Barely has the iOS 18.1 update been deployed when Apple has already presented a beta version for the next one, logically called iOS 18.2. Among the new features that developers can already test, there is one that could prove valuable for everyone: sharing the location of an AirTag.
Forgotten keys, lost suitcases or even stolen wallets were the share of unresolved misadventures in our sometimes very hectic lives. Until Apple unveiled a revolutionary solution: the AirTag. Barely bigger than a coin, the Cupertino company’s tracker has become a real daily ally for airheaded people. Good news: it seems that this precious connected object will soon be improved, thanks to a future update.
With iOS 18.2, you will be able to share the location of your AirTag with a trusted person
It was in the beta version of iOS 18.2, available to developers, that Apple presented a new functionality related to the application Locate. As a reminder, the latter is currently used by owners of an AirTag, but also of any product from the Apple brand (iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch, etc.), to locate it themselves directly. The new thing promised with iOS 18.2 is that it will now be possible to allow a (trusted) third party to access your location.
The interest? Let’s say you run out of battery on your iPhone for example, the person to whom you have shared the location will be able to come to your aid to find the lost AirTag, and therefore the object to which it is attached. Another example: if you have the unpleasant surprise of not seeing your suitcase arrive on the airport conveyor belt, you could then contact the airline more easily. This could indeed help you find your lost property, by also tracking the location of the AirTag that you took care to slip into your luggage.
How does location sharing of an AirTag work?
And to do this, nothing could be simpler. As iOS 18.2 testers report on social networks, Apple has indeed planned a new option called “Share the location of the object” in the application Locatewhich would make it possible to generate a traceability link to which a trusted person could therefore access. The link would be open from any browser, whether on iPhone, Mac, or even PC. The third party should thus be able to track the location of the AirTag themselves, provided that they also have an Apple account.
It seems that a trusted person can not only have access to the location of the object, but also to the owner’s contact details such as email address or telephone number, in order to contact them more easily. The traceability link would also be active only temporarily, for a maximum period of seven days from the date of sharing, and would be automatically deactivated as soon as the owner gets their hands on their AirTag.
Your AirTag is waiting for you
Although this new feature is very promising, it is currently only available with the beta version of iOS 18.2, dedicated to developers. When will it be available to the general public? The mystery remains. The iOS 18.1 version having only been deployed recently, we imagine that the next update is not planned for immediately. However, you can count on SFR News to keep you informed of its arrival!
Sources : Frandroid, The Verge
