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Apple Made a Change to the AirTag That You Probably Didn't Notice

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced that Apple has added a warning label to the AirTag's box that says to keep its coin-cell battery out of reach of children due to the severe risk of injury or death if the battery is ingested. Apple added a corresponding warning symbol inside the AirTag's battery compartment too.

airtag-yellow.jpg

Apple made these changes at some point after "Reese's Law" went into effect in March 2024, according to the announcement. The CPSC did not indicate if the warnings were added to the AirTag in the U.S. only or worldwide.

"Reese's Law" aims to prevent injuries and deaths caused by the tiny, circular coin-cell batteries. The law was named after Reese Hamsmith, a baby who died in 2020 after swallowing a coin-cell battery that was inside of a remote control.

Given that many AirTags without these warnings had already been sold, the CPSC said Apple now displays a warning about the hazards of coin-cell batteries in the Find My app each time a user is prompted to change the AirTag's battery.

The announcement was first reported by macReports.

Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 this year with longer range for item tracking. It is also rumored that the AirTag 2's built-in speaker will be more difficult to remove compared to the original AirTag, as an anti-stalking measure.

Article Link: Apple Made a Change to the AirTag That You Probably Didn't Notice
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/01/02/airtag-battery-warning-labels/
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Wasn’t there a class action filed against Apple over AirTag tracking a couple of years ago, alleging AirTags allowed stalking? Anyone know the status of that class action?
 
sputnikv said:
parents who don't have the sense to keep small electronics out of the mouths of children shouldn't be parents
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Parents aren't giving their kids AirTags to play with. Kids get ahold of them through whatever they're attached to. What's something people attach AirTags to? Keys.

If you've ever had a kid, you'd know kids love to play with keys. Some parents who are exhausted from working and taking care of the child can easily forget/overlook that AirTag on the keyring.
 
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It's vitally important parents understand what impact form factor can have on the batteries they feed their children.

From an environmental perspective, rechargeables are best and metal hydride chemistry is safer than lithium ion.
 
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dasmb said:
It's vitally important parents understand what impact form factor can have on the batteries they feed their children.

From an environmental perspective, rechargeables are best and metal hydride chemistry is safer than lithium ion.
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As a helicopter parent myself, I would never let my child consume a single use battery, its unethical and unloving.
 
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marshallbu said:
What would also be great, is if AirTags supported the child deterrent coin from Duracell, but the bitter coating on them prevents the AirTags getting power due to placement of its contacts 🙃
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The bitter coating has to be sanded off before use in the airtag or else there is no reliable circuit.
I use a different brand to avoid this faff.
 
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Billy_Bob said:
Are there parents who would otherwise be tempted to feed their kid an AirTag so they can stay aware of his/her location for one digestive cycle?
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Not parents, but some businesses could be tempted to track their mules this way.
 
Button batteries are no joke. Kids will stick them in their ears and noses which will lead to necrosis as well.
 
sw1tcher said:
Parents aren't giving their kids AirTags to play with. Kids get ahold of them through whatever they're attached to. What's something people attach AirTags to? Keys.

If you've ever had a kid, you'd know kids love to play with keys. Some parents who are exhausted from working and taking care of the child can easily forget/overlook that AirTag on the keyring.
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Keys are not toys, and even if there's no AirTag, a set of keys is loaded with dirt and bacteria. And that's what kids are putting inside their mouths. Besides causing damage to their gums and growing teeth, and poisoning themselves with paint, coatings, etc., they are learning that it's okay to put anything into their mouths.
 
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marshallbu said:
What would also be great, is if AirTags supported the child deterrent coin from Duracell, but the bitter coating on them prevents the AirTags getting power due to placement of its contacts 🙃
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This is the real issue right here. I'm all for the bitterant coatings because that seems like the one thing that might actually work. Warnings do little to nothing except limit liability in court. I haven't actually tried it but I have heard this about the coated ones and get the specifically non-coated ones that come in a very difficult to open package.

Honestly it's a design flaw with airtags. Apple's refusal to include anything to hold them with means there's no way to secure them against opening. And they are literally shaped like candy, and shiny to boot.
 
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lkrupp said:
Wasn’t there a class action filed against Apple over AirTag tracking a couple of years ago, alleging AirTags allowed stalking? Anyone know the status of that class action?
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The funny fact is that devices that could be used for stalking have been sold for many years, and nobody complained about it.
Now that there's people using their AirTags to stalk, it's Apple's fault. By the same principle, sue the gun manufacturers because some people use them to kill.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
What about putting a warning on babies to urge parents to teach their children not to put things in their mouth?
This is how the previous generations have survived childhood.
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Some of us with older brothers who took things apart and left them lying about, were lucky to survive childhood, lol.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
What about putting a warning on babies to urge parents to teach their children not to put things in their mouth?
This is how the previous generations have survived childhood.
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Actually, if you look back in time, babies died in greater numbers. Previous generations were not as lucky as we are. If you go back far enough (centuries) you find that most children did not live to become adults.
www.statista.com

United States: child mortality rate 1800-2020 | Statista

The child mortality rate in the United States, for children under the age of five, was 462.9 deaths per thousand births in 1800.
www.statista.com www.statista.com
 
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marshallbu said:
What would also be great, is if AirTags supported the child deterrent coin from Duracell, but the bitter coating on them prevents the AirTags getting power due to placement of its contacts 🙃
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This is such a pain in the ass when replacing batteries because I have no idea if a battery may have that stupid coating, branded batteries usually say they have it, but then others may not. Cleaning a battery thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol wipes doesn't always work either, may work for a while but then the AirTag may have issues after a short while.

The best batteries I find are the Amazon Basics 2032, because they don't seem to have that coating yet, and they work great.

I hate that bitterant coating, all because useless parents can't keep an eye on their kids.
 
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The death of the child was undoubtedly tragic, but the subsequent law will do nothing to prevent additional deaths. Disposable batteries have been around for decades. We suddenly need a law mandating a warning be printed on the packaging? Sounds a lot like the “hot beverage” warning on disposable coffee cups….

I don’t know enough to make a judgment about the parents, but I can say with certainty that every parent has pulled dangerous items away from their child (or child’s mouth). This is a regular occurrence when they are toddlers or younger. If you absolutely need to step away for a bathroom break and can’t watch your kid, put them in a crib or pack & play, where they are safe and can’t grab random stuff.

My then two-year-old son helped his one-year-old brother climb onto the top of the fridge with him. They were ecstatic for us to see their accomplishment, and we had a reckoning of their abilities when partnered together. Kids are like AI, but more random, more powerful. A well-planned environment is merely a challenge to be overcome. Instead of predicting every possible scenario, you have to reduce the consequences of things that could go wrong. The warning label should be on the child, not the battery package: “Caution: may eat dangerous objects”
 
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