The new Apple AirTag has been quite the winner in terms of easy tracking your bits and pieces, though there are some security and privacy concerns. Apple is moving to address these concerns with an update, as well as promising an Android app to be launched later this year.
The report by C-Net says that the firmware update will change the time frame in which an AirTag, which is not associated with you but has been placed on (or near) you, will make itself known to you. At launch, the AirTag made a noise after it had been separated from its registered owner, and travelled with you for three days; after the planned update, AirTags will now notify you with a sound played randomly between eight and 24 hours.
This is all well and good for iOS users, but Apple is also aware that AirTags could potentially be used to track Android users. To prevent this, Apple is working on an Android app which will detect an AirTag or Find My Network-enabled device which has been travelling with them.
The app presumably won’t allow Android users to setup and use an AirTag, but will simply notify them when there is potentially one with them.
Trevor did a fair bit of research on this when he reviewed the AirTag, and found the notifications showed up promptly on iOS, and provided information on whom the tag belonged to, and how to shut it down.
The firmware update has already begun rolling out to AirTags around the globe, while the Android App will arrive later this year.