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Apple is currently rolling out a long-awaited firmware update that will make it easier to locate unknowns AirTags in your immediate vicinity. This is part of the company’s effort to ensure bad actors don’t misuse the devices to stalk others.
The stalking problem made its appearance for the first time back in May 2021 when a research report of The Washington Post showed how relatively easy it is to track someone with an AirTag. By placing one on a person, the device can provide an accurate location to an iPhone every few minutes, even with an exact address.
Now with Firmware update 2.0.24 (opens in new tab), the Precision Finding feature can “locate an unknown AirTag” if it detects one moving with you. You’ll also get iPhone notifications telling you “when an AirTag that’s separated from its owner travels with you,” and that AirTag will start emitting a sound, supposedly so you can locate it. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Apple has done something similar back in April by increasing the volume of AirTags as part of the 1.0.301 update. This appears to be part of the company’s ongoing effort to update AirTags to better protect users.
Also included in the patch is firmware update 2.0.36, which fixes a bug in the AirTag’s accelerometer that “does not activate in certain scenarios”. This solution will help your iPhone more accurately detect if your AirTag, or an AirTag placed on your person, is moving.”
Upcoming solutions
To get these updates, all you need to do is move your AirTag within 10 feet of your iPhone so that it can be within the maximum range of the device’s Bluetooth signal. The firmware will be downloaded automatically. However, there are some conditions.
Your device must be running iOS 16.2 or later, according to the AirTag support page (opens in new tab). And the Precision Finding changes require you to own an iPhone model that comes with Ultra Wideband, a technology that gives these smartphones spatial awareness. Most countries around the world support Ultra Wideband, but be aware that there are a handful of countries that do not, such as Indonesia and Armenia.
When the company first started rolling out Firmware Update 1.0.301 in April, it promised it was the first of four updates, and with this latest batch, AirTags has gotten the second and third. We asked Apple if it could tell us what the fourth will bring. This story will be updated at a later date.
In the meantime, check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best privacy tools for the year.