Apple has published a “Personal Safety User Guide” for AirTags as concerns by, uh… less technically savvy people mount over the use of the company’s item trackers to stalk people and steal vehicles.
Apple says the guide available on its website “is designed to help customers experiencing technology-enabled abuse, stalking, or harassment understand the options available across the Apple ecosystem that can help you protect your personal safety.”
The guide includes a section on protecting yourself with AirTags, the Bluetooth trackers introduced by Apple last year to help consumers track lost items.
The guide offers steps on what to do if you encounter a rogue AirTag. The FindMy app available on iPhones will alert you if an AirTag you don’t own is travelling with you.
MacDailyNews Take: Once again, Apple’s AirTags and Find My system works very well. People with whom unknown AirTags are traveling are notified.
You won’t get that from any other tracker.
With any other tracker, you would be tracked for as long as the tracker remains functional without notification.
Apple AirTags are the most anti-stalking, pro-privacy, and safest trackers on the market.
AirTag and the Find My network are designed with privacy at their core. AirTag and Find My network accessories have unique Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently. This helps prevent you from being tracked from place to place. When the Find My network is used to locate an offline device, AirTag, or other Find My network accessory, everyone’s information is protected with end-to-end encryption. No one, including Apple, knows the location or identity of any of the participating users or devices who help locate a missing Find My network accessory.
AirTag and the Find My network have also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking. To discourage tracking without your knowledge, Find My will notify you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My network accessory is seen moving with you over time. An AirTag that isn’t with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved so you can find it, even if you don’t use an iOS device. If you detect an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory, use the steps below to learn about it and how to disable it.
If you find an AirTag or a lost item with an AirTag attached:
- Hold the top of your iPhone or NFC-capable pretend iPhone near the white side of the AirTag until a notification appears.
- Tap the notification. This opens a website that provides information about the AirTag, including its serial number.
- If the owner marked it as lost, you might see a message with information about how to contact the owner. You can view a Lost Mode message on an iPhone or NFC-capable pretend iPhone. You can then contact the owner to let them know that you found their AirTag.
If you see an “Item Detected Near You” message:
If you see this message on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, an AirTag or Find My network accessory that has been separated from the person who registered it is traveling with you, and the owner might be able to see its location. It’s possible that the AirTag or Find My network accessory might be attached to an item you’re borrowing. Follow these steps to turn off these notifications or disable the AirTag or Find My network accessory:
- Tap the message.
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Tap Continue. If you need help finding the AirTag or Find My network accessory, tap Play Sound.*
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If the AirTag or Find My network accessory is attached to an item you’re borrowing, you can tap Pause Safety Alerts to turn off “Items Detected” notifications for one day.
• If you’re borrowing an AirTag from a member of your Family Sharing group, you can turn off Safety Alerts for one day or indefinitely.
• You can tap “Learn About This AirTag” to see its serial number if the owner marked it as lost. -
To disable the AirTag or Find My network accessory and stop sharing your location, tap Instructions to Disable and follow the onscreen steps. If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement who can work with Apple. You might need to provide the AirTag, Find My network accessory, or the device’s serial number.
- If you can’t play a sound, the AirTag might not be with you anymore. If it was with you overnight, its identifier might have changed. Find My uses the identifier to determine that it’s the same AirTag moving with you. If you believe the AirTag is still with you, look through your belongings to try to find it, or wait to see if another alert appears as you move from location to location during the day. If the AirTag is within range of the person who registered it, you also won’t be able to play a sound.
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Well said MDN and great explanations on best practice usage.
I find the MDN take confusing: “People with whom unknown AirTags are traveling are notified.”
That sentence seems to indicate that a person without a mobile phone that has an AirTag traveling with them would be notified.
Just how exactly is this done? Does Apple have the contact information of every person on the planet?
That is what I want to know. If one of my elderly parents that use a dumb flip phone has a tag put on them, how do they know it’s there?