AIRTAGS: APPLE’S NEXT ADVENTURE
When Apple released iOS 13 and macOS
Catalina in 2019, the company launched a new
Find My application, merging Find My iPhone
and Find My Friends to create an all-in-one
location tracking platform. Unlike previous
iterations of the app, Find My tracking works
even when devices are disconnected from WiFi
or cellular, sending secure Bluetooth signals
to create a mesh network of Apple devices,
allowing users to track their devices in real-
time. A revolutionary feat, it was the first step
towards Apple’s location-focused activities,
with the company then rolling out updated
Apple Maps across the US with improved
road coverage, detailed landcover, and
interactive street-level imagery with HD, 3D
photography. But what’s next on the cards in
Apple’s growing location efforts?
Last year, it was revealed that Apple had been
working on a new Tile-like tracker device that
could integrate with the Find My app, offering
similar technology to the way iPhones and
iPads are tracked using the new Bluetooth
mesh system. As of iOS 13.2, it was revealed
that the device would be called AirTag,
designed to integrate with iCloud and locate
items that commonly go missing, such as
keys, wallets, and teddy bears. As exclusively
revealed by 9to5Mac, the tracker will operate
from a new Items tab in the Find My
application, and offer users notifications when
their iPhone gets too far away from the tag. For
example, your iPhone could send you an alert
if you leave the house on a morning without
remembering to take your lunchbox (if it had
an AirTag connected to it).