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.
April 6 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.
April 6 update. More details are emerging of Google’s half of the equation, with further suggestions that its Find My Device network is about to go live. It now seems Monday, April 8 is the day. Google’s network has been in development for a long while, with the company announcing last July that it would hold its rollout until Apple implemented protections for iOS, which it looks like iOS 17.5 will provide.
Now, as Ars Technica reports, “Just like AirTags, and the Tile network before it, the goal of the project is to enable helpful little Bluetooth tracking tags that can tell you where your stuff is. These Bluetooth tags are super low-power and aim to last for a year on a small battery, which means they don’t have the power to spare for GPS. They can still report their location, though, because they manage to “borrow” the GPS chip of any compatible smartphones in range. Your phone scans for any Bluetooth tags, even ones you don’t own, then notes their approximate location and uploads it to the cloud. This is all done anonymously, and only the owner of the tag can see its location, but everyone in the network pitches in to create a crowdsourced, worldwide thing-tracking network.” This, by the way, is one of the best descriptions I’ve come across of how Find My works.
Google was also rumored to be developing its own tracker hardware, though this has not yet materialized. Maybe this would be the perfect time for Google to announce it, especially as the Google I/O conference is coming on May 14.
Even without a Google tag, it looks very likely that Google’s end of the bargain is now ready to go, and as soon as iOS 17.5 reaches general release, in May, a significantly more secure experience will be waiting for tracker users, and those who fear they may be unwittingly tracked by them.
