Apple addresses AirTags unwanted tracking thru upcoming updates

Apple claims that the upcoming changes aim to make it harder for criminals to track you using AirTags.

Apple issued a warning against AirTag-related crimes

Apple plans to add more safeguards to curb unwanted tracking reports 

To recall, Apple markets AirTags as a lost item finder useful for attaching to things like your keys, wallet, and backpack. The product uses Bluetooth signals and a global network of other people's iPhones to calculate where an AirTag is and display it on a map in the user’s Find My app. 

On a blogpost, the Cupertino giant announced various changes to the way its AirTag product works since it is increasingly being linked to a suspected crime. Allegedly, there are reports that criminals used this tracker to stalk people and steal cars. It added,

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.

Allegedly, the software update on the iPhone and the AirTag will prompt a message during the set-up. Apple is warning users that using AirTags to track people is a crime in many regions around the world.

In addition to this, the company said that it is working with law enforcement to provide serial numbers and Apple ID information in response to subpoenas related to AirTag crimes. It also said it has been able to cooperate with authorities in some cases to find suspects, getting them arrested and charged.

Alert on iPhone once an unknown accessory is detected

In the same software update, Apple is going to update the alert users receive to indicate that AirPods have been traveling with them instead of an "Unknown Accessory". 

The Cupertino giant also revealed that they are planning to introduce a set of new features later this year. One example is Precision Finding which will point iPhone users to unknown AirTags when they're nearby. The alert will be in a form of combined sound, haptics, and visual feedback.

Apple said in the blog post it remains "committed to listening to feedback and innovating to make improvements."

Source: Apple