With the release of iOS 18.2, AirTag owners can now enjoy a powerful new feature that improves their ability to track their belongings: sharing item location. This innovative feature allows you to share the location of your AirTag or Find My network accessory with anyone you trust, making it much easier to recover lost items. Whether you’re traveling and need to keep track of your luggage or simply want to share the location of a valuable item with a friend or family member, this feature is designed to give you peace of mind and convenience.
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AirTag feature for sharing item location (Apple) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What is shared item location?
Share Item Location is a new feature in the Find My app that lets you create a secure link showing the location of your AirTag or a compatible Find My network accessory. This link can be shared with trusted people or organizations, such as airlines, to help locate lost items.
AirTag feature for sharing item location (Apple) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How Shared Item Location Works
When you share an item’s location, the recipient can view it on an interactive map through a web browser. The location is updated automatically and a timestamp indicates when it was last refreshed. The shared location expires after seven days or when you find your item, whichever comes first.
AirTag feature for sharing item location (Apple) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How to update your software to iOS 18.2 or later
First, let’s update your software to iOS 18.2 or later:
- Open Settings
- Faucet General
- Select Software update
- Faucet Update now
- Enter your password And accept the conditions
- Wait for it installation to be completed
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Steps to share your AirTag location
Now let’s move on to how to share the location of your AirTag:
- Open it Find my app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac
- Faucet Continue at the bottom of the screen
- Press the Items tab at the bottom of the screen
- Select the AirTag Or article you want to share
Steps to share your AirTag location (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Scroll down and tap Share item location
- Faucet Continue generate a link
- You can now copy the link or use the Share link option to send it via AirDrop, Messages, email or other apps.
Steps to share your AirTag location (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Click on the up arrow to send it by SMS
- A reminder that the shared location expires after seven days
Steps to share your AirTag location (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Privacy and security
Apple designed this feature with privacy and security in mind. Shared location can be deactivated by the owner at any time and automatically expires after seven days. The item owner can also see how many people visited the shared link. Here are the steps to stop sharing the item’s location:
- Open it Find my app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac
- Press the Items tab at the bottom of the screen
- Select the AirTag Or article for which you want to stop sharing the item’s location
- Scroll down and tap Share item location
- Click Stop sharing item location
- Confirm your decision by clicking Continue
Steps to Stop Sharing Item Location (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Airline integration
One of the great aspects of this feature is its potential to revolutionize baggage tracking. More than 15 major airlines, including Delta, United, Air Canada, British Airways and Lufthansa, plan to integrate this feature into their customer service processes to locate mishandled or delayed baggage.
Note: While Apple has expanded the location sharing capabilities of AirTags to include Android users as recipients, managing AirTags still requires an iPhone or Apple device.
Kurt’s Key Takeaways
The Share Item Location feature in iOS 18.2 is an important upgrade for AirTag users. It addresses a common problem for travelers and provides a secure, user-friendly solution for sharing item locations with trusted parties. As more airlines and organizations adopt this technology, we could see a future in which lost baggage becomes a thing of the past.
How have you used technology to keep track of your belongings when traveling, and what challenges or successes have you encountered? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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