How Apple AirTags May Help Protect Your Privacy GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Smart & Connected Life

How Apple AirTags May Help Protect Your Privacy

The technology has been live for over a year

By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 15, 2021 01:15PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming

Key Takeaways

Apple has not announced AirTags, but information has been leaking for years.Apple’s Find My tracking tech is ingenious, and will even detect stalkers and spies.AirTags details in the iOS 14.5 beta suggest an imminent launch. Dmitry Ratushny / Unsplash Apple’s AirTags have gotten yet another feature before they’ve even been announced: if somebody tries to stalk you by hiding an AirTag in your clothing, car, or purse, your iPhone will detect it and warn you. AirTags are Apple’s hotly anticipated tracker tiles, little tags that will show up in the Find My app on your phone, letting you find lost keys or keep your checked luggage safe. But are AirTags private? Might they leak private information and let other people find you? Probably not. "I will use them if they’re not too expensive," iOS app developer Graham Bower told Lifewire via direct message. "It can’t be worse than an Apple Watch."

How AirTags Probably Work

Apple’s Find My feature, built into all recent portable Macs and iOS devices, is a masterclass in smart design. Finding a lost phone is easy—in principle. Thanks to GPS, the iPhone always knows where it is. And if connected to the internet, it can tell you. Find My lets you track your devices even when they have no internet connection. It can also work with items that never, ever connect to the internet. Things like Bluetooth tracking tags. AirTags, in other words. Apple's Find My iPhone lets you track your lost device and provides you with multiple options. Apple It works like this: The AirTag (or your phone) broadcasts an always-changing public key via Bluetooth. This key is picked up by any passing iPhone or other Apple device, and used to encrypt that device’s current location. The stranger’s iPhone uploads this encrypted location, plus a cryptographically hashed version of that public key, to Apple’s servers. The hash is used as an identifier if you use the Find My app to track your lost tag, and the encrypted location data is sent to you. The trick is, only you can decrypt that data, so only you can see the location. It’s all done safely and anonymously, and because there are Apple devices in every corner of the world, it should all work pretty well.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong

If we assume that Apple’s tech is bulletproof, there are still some possible exploits. One is that somebody could slip their own tag into your car, clothing, or belongings to track you. This seems perfect for stalkers and a dream come true for the police. But Apple already has thwarted that scheme—as long as you carry an Apple device. If your iPhone detects that an AirTag is following you, it will send you an alert. In the beta version of iOS 14.5, the Find My app has this setting enabled by default, but there is a setting to toggle the warning off. The Find My settings also have a section for adding "items" to your tracking setup. See the screenshots below. The "help" links in these setup screens currently lead to blank pages on Apple’s site. Because your AirTag, iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and presumably in the future, your AirPods and other accessories, all are broadcasting Bluetooth signals, it is theoretically possible for someone to detect those signals. Although they can’t get any information from those signals, the very presence of an Apple AirTag blip over Bluetooth betrays the presence of an Apple device. Ultimately, the test is in how well this performs in public. The twist is that Apple has been using this tracking method since iOS 13, which launched more than a year ago, and there have been zero "-gate" scandals since then. Any future problems, then, will most likely be with the more disposable nature of AirTags, compared to other Apple devices. One can imagine short-term stalking would still work until the victim receives the alert. Otherwise, this seems like an incredible way not to lose your keys ever again. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is Crash Detection on iPhone and Apple Watch? How to Change an AirTag Battery How to Use Apple AirTags How to Use AirTags with Android Apple AirTag Review: The Best Tracker For iPhone Users How to Find My Apple Watch How to Use Passkeys on iPhone, iPad, or Mac How to Put an AirTag in Lost Mode How to Use Siri on iPhone 12 WhatsApp Encryption: What It Is and How to Use It How to Use AirTags With Older iPhones What Is macOS? What Is Network Encryption? How to Sign Up for Apple's iOS Public Beta Program 4 Ways to Find Lost AirPods in Any Situation Use 'Find My iPhone' to Locate a Lost or Stolen Phone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies