iOS 15.2 Adds Option to Scan for Nearby AirTags and Find My-Enabled Items

With the iOS 15.2 beta that was released today, Apple has added enhancements to the Find My app. There's a new feature that's designed to let users scan for AirTags or Find My-enabled items that might be tracking them.

apple unknown items scan
When opening the ‌Find My‌ app after installing the beta and going to the "Items" tab, there's an option for "Items That Can Track Me." Tapping on this allows users to search for nearby items that might be used to track their location.

When activated, the Unknown Items feature scans for anything that's nearby, and will let users know either way if there's a device that belongs to someone else nearby. If an item is detected, Apple offers instructions on how to disable the device so that it can no longer be used for tracking purposes.

Apple also has a "Help Return Lost Items" option, which is the same as the prior "Identify Found Item." The Help Return Lost Items feature launches a scan that locates nearby devices and provides instructions on how to contact the device's owner, with instructions personalized based on the device in question.

AirTags and items with ‌Find My‌ integration are meant to allow users to track their lost devices, but there have been concerns that AirTags can be planted on people for stalking purposes. To prevent stalking with AirTags and other devices, Apple has implemented several safety measures.

AirTags are designed to start playing a sound between eight and 24 hours after being separated from their owner, and iPhone users are alerted if an AirTag is traveling with them. Apple is working on an Android app that will let Android users detect an unknown ‌AirTag‌ or ‌Find My‌ network-enabled item to prevent AirTags from being used to stalk Android users.

Related Forum: iOS 15

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Top Rated Comments

Mizouse Avatar
48 months ago
Won’t this mean that a robber could use that feature to deactivate a tag in stolen property?
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hazyb71 Avatar
48 months ago
Pretty lame. I get Apple’s intent but it seems contradictory. Why work with Van Moof to integrate Find My/AirTag functionality into bikes? Are people losing their bikes with no theft involved? This sends mixed messaging.

Yes, it’s for lost items. But stolen items are lost items too.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siddavis Avatar
48 months ago
This looks nice, but somebody wake me when they add family sharing for AirTags.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xStep Avatar
48 months ago

AirTags help you find lost items, not stolen items.
A stolen item is a lost item.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
48 months ago
Ok so this has downgraded its ranking from partially useful to fully useless for me. What’s the point of for example placing a airtag in a bag, if the perpetrator can just pull out his phone, confirm there is one and disable it.

What’s the point of this Device?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
48 months ago
We NEED Family Sharing.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)