Apple recently unveiled the brand-new AirTag tracking device at its virtual ‘Spring Loaded’ event. Today, a new report has surfaced detailing what will happen if a user loses their AirTag and is unable to locate it.
The AirTag easily be attached to objects or everyday items like purses, school bags, and keys to quickly locate them. The product works with the recently announced Find My network to anonymously share location across Apple’s network of iOS devices.
Here is what will happen if you lose your AirTag
An AirTag that has been separated from its owner for an extended period of time will make a noise when it is moved, as part of a privacy feature to let you know there is a tag present nearby. The device can be reset easily by tapping it with an iPhone or “NFC-capable devices”.
Apple has not explained what is the meaning behind, “an extended period of time”. Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber contacted his sources at Apple to find out the exact meaning behind this sentence. He was told that the extended time is currently three days, but it might change in the future.
I talked to folks from Apple today about some of this. The timeout period for when an AirTag will play a sound if separated from its owner is currently three days — but that’s not baked into the AirTags themselves. It’s a server-side setting in the Find My network, so Apple can adjust it if real-world use suggests that three days is too long or too short.
The “NFC-capable device” thing means Android phones.
Apple has published documentation detailing how privacy is built-in to the location-tracking device, as well as the functionality it features that is used to prevent unwanted tracking. If you find a lost AirTag, here are the steps you should follow to return the device to its owner:
- Tap and hold the top of your iPhone or NFC-capable smartphone to the white side of the AirTag.
- Tap the notification that appears. This opens a website that provides information about the AirTag, including its serial number.
- If the owner market it lost, you might be able to see a message with information about how to contact the owner.
The starting price for the device is $29 each or a bundle of four for $99. Online orders will begin on April 23rd and will be shipped on April 30. The tech giant also unveiled a number of AirTag compatible accessories following its virtual event.
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