AirTags are the latest Apple product success story, gradually reorienting the way modern society approaches a specific pain point. In this case, keeping track of your stuff.
Yes, Tile trackers established the market for Bluetooth-based object tracking. But what Tile didn’t have―and still doesn’t―is the benefit of using just about every iPhone in use as a network for triangulating the exact location of a given item.
Due to that powerful native integration within the Apple ecosystem, AirTags took off almost overnight. Whether you use an AirTag to keep track of your keys, your bag, your wallet or, if you’re like me, that extra special stuffed animal that your kid has a really hard time keeping tabs on, AirTags have a ton of use cases and provide a hefty amount of peace of mind.
That said, there is one feature I’ve been wanting from AirTags from day one: the ability to share an AirTag’s location with someone you trust. As of right now, AirTag location and other tracking features can only be accessed by the person whose account the AirTag is tied to. Thankfully, Apple is addressing this shortcoming in iOS 17.
Apple says that upon upgrading to iOS 17, you’ll be able to share an AirTag with up to five other people, allowing your friends and family to keep track of that AirTag in Find My.
I can’t tell you how many times my wife has called me or had to come find me so that I can locate our daughter’s stuffed animal because my wife can’t access it from her iPhone.
In iOS 17, I’ll be able to share that AirTag with her, allowing her to open Find My and use all the same features, including location tracking, playing a sound from the AirTag or using Find My’s ability to zero in on an AirTag’s precise location with walking directions.
In fact, everyone you share an AirTag with in iOS 17 will be able to do the same. Apple says this ability to share will also work with all other Find My network accessories.
There’s a lot more coming in iOS 17, so be sure to check out our full overview right here.
What do you think of AirTags? How do you use them? What other features would you like to see Apple add in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
increase number of airtags in one account to more than 16
Finally. We have 2 inside and one outside cats and a dog who like to get out, I thought I would be able to share that amongst my family only to find out no. So whenever one of them gets out……