Apple AirTags have been on sale for two years and helped thousands of people to recover lost items — but they have also attracted criticism.
The devices are small enough to be stuck against easily lost possessions, such as keys, bags, clothes, and electronic devices as well as cars.
For close-by items, the tags connect with iPhones and other Apple devices by using Bluetooth signals, pointing users in the direction of tags. For items further away, they rely on people in Apple’s Find My online network to reunite person and item.
An Apple statement says: “AirTag is a super-easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack. And just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family.”
The products were launched on April 30, 2021, and cost from around £30.
How do Apple AirTags work?
Within the range of Bluetooth, the missing device can play a sound that will help you find your item. The range is said to be around 100m.
An Apple statement says: “Misplacing something like your wallet doesn’t have to be a big deal when it has AirTag attached. You can play a sound on the built-in speaker by going to the new Items tab in the Find My app, or by saying, “Hey Siri, find my wallet.” If it’s hiding nearby — like under the sofa or in the next room — just follow the sound and your search is over.”
For items further away, AirTags are connected with the Apple Find My network, which can allow members to report any lost possessions. This is done by users marking an AirTag as lost and providing a phone number and a message. It means, for example, that if a set of keys with an AirTag was left inside a gym, another iPhone user could call the number left and help the owner reunite with their product.
The statement added: “Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage.”
Why have AirTags been criticised?
The device has been plagued with accusations that it can be susceptible to potential stalkers using it to follow others.
Apple has tried to counter this issue by implementing a “proactive system” to provide alerts of unwanted tracking.
In practice, the tag will make a chirping sound through its inbuilt speaker when separated from its owner from eight to 24 hours. If a tag is therefore put into a stalking victim’s bag, it will alert the victim through the sound.
However, the time it takes for the alert to sound can still allow stalking to happen and it is also possible for the speaker to be removed.
A US lawsuit from December 2022 heard that a man hid AirTags to stalk two of his former partners.
An Apple statement from February 2022, said: “AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.
“Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag. It’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking. We hope this starts an industry trend for others to also provide these sorts of proactive warnings in their products.”
Erica Olsen, director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, said: "The alerts system Apple has notifying potential victims of any unwanted tracking has helped shine a light on a problem that existed long before AirTags came on the market.
“We are happy Apple is engaging in the conversation about victim safety and are continuing to improve safeguards. We hope others will follow their lead."
