Apple Made a Change to the AirTag That You Probably Didn't Notice

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced that Apple has added a warning label to the AirTag's box that says to keep its coin-cell battery out of reach of children due to the severe risk of injury or death if the battery is ingested. Apple added a corresponding warning symbol inside the AirTag's battery compartment too.

Apple made these changes at some point after "Reese's Law" went into effect in March 2024, according to the announcement. The CPSC did not indicate if the warnings were added to the AirTag in the U.S. only or worldwide.

"Reese's Law" aims to prevent injuries and deaths caused by the tiny, circular coin-cell batteries. The law was named after Reese Hamsmith, a baby who died in 2020 after swallowing a coin-cell battery that was inside of a remote control.

Given that many AirTags without these warnings had already been sold, the CPSC said Apple now displays a warning about the hazards of coin-cell batteries in the Find My app each time a user is prompted to change the AirTag's battery.

The announcement was first reported by macReports.

Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 this year with longer range for item tracking. It is also rumored that the AirTag 2's built-in speaker will be more difficult to remove compared to the original AirTag, as an anti-stalking measure.