Cases of harassment or theft related to Apple AirTags are regularly reported online. Apple is now hoping to combat this phenomenon with an upcoming firmware update for wireless trackers that will significantly change the volume at which the tag triggers an alarm.
- In the future, Apple’s AirTags will be louder and alert at different frequencies
- Apple will update AirTags firmware to version 1.0.301 by mid-May
- This is a forced update that users cannot opt out of.
Apple continues to come under fire for its AirTags. This is because connected trackers can unfortunately be hijacked by stalkers and/or thieves and targeted against their users.
Recently, Apple went public with the allegations and promised to take additional security measures for AirTags. The problem is that, among other things, tiny trackers can be misused to initiate theft or to track people without their knowledge. Apple now wants to fix it with a firmware update.
No more noise, is this really a solution?
AirTag owners can’t object to the update, which Apple says should be in place by mid-May. Therefore, this is a mandatory update for version 1.0.301. If someone other than the rightful owner of the tag travels with such a device, an alarm will be triggered after a period of time. That’s still relatively cautious for now, and that’s where Apple will step in.
The Cupertino company provides AirTags with different, more aggressive frequencies that, most importantly, make them noisier. So trackers can be discovered more easily. The gist of this story is that if you use tags as burglar protection, burglars will spot them faster because of the loud alarm. Also, the problem persists and the alarm goes off only after a few hours. For example, if you have a stalker hot on your trail, it may be too late before the loud alarm goes off.
What do you think about the next update? Does it stop you from using these products more?