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Apple has added a new feature to the Find My app as part of the public beta of iOS 18.2. Users can now enable the Share Item Location function, which allows third parties to view the locations of their lost items to aid in recovery.
With this new function, as described in the Apple Newsroom, users can recover misplaced items easily and securely by sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with trusted personnