Apple’s new AirTag was announced not too long ago with the latest iPad Pro. The new tracker from Apple allows users to track a myriad of items including their keys and even their pet using wireless and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The AirTag even debuted with accessories made by Hermes. However, it’s come under fire for two reasons in the past few days.
The first, rather minor issue relates to Apple’s Family Sharing feature which allows families to share access to Apple’s services with up to five family members. Be that as it may, Apple users are apparently unable to share access to the AirTag’s location with family members. This becomes an issue when users are using AirTag to track shared items or even pets. The inability to do this has evoked the ire of users who have taken to Reddit and the MacRumors forums to express their dissatisfaction.
Apple has clarified that the only privilege afforded to the AirTag under iCloud Family Sharing is the ability to silence the “AirTag Detected”. It seems like the accessory is intended to be “owned” by a single user with limited shareability with others. However, this doesn’t stop Apple from introducing the feature in a future update.
That aside, the AirTag have been removed from Officeworks, an Australian retailer’s shelves after child safety concerns arose from the design of the item. The AirTags are powered by a removable CR2032 battery. The battery can be removed by pushing down and twisting. The simplicity of this mechanism has brought concerns that a child could accidentally access the battery and ingest it which can lead to death. The retailer has expressed that the item will remain off their shelves until guidance is received from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Apple has responded to the issue in a statement to Gizmodo Australia stating, “We are following the regulations closely and are working to ensure that our products will meet or exceed new standards, including those for package labelling, well ahead of the timeline required.”
It’s worth noting that the Samsung SmartTag and SmartTag+ are both powered by the same CR2032 battery. However, unlike the AirTags, users need a coin or flat object to retrieve the battery. That said, this may highlight design issues inherent in trackers currently being released in the market.
