Apple Reveals New AirTag Features Added in Latest Firmware Updates

[bob24]

Well, that’s because it is NOT an anti-theft tracking device, has never been intended to be an anti-theft tracking device, and Apple has specifically stated it is not to be used for that purpose. The same goes for the Find My app. It’s the public who started using it for that as well as stalking their ex’s and Apple is trying to put a stop to it.

The problem is to have released the device with certain features, and then gradually change/remove features without giving any choice to the users (as the device gets automatically updated and there is no option to preserve the original functionality).

People bought the device for whatever use-cases they in mind based on the features which were originally delivered. Forcing the change upon them is a breach of trust (and possible of contract in some countries) on the part of the manufacturer.

What you are saying could be valid if this was a brand new device (AirTag 2 or whatever) and people were aware of the limitations before buying it: if they don’t like it they don’t have to buy it. But force-changing functionality after the device has been purchased and without offering a refund option is not proper commercial practice.

If Apple is finding-out that that some of the features they had build into the device are not something they should have included in the first place, fine let them make changes but also own the mistake and offer refunds instead of leaving customers with devices which aren‘t delivering the features they purchased them for in the first place.

 

[bytethese]

Since my all 5 of my airtags won't update their firmware still, not sure how I feel about this update now.

 

[8trius]

Oh I dont know.

If you misplace your keys in your house, misplace your wallet, misplace other things. If you have NEVER misplaced anything, then these aren't intended for you.

If I misplace my keys, backpack, wallet, or bike in public, how does the Find My network help me locate it without correspondingly alerting passerby that lost valuables are exposed?

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm trying to understand the intended value this device is supposed to add to my life. Anyone who has ever lost something in public is concerned that someone might steal it before they find it.

So, the FindMy network is useful in the following scenario: you have misplaced your item in public, but it hasn't been stolen for more than eight-to-twenty-four hours?

 

[MrGimper]

Nice to see people still don't understand they are not anti-theft devices. This is why aliens fly right past Earth when looking for intelligent life.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I wish there was a way to manually apply these updates to the AirTags instead of relying on over-the-air.

 

[redman042]

As I understand it, a thief still won’t know about the AirTag until they get home, right? Or after a certain amount of time. The last known location will be sent to the cloud before they learn the bike is tagged. Therefore I will know where they live and they can’t change that. So, if my bike with an AirTag is stolen, and if I act quickly to locate it, the AirTag will still be useful for that.

Am I now wrong?

 

[DominikHoffmann]

How about 48 hours for the stalker alert and allow family sharing so you can find any airtag (just like you can do with any other Apple device) in your family? How did this get out of the lab? A family set of car keys requires the owner to find it regardless who has the car or the keys to have an air tag for every family member on the keychain 🤦🏻‍♂️

It is beyond me, why this has not been implemented. If I remember correctly, this was requested by users immediately after the first AirTags were released.

Car keys, Apple TV remotes, pets are all items benefitting from being able to be tracked but are not necessarily assigned to on single person in the family.

Maybe there are too many single people working at Apple, because family life within a commutable distance from Apple would be much too expensive for most employees with family.

 

[iStorm]

... but those bad actors who are determined enough to disable the speaker will simply source an older, not yet updated AirTag to track someone.

We don't have the option to not update our AirTags. They will get updated eventually, even if your iDevice is not around them. I was on vacation when the last AirTag update was released, and had left two AirTags at home. I checked the status of them while away and they were already updated. My neighbor's iDevices must have updated them. Other users have reported similar behaviors (i.e. AirTag in car, but their phone wasn't around; or AirTag on child's bag in school).

If someone is that determined to track someone, there are better inexpensive GPS trackers out there.

 

[LeadingHeat]

Just give us family sharing! Think of the children!

 

[il_teo77]

Curiously my AirTag has a software version 2.0.36...

 

[sw1tcher]

In other words, making it even less useful as an anti-theft tracking device. When Apple gets done with all these AirTag firmware updates the only remaining feature will be finding the AirTag sitting right in front of you.

If Apple's going to make it easier for thieves to locate, then it's just a useless fashion accessory.

 

[iStorm]

Curiously my AirTag has a software version 2.0.36...

What's so curious about that? 2.0.36 is the latest version. It's mentioned in the article and Apple's support document.

 

[compwiz1202]

Agree. As a purchaser of the device when it was originally released, I feel they have changed the feature set to a point whereby it is no more delivering the value I originally paid for. I know Apple will use privacy protection at a justification and I understand the concerns, but then it is their responsibility for not considering this in the first place and releasing an unsustainable device (and they should offer refunds instead of killing the features original buyers were expecting for the price they paid).

Wondering if in some countries this could lead to cases with consumer protection agencies (a key point here is that Apple is auto updating the device and not giving any option for the user to preserve the original feature set).

 

[7149041]

allow family sharing so you can find any airtag (just like you can do with any other Apple device) in your family?

Or at least let me disable the stalking alerts for specific AirTags because I keep getting alerts "AirTag found moving with you" for my girlfriend's keys, car keys and wallet. It only gives me an option to mute for one day.

That would be a good start, but Family Sharing is a must. We have an AirTag on our dog and the passports holder (all our passports in one bag) and it would be more useful if these AirTags were visible on all devices, not just mine. Not to mention a case where my girlfriend left her wallet at home after going to work and I could only ping it with her iPad.

 

[supergt]

The problem is to have released the device with certain features, and then gradually change/remove features without giving any choice to the users (as the device gets automatically updated and there is no option to preserve the original functionality).

