Apple’s newest AirTag boasts a louder speaker and extended tracking range, but the company explicitly states the device is “designed exclusively for tracking objects,” not people or pets.
Privacy First, functionality Second?
Apple’s AirTag 2 prioritizes user privacy, impacting its effectiveness for tracking live subjects like pets or children.
- Apple clearly discourages using AirTags to track people or animals.
- Enhanced privacy features-beeping and alerts-hinder real-time tracking.
- Despite limitations,demand for AirTag pet collars likely will persist.
- The device’s anti-stalking measures can also frustrate legitimate tracking attempts.
Midway through its press release regarding the new AirTag, Apple reiterated its position on the device’s intended use. “Designed exclusively for tracking objects,” the company writes,”and not people or petsthe new AirTag incorporates a suite of industry-first protections against unwanted tracking…” The updated AirTag may have a louder speaker and longer effective tracking range,but it still doesn’t include “tracking anything with a pulse” on its feature list.
This stance makes sense, given apple’s desire to distance itself from misuse of the AirTag for stalking. Such abuse was prevalent in the device’s early days, before privacy measures were implemented to make it beep when separated from its owner and send alerts to nearby smartphones. Though, concerns about misuse continue to surface. The new AirTag 2’s features, intended to prevent stalking, ironically make it less useful for tracking pets. Such as, the AirTag will start beeping in the classroom as its been out of range of your iPhone for too long. (Workarounds exist, but aren’t officially endorsed.) Even if most cats reappear frequently enough to prevent the AirTag from sounding an alarm, the feature could annoy passersby if an animal stays away from home for extended periods.And if the animal is stolen, the alerts sent to a thief’s phone likely won’t aid in a fast recovery.
Apple isn’t attempting to dictate how we use our products, but rather to highlight limitations. Unlike the original AirTag, these limitations are present in the AirTag 2 from the start. AirTags simply aren’t designed to track people-it’s a purposeful feature, not a flaw.
The pet tracking issue is less clear-cut, partly as cats don’t carry smartphones and partly because they’re less likely than children to be away from home all day. There’s still a valid use case for owners curious about their pets’ wanderings, and AirTag collars and compatible Find My trackers will likely continue to sell. Though, if your counting on the device to help in case of theft, you might be disappointed.