Privacy Alert for Unknown AirTag Triggers When a User Returns Home

Apple has shared considerable information regarding the safety mechanisms in place within its Find My network and AirTags, that prevent unwanted tracking. One of the biggest measures is the ability of an iPhone to detect if an unknown AirTag has been following a person for a period of time. In the unfortunate event that does occur, the ‌iPhone‌ can display an alert.

airtag privacy alert
‌AirTag‌ is joining an already crowded market, with Tile and other companies that have already produced item trackers for the last couple of years. So the challenges Apple faced with developing ‌AirTag‌ aren't entirely new. However, Apple's entry into a market typically leads to increased scrutiny over the real-world implications of the products and services.

Since their announcement earlier this month, Apple has played a fine balancing act in being transparent about the mechanisms in place within AirTags and the ‌Find My‌ network while ensuring not enough information is public for possible stalkers to find ways to exploit the system. Apple has publicly said that a user's ‌iPhone‌ can detect if an ‌AirTag‌, unassociated with that ‌iPhone‌, is found to be tracking it over an "extended period of time."

Apple hasn't gone into further detail until now. In a statement to Fast Company, regarding concerns about how AirTags could be used for unwanted tracking, Apple says that the ‌iPhone‌ alert for an unknown ‌AirTag‌ will be triggered once a user arrives at either their home address or a location the ‌iPhone‌ has learned to be frequently visited.

Apple has built some protections into this system. If you are an iPhone user, for instance, and someone has placed an AirTag on your person, your phone will eventually alert you that an AirTag that isn’t yours has been found “moving with you.” Apple didn’t clarify how quickly or often this alert will arrive, but it did share that it will occur when you arrive at your home (the address stored in your Apple “Me” card) or at certain other locations that your phone has learned you frequent over time. Apple declined to disclose further specifics, citing the interest of public safety.

While not entirely clear based on the statement and report, if a user is, for example, traveling and not at their typical home address, the ‌iPhone‌ will still likely send an alert after a certain period of time, which has yet to be disclosed. The home address trigger, described by Fast Company, is likely not the first metric the ‌iPhone‌ will use to alert a user, but rather a safeguard in place in case the "extended period of time" has elapsed without an alert.

AirTags, alongside the purple-colored iPhone 12 mini and ‌iPhone‌ 12, will begin arriving to most customers today. It's certainly possible that Apple could provide more specifics on the ‌iPhone‌ alert, especially regarding the trigger for when a user arrives home. For example, if a stalker was tracking an ‌iPhone‌ user with an ‌AirTag‌, and they're only alerted to the fact when they arrive home, the stalker would presumably already have their home location, based on the report from Fast Company.

We've reached out to Apple for more clarity around the alert and home address trigger and will update this post if we hear back.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

BlueCreek Avatar
53 months ago
So if tracking a stolen item, we have until the thief gets home to track it, before they are notified they are being tracked…
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
53 months ago

So if tracking a stolen item, we have until the thief gets home to track it, before they are notified they are being tracked…
AirTags aren't designed to track stolen items. They're designed to find items you have misplaced or lost. Any "stolen item tracking" is a bonus, but not by design.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rainshadow Avatar
53 months ago

This seems incredibly dodgy to me. It should alert people far sooner than this.

Imagine if this ends up with people being killed. Sometimes tech goes too far.

It should alert users as soon as that Bluetooth connection (50ft I think?) is broken.
Omg, you gotta be kidding me.

1. you can buy trackers designed to track people online for nothing.

2. Tile has existed without any privacy protections for many years.

This isn’t a black mirror episode, you just finally woke up.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KeithJenner Avatar
53 months ago

Of course you have to buy a new iPhone 11 or 12 to be alerted. Won’t work with older devices. :rolleyes:
No, the alerts will come with older phones too.

I think you may be getting confused with the fact that an 11 or 12 is required for precision finding. Other than that it works with much older phones.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnApples Avatar
53 months ago

So if tracking a stolen item, we have until the thief gets home to track it, before they are notified they are being tracked…
Please for the love of god MacRumors users… stop trying to make AirTags an anti-theft device. It is not.


Will be interesting to see how the alert system works when there many people close together taking a long journey that lasts for a number of hours, airplanes, train and buses. What will happen if there are a number of people on said transport that have airtags and the journey is 4-5 hrs long, or even longer. Does this mean that each airtag owner is going to get an alert on their iphone saying there is an unknown airtag nearby?
No, if the owner is nearby the AirTag, it’s not going to be sending out alerts.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bwayne Avatar
53 months ago
This is a fantastic feature. So for only $40 on Ebay I could drive my conspiracy minded boss out of his mind. He’ll probably need therapy twice a week after that. Hehehehe.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)