by Apple is currently rolling out a delayed firmware update that makes it easier to track down strangers AirTags in your immediate vicinity. This is part of the company’s efforts to ensure that bad actors don’t misuse the devices to stalk others.
The problem of stalking first appeared in May 2021 when an investigative report from The Washington Post showed how relatively easy it is to follow someone with AirTag. By attaching one to a person, the device can provide an accurate location to an iPhone every few minutes, even reporting an exact address.
Now me Firmware update 2.0.24 (opens in new tab), the precision find feature will be able to “locate an unknown AirTag” if it detects someone moving with you. You’ll also get iPhone notifications that let you know “when an AirTag that’s separated from its owner is traveling with you” and that the AirTag will start making a sound, ostensibly so you can locate it. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Apple did something similar back in April increasing the volume of AirTags as part of the 1.0.301 update. This appears to be part of the company’s ongoing efforts to update AirTags to better protect users.
Also in the patch is Firmware Update 2.0.36, which fixes a bug in the AirTag accelerometer “doesn’t activate in some scenarios”. This fix will help your iPhone more accurately detect if your AirTag, or one worn on your person, is moving.”
Upcoming fixes
To receive these updates, all you have to do is place your AirTag within 33 feet of your iPhone so that it can be within maximum range of the device’s Bluetooth signal. The firmware will automatically download. 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 have 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 that don’t, such as Indonesia and Armenia.
When the company first started rolling out Firmware Update 1.0.301 back in April, it promised it was the first of four updates, and with this latest batch, AirTags got the second and third. We asked Apple if it could tell us what the quarter will bring. This story will be updated later.
In the meantime, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list better privacy tools for the time.
