Apple updates safety guide with AirTag how-to after reports of stalking, thefts emerge

Apple has updated its ‘personal safety user guide’ to include a new section on its wireless object trackers, AirTags. While the information included in the safety guide is not drastically new per se, it collates all possible steps that a user can take, in case they discover an unidentified tracker on or around them.

According to the safety guide, active AirTags will relay a notification to a person’s smartphone, and in a bid to improve safety, Apple has expanded the ability to detect its AirTags to Android devices as well. The guide lists steps that you can follow to detect an unidentified AirTag, which starts with users receiving a notification about an unidentified AirTag registered with a different user being in the vicinity.

Once such a notification arrives, users may tap on this notification, and follow on-screen instructions to have the AirTag beep. Users can follow the beep to locate the device, and subsequently scan it by bringing their Android phone or iPhone near it. This would subsequently reveal the serial number of the AirTag, the person that it belongs to, and any prompt that could suggest if the AirTag in question has been lost.

The guide also includes steps for users with Android phones to track down these handsfree object trackers through the Tracker Detect app.

Apple AirTags were launched in April last year, after being rumoured for a while. The tags use NFC (near-field communication) and Bluetooth to offer a wide range of connectivity, and is recommended for users to keep with keys or wallets — lest they forget.

However, the AirTags have led to multiple unpleasant experiences around the world, most reported of which has been stalking of users. Warning against such an experience, the updated Apple security guide urges users to follow steps to disable an AirTag and stop sharing its location to protect the privacy of unsuspecting users.

Multiple cases of theft, done by hijackers tracking down high-value cars by using AirTags outside India, have also been reported — signalling the side of object trackers that many criticised, especially with the launch of AirTags.