Latest AirTags Firmware Update Tunes the Unwanted Tracking Sound for Easier Detection - MacRumors
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Latest AirTags Firmware Update Tunes the Unwanted Tracking Sound for Easier Detection

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Earlier this week, Apple began rolling out a firmware update for AirTags, and while it wasn't clear at the time what changes were included in the update, Apple has now revealed in a new support document that it tweaks the sound made by unknown AirTags found to be traveling with you.

AitTag New Firmware

AirTag Firmware Update 1.0.301

Tuning the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag.

Apple has made several changes to the way AirTags function since their release in order to address concerns about the trackers being used for stalking purposes. Apple in February announced a suite of changes it would be making with regard to stalking concerns, with some of the changes rolling out in March with iOS 15.4 and others coming later.

One of those changes coming later involved using more of the loudest tones in the tone sequence played by an unknown AirTag to help locate it more easily, and that appears to be what this week's firmware update includes.

Tuning AirTag’s sound: 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.

While not mentioned in the release notes, Apple is rolling this firmware out on a staggered basis, and there is no way to force your AirTags to update. The update was capped at being delivered to 1% of ‌AirTag‌ users as of Tuesday when it started rolling out, which will rise to 10% on May 3 and 25% on May 9, and it will go fully live to everyone on May 13.

Related Roundup: AirTag
Buyer's Guide: AirTag (Buy Now)

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Top Rated Comments

J
jopiek
57 months ago
Really annoying 'feature'. My brothers dog has an AirTag. If she stays at our place and my brother is not around it will make this sound and the dog of course goes nuts. They should make an option to share AirTags in Family, that would totally solve this problem I think.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4
44267547
57 months ago

I don't use mine anymore. It's something else to take care of, just adds more clutter to life. I was fine without them.
I generally don’t understand your complaints:

Something else to take care of? I haven’t had to take care of anything, with the exception of an update.

How exactly does it add clutter? It’s approximately the size of a quarter.

You said you were ‘fine without them’, so what made you allegedly purchase them in the first place then?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaikidan Avatar
Kaikidan
57 months ago

I have nothing but trouble with these things and I wish I never bought them.


* I just replaced the batteries and 2 of 5 already claim they are low on battery again
* 3 of 5 refused to connect after replacing the batteries because it claimed the battery is too low to connect or something like that (new batteries!). - Somehow they were able to connect just fine using the same batteries after opening the back and pressing the battery against the AirTag with my hand. Once connected, I could put on the back thingy again and they would stay connected.
* Maybe it is my imagination but it seems to hit my battery life on iPhone / iPad a lot ("Find My") always in my over night battery stats
* Getting the annoying notification of my BFs AirTag. They need to add an option to mark an AirTag as known like "I know this AirTag. Please stopp bothering me FOREVER, not just for this day

About the "Low Battery" notification after replacing, I remember a article her eon macrumors about airtags having a lot of problems with duracells and other brands who used the anti-child swallowing coatting, as it caused connection problems with the small pins used on the airtags since it didn't provided enough contact surface to trasnmit enough electricity, acting as insulators. and since you managed to have it working by pressing harder I think that that is the problem here, you can use something to brush to try to remove a little bit of coating where it connects to the airtag, but I don't know the best method for it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
contacos
57 months ago
I have nothing but trouble with these things and I wish I never bought them.


* I just replaced the batteries and 2 of 5 already claim they are low on battery again
* 3 of 5 refused to connect after replacing the batteries because it claimed the battery is too low to connect or something like that (new batteries!). - Somehow they were able to connect just fine using the same batteries after opening the back and pressing the battery against the AirTag with my hand. Once connected, I could put on the back thingy again and they would stay connected.
* Maybe it is my imagination but it seems to hit my battery life on iPhone / iPad a lot ("Find My") always in my over night battery stats
* Getting the annoying notification of my BFs AirTag. They need to add an option to mark an AirTag as known like "I know this AirTag. Please stopp bothering me FOREVER, not just for this day
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
femike
57 months ago
I don't use mine anymore. It's something else to take care of, just adds more clutter to life. I was fine without them.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
MrGimper
57 months ago

So a bike thief will now be able to more easily locate the AirTag the bike's owner hid on the bike?
They’re not designed to prevent theft.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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