they will bring big changes to the world of tracking devices.
April 5 update. Further proof that systems to spot inappropriate trackers has come in the last few days with a warning issued by police officers in Burlington, Vermont.
The warning came after two Burlington residents found AirTags in their vehicles after coming back from trips to Montreal. It’s believed that criminals may be planting AirTags on cars to track them and steal them later, though a report from MacRumors also raises the possibility that the trackers are used “to tag cars as part of an effort to move drugs across the border.”
One of the Burlington residents said that he had received an alert that an AirTag was travelling with him, was able to make it beep using the Find My app and located the tracker in the front grille.
Because it was an AirTag, the iPhone spotted it, but the new iOS 17.5 software could be able to do the same for a non-Apple tracker and the new Google system should be able to tell an Android user if an AirTag is there.
With both systems operational in the next few weeks, and enhanced software, it means that one of the most worrying elements of Bluetooth trackers could be brought under control.
Follow me on Twitter.
