Apple AirTags: the benefits and risks
Critics say the small tracking devices can be ‘as creepy as they are helpful’

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
For people who are always losing the keys, phone and the like, Apple’s AirTags appear to be a smart solution.
The small, circular tracking tags can be attached to personal items and send out a Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices. As Apple has explained, “if a user misplaces their item and it is within Bluetooth range, they can use the Find My app to play a sound from the AirTag to help locate it”.
At £29 for a single AirTag, or £99 for a pack of four, the lightweight metal trackers are a “costly accessory”, said TechRadar. But they’re “an invaluable and easy-to-use tool for reuniting you with your misplaced possessions”, the tech site concluded in a four-star review shortly after AirTags were launched in the UK last April.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Since then, however, the devices have been linked to a range of nefarious practices – prompting The Washington Post to warn that AirTags can be “as creepy as they are helpful”.
‘Stalked for five hours’
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Brooks Nader has claimed that she was stalked for five hours via an AirTag during a night out with friends in New York City.
According to Nader, someone secretly attached the tracker to her coat while she was at a bar in the TriBeca neighbourhood last January. In a series of posts on social media, she said that she only realised her movements were being tracked when a notification on her phone informed her that an unknown item had been “moving with her for a while” and that “the owner could see its location”.
The model told the Daily Mail that she had gone public about her experience in order to “raise awareness and encourage ladies to look out for this notification and keep their belongings close, especially when out and about”.
‘Surreptitiously’ stuck to cars
The Washington Post reported in December that police in the York Region of Ontario in Canada had reported five incidents since September alone where AirTags were found “surreptitiously” stuck to expensive cars, “presumably so they could be tracked and stolen later”.
Similar reports had emerged from police in US states including Michigan and Atlanta, the paper said.
Some authorities “have begun to take a closer look at the threat posed by AirTags”, said The New York Times. The paper reported that police in the New York town of West Seneca Police Department had “warned its community of the tracking potential of the devices after an AirTag was found on a car bumper”.
Apple versus Android
Another criticism levelled against AirTags is that they put Android users at a disadvantage. When using an Apple product, “built-in tools make it relatively simple to spot an AirTag on or near you”, said The Washington Post. “But if you are one of the millions of people who own and use Android phones, finding an AirTag that’s too close for comfort can be harder than it should be.”
In a bid to address the problem, Apple launched a new Android app last month called Tracker Detect that can scan for and alert the user about nearby “unknown” AirTags. And if the detected tracker moves with the user for more than ten minutes, a sound can be played on the detected device to help them locate it.
“Tracker Detect gives Android users the ability to scan for an AirTag or supported Find My enabled item trackers that might be travelling with them without their knowledge,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.
But critics of the app point out that Android users “have to be vigilant enough to download it and proactively use it”, said The New York Times. Apple declined to tell the newspaper whether it was working with Google on technology that would allow Android phones to automatically detect AirTags.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Kate Samuelson is the newsletter editor, global. She is also a regular guest on award-winning podcast The Week Unwrapped, where she often brings stories with a women’s rights angle. Kate’s career as a journalist began on the MailOnline graduate training scheme, which involved stints as a reporter at the South West News Service’s office in Cambridge and the Liverpool Echo. She moved from MailOnline to Time magazine’s satellite office in London, where she covered current affairs and culture for both the print mag and website. Before joining The Week, Kate worked as the senior stories and content gathering specialist at the global women’s charity ActionAid UK, where she led the planning and delivery of all content gathering trips, from Bangladesh to Brazil. She is passionate about women’s rights and using her skills as a journalist to highlight underrepresented communities.
Alongside her staff roles, Kate has written for various magazines and newspapers including Stylist, Metro.co.uk, The Guardian and the i news site. She is also the founder and editor of Cheapskate London, an award-winning weekly newsletter that curates the best free events with the aim of making the capital more accessible.
-
Why the Roman Empire is suddenly everywhere online
The Explainer It fell more than 1,500 years ago — so why is it dominating social media?
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How climate change is going to change the insurance industry
The Explainer Some regions will soon be 'uninsurable'
By Devika Rao Published
-
TV to watch in October, from 'Loki' to 'The Fall of the House of Usher'
The Explainer Celebrate spooky season with some eerie streaming shows
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
China steals the spotlight at Apple's iPhone 15 launch
How will a directive from the Chinese government affect the tech giant?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why is a tiny change to the iPhone's charger such a big deal?
Today's Big Question A change to comply with EU regulations could have global ramifications
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Apple fixes its 'ducking' autocorrect problem
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Could Apple's $3,500 headset change the VR game?
Today's Big Question The ski goggle-like device could revolutionize an industry — that is, if people are willing to buy it
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Apple’s Vision Pro: is the VR future finally here?
Talking Point The ‘mixed reality’ headset could redefine how we use personal devices
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Apple’s Foxconn iPhone nightmare
Talking Point Zero-Covid protests in Zhengzhou slow down production of flagship smartphones ahead of Christmas rush
By Julia O'Driscoll Published
-
iPhone 14: are Apple launch events losing their lustre?
Speed Read Social media users have ‘poked fun’ at tech giant’s latest event amid talk of ‘upgrade fatigue’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Apple event product launches: iPhone 13, Watch Series 7, iPad and more
feature What the tech experts said about the new devices
By The Week Staff Published