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Apple quietly added another AirTag anti-stalking feature
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Apple has added another anti-stalking feature to itsAirTagtrackers, which should help the unsuspecting victims who’ve have one of their accessories placed on their person.
A new Applesupportdocument has revealed the purpose behind the firmware update revealed earlier this week (viaMacRumors).
The company says AirTag Firmware Update 1.0.301 has a sole purpose: “Tuning the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag.”
We haven’t had the opportunity to put the new unwanted tracking sound to the test, but it’s likely to be related to a promise the company made earlier this year to make the sound louder.
In anews releasefollowing in response to the ongoing controversy about unwanted tracking, Apple said: “Currently, iOS users receiving an unwanted tracking alert can play a sound to help them find the unknown AirTag. We will be adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag more easily findable.”
That update has now rolled out, lessening the likelihood people who have had an AirTag unwittingly stashed in their bag or jacket, won’t hear the tone.
Updating AirTags happens automatically, with Apple saying they are delivered periodically to the accessory. Users will need to have iOS 14.5, at mimimim, installed on the companion iPhone.
To check whether you’re running the latest AirTag firmware, Apple says users can open the Find My app, tap Items, and select the AirTag from the list. That will reveal the serial number and firmware version.
Apple has beensteadily improving the anti-stalking toolswithin the AirTag trackers since launch. There are privacy warnings during set-up, refined “Unknown Accessory Detected” alerts to account for people’s AirPods. The company is adding “precision finding” too.
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Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
