AirTag: Everything you need to know about Apple’s item tracker

During a day of roaming the Magic Kingdom, a Tennessee family unexpectedly received a notification that an unknown AirTag was among them. While walking to their car, Jennifer Gaston’s teenage daughter got an alert on her iPhone stating an AirTag was moving with her. 

Apple this week released a new AirTag firmware to users, but details about the update were unknown. However, the company has now confirmed that the latest AirTag firmware (version 1.0.301) enhances the unwanted tracking alert.

Seven months after releasing AirTag’s latest firmware update, Apple is now seeding a new version to owners of the item tracker. Here’s what you need to know about this new version.

Since Apple introduced AirTag last year, multiple interesting stories related to the item tracker have been shared on the web. This time, a man who lost his luggage during a wedding trip used AirTags and a PowerPoint presentation to ask the airline for his bags.

Apple offered key AirTag anti-stalking measures when it first launched its tracking devices, and has since offered two rounds of improvements. AirTags unequivocally offer better protection against misuse by stalkers and thieves than any other device on the market – and that’s something we’ve continually stressed.

However, it’s equally undeniable that AirTags have brought a whole new level of awareness to the very existence of small and affordable trackers, and that awareness has increased the risk. So I think it would be beneficial for Apple take additional anti-stalking measures – and here are a few of our ideas …

The AirTag stalking controversy, which forced Apple to beef up the protections offered against misuse of the tracking device, has led Tile to follow the Cupertino company’s example.

Tile has announced a Scan and Secure feature, which allows anyone to check for the presence of its own trackers – though in a clunkier fashion than Apple’s safeguards …

Update: Chipolo has reached out to us with the following statement:

“The Find My network protects everyone’s privacy and Apple has spent a great deal of time designing protections against unwanted tracking that discourage bad behavior, even alerting users if an item that is not theirs is following their location. These protections are built into the Find My-enabled Chipolo CARD Spot as a requirement to be part of the program. The recent updates Apple made for Airtag are not yet applied to 3rd party accessories in the Find My network.”

AirTags can be an especially helpful device to help you find lost items. But, after its debut last spring, many people worry the tracking device is an effective stalking tool as well. Apple has put privacy at the forefront of its design and has adapted to improve anti-stalking features amid concerns. 

Apple on Tuesday released the fourth beta of iOS 15.4 to developers, which comes ahead of the rumored special event early next month. As promised by the company, today’s beta adds anti-stalking alerts to AirTags and other Find My accessories.

AirTag stalking concerns continue to be voiced, despite the fact that Apple’s tracker is the least suitable one on the market for anyone with malicious intent.

One campaign group is calling for all companies making Bluetooth trackers to cooperate in the development of new safety measures, and a university is conducting a study designed to assess the scale of the problem …

Apple last week announced a number of changes coming to AirTags and the Find My network to combat unwanted tracking and stalking. Despite these promised changes, New York Attorney General Letitia James has issued a new warning urging New Yorkers to be on the lookout for “malicious Apple AirTag users.”

Following Apple’s announcement of new AirTag and Find My changes to address stalking concerns, a new story from The New York Times offers a deep dive into this situation. The report explores using AirTag, Tile, and a standard GPS tracker for nefarious purposes – and it really shows how much more advanced Apple’s prevention features are.

In response to growing concerns about AirTag and the Find My network being used for unwanted tracking and stalking, Apple has announced a handful of changes coming over the course of this year. The company reaffirms that AirTag “was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people,” and these forthcoming changes aim to make that clear.

When AirTag first hit the market last year, one common question was whether Apple’s tracker could work as a tracker for dogs, cats, and other pets. Now, the first Find My-compatible dog tag has officially hit the market, but there are a few things to keep in mind before attaching one to your furry friend.

Apple’s AirTag item trackers have made a lot of headlines since their launch last April, for both good reasons and bad. Now, CTInsider reports that a man in Waterbury, Connecticut has been arrested after trying to use an AirTag to “track a victim’s car” as part of a “domestic incident.”

One might assume that existing law in the U.S. would make it a punishable offense to use an AirTag for stalking. True as that may be, one lawmaker believes more can be done in his state.

AirTags are often linked to alleged stalking attempts involving cars. In Texas, however, Apple’s item tracker was responsible for unveiling a double car theft in progress.

We thought AirTag would be the Apple product you think about once, then forget about until you lose something. It turns out that hasn’t quite been the case. Local news headlines across the country tell the story of AirTags being used to track people unknowingly. At the same time, Apple has adjusted how AirTag works and provided additional resources to prevent these events from happening. Is there more Apple can do, or is addressing this a lost cause?

There was a time when tech news was full of talk about long-range wireless charging using a technique known as RF power harvesting – using radio waves to charge devices around the home, without the need for charging pads.

While companies like Energous and Powercast made big promises for the tech, what’s currently possible in the real world is far more modest. But Samsung has demonstrated that trickle-charging a TV remote by Wi-Fi is possible today, and the very compact nature of the tech means that it could similarly be used to keep AirTags charged …

Apple has announced a new promotion to celebrate the Japanese New Year. The company will be offering special deals to customers in Japan on January 2 and 3. Apple will give customers a gift card with the purchase of select products, but the first 20,000 customers that buy an eligible iPhone will receive a limited edition AirTag.

Apple unveiled its AirTag smart tracker early this year. After a lot of controversies about whether the product could be used to stalk someone, the company released a few updates to warn people if they have an unknown AirTag with them.

Another promise was an app for Android users to locate Apple’s smart tracker product. Alongside iOS 15.2, the company is also releasing ‘Tracker Detect,’ an Android app to do just that.

After years of rumors, AirTags were officially released earlier this year with a robust set of Find My features as well as safety precautions. Over the last week, however, a story out of Canada has gained traction after police warned that thieves are using AirTags to “locate and steal” luxury cars.