Apple Secretly Introduces New Updates That Could Stop AirTag Stalking

Despite the fact that Apple's AirTags tracking device has been available for more than a year and a half, stalkers have regularly abused it as a means of monitoring their targets. Apple quietly disclosed information this week about past software changes to its AirTags that allow users to determine whether an unidentified AirTag is on your person. On Wednesday, information about Apple's most recent two firmware updates, 2.0.24 and 2.0.36, was posted to the Support page. The first update is much more intriguing, even though the later update claims to have fixed the AirTags accelerometer's issue with "certain cases." With the upgrade, "Precision Finding can assist in locating an unknown AirTag that has been detected moving with you." Additionally, when an AirTag that is no longer with its owner is on your person, your iPhone will alert you. Additionally, the iPhone will produce a sound to indicate that it has been moved. Although the feature only functions on iPhone 11, 12, 13, and 14 models, any associated AirTag should automatically download the update when it is within 33 feet of Bluetooth range with the iPhone. Additionally, the iPhone must be running iOS 16.2 or later. The previous firmware upgrade that "tuned the undesired tracking sound to more quickly find an unrecognised AirTag" was supplemented by these updates. According to MacRumors, the firmware updates were released both last month and this month, but it took the business until now to explain what the patches actually accomplished. Because the function uses ultra wideband, AirTags in nations like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Indonesia, and others are still more than capable of monitoring unwary individuals. Of course, the feature has no effect on any Android user who may be wearing an AirTag. Apple had to build a separate app for it. The initial modification from last summer had AirTags beep after eight to 24 hours if they were not close to the original users' phones, although obviously this had mixed results. Apple announced in February that they were attempting to stop AirTags from being used for "unwanted tracking." Users had been reporting that they were receiving notifications when they borrowed friends' keys, despite the firm already bragging about having the "first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking." To help customers locate an unwelcome AirTag on their person, the tech giant promised additional improvements. Critics have questioned how vulnerable AirTags were to abuse ever since they were introduced as a rival to the Tile tracking gadget. The issue of AirTag stalking was initially raised in a Washington Post piece from May 2021, but things have changed significantly since then. In April, Motherboard revealed that they had found 50 instances over the previous eight months in which women claimed to have been monitored using AirTags. According to Indianapolis police, a woman allegedly used AirTags to stalk her partner before killing him.