People bought the device for whatever use-cases they in mind based on the features which were originally delivered. Forcing the change upon them is a breach of trust (and possible of contract in some countries) on the part of the manufacturer.

What you are saying could be valid if this was a brand new device (AirTag 2 or whatever) and people were aware of the limitations before buying it: if they don’t like it they don’t have to buy it. But force-changing functionality after the device has been purchased and without offering a refund option is not proper commercial practice.

If Apple is finding-out that that some of the features that had build into the device are not something they should have included in the first place, fine let them make changes but also own the mistake and offer refunds instead of leaving customers with devices which aren‘t delivering the features they purchased them for in the first place.

I think you'd be well within your rights to take the airtag(s) back to Apple and demand a full refund. Forced changes via firmware updates that change the product are anti-consumer. Bottom line is you now have a different product than the one you bought.

 

[Minato1990]

Loser stalkers have ruined it.
Thanks you bums.

 

[compwiz1202]

We don't have the option to not update our AirTags. They will get updated eventually, even if your iDevice is not around them. I was on vacation when the last AirTag update was released, and had left two AirTags at home. I checked the status of them while away and they were already updated. My neighbor's iDevices must have updated them. Other users have reported similar behaviors (i.e. AirTag in car, but their phone wasn't around; or AirTag on child's bag in school).

If someone is that determined to track someone, there are better inexpensive GPS trackers out there.

All the people who have AirTags not updated yet should have a party where they bring all their iDevices and not updated AirTage

 

[compwiz1202]

Loser stalkers have ruined it.
Thanks you bums.

The dishonest ruin everything. It happens at work constantly. And I blame the companies for being lazy ***** who don't even try to punish the wrongdoers but instead punish almost 20 year employees

 

[compwiz1202]

The problem is to have released the device with certain features, and then gradually change/remove features without giving any choice to the users (as the device gets automatically updated and there is no option to preserve the original functionality).

People bought the device for whatever use-cases they in mind based on the features which were originally delivered. Forcing the change upon them is a breach of trust (and possible of contract in some countries) on the part of the manufacturer.

What you are saying could be valid if this was a brand new device (AirTag 2 or whatever) and people were aware of the limitations before buying it: if they don’t like it they don’t have to buy it. But force-changing functionality after the device has been purchased and without offering a refund option is not proper commercial practice.

If Apple is finding-out that that some of the features that had build into the device are not something they should have included in the first place, fine let them make changes but also own the mistake and offer refunds instead of leaving customers with devices which aren‘t delivering the features they purchased them for in the first place.

Apple will pay eventually. Unfortunately the victims will get 37c but the lawyers will get $37M

 

[carrrrrlos]

Those poor baggage handlers at the airport who own iPhones. That thing will be pinging constantly.

Hahah totally! AirTags are perfect for letting you know if your first stop at your destination is picking up your bags, or heading to a store to buy new clothes.

 

[dandy1117]

As others have said, it is clear that most users did not understand that the AirTag and the "FindMy" infrastructure is not to avoid theft, but to find lost items. That's why I couldn't understand why people were hiding the AirTags that they placed on their items. I make sure to keep the AirTag visible so that if someone finds my property, they can "scan" the AirTag to get my contact info to return it to me.

 

[RalfTheDog]

I always thought the primary functions of the Airtag was to find out where the stripper lives or to slip on in the bag of a drunk woman at a bar. Can anyone recommend a replacement product?

 

[8trius]

As others have said, it is clear that most users did not understand that the AirTag and the "FindMy" infrastructure is not to avoid theft, but to find lost items. That's why I couldn't understand why people were hiding the AirTags that they placed on their items. I make sure to keep the AirTag visible so that if someone finds my property, they can "scan" the AirTag to get my contact info to return it to me.

What you are seeing is that people typically associate "loss" and "theft," which is just a subcategorization of loss. If a product helps me find a lost item, one of the ways in which items become lost is due to theft.

People make this assumption and they're not stupid because Apple didn't say, "It helps you find things that are lost, except in the case of theft."

People are stupid, but I don't think this is a case of stupidity.

It's obvious that Apple sees greater harm from these devices being used for stalking purposes rather than theft, and so sides with thieves with their policies regarding this device. Upon further reflection they're probably right.

 

[bob24]

As others have said, it is clear that most users did not understand that the AirTag and the "FindMy" infrastructure is not to avoid theft, but to find lost items. That's why I couldn't understand why people were hiding the AirTags that they placed on their items. I make sure to keep the AirTag visible so that if someone finds my property, they can "scan" the AirTag to get my contact info to return it to me.

Even for your use case, the latest changes might be an issue depending on which kind of place you are living in with regards to general safety.

If you lose/forget an item somewhere, having your AirTag start actively advertise itself to anyone around it and allow for precision finding can be double-edged sword: it could allow for a good samaritan to find the AirTag and return the item to you, or it could also tip-off less honest people that there is something valuable to grab in their surroundings and guide them to your item using precise location (effectively acting as a thief-assistant).

So if you are living in a place where a wallet left on the street has a very high probability to be returned to the police or the original owner by a pedestrian, this makes sense. But if on the other end in your place you would most likely expect never to see the full content of that wallet again, then the AirTag is likely to assist thieves with finding and stealing your item before you can get to it yourself.

 

[jonnysods]

In what way are they useless? They are not anti-theft devices. You know that, right?

In what non-nefarious cases would they be useless? You lose you keys and your AirTag tells you where they are?

If someone steals your item, they get continually warned that it's being tracked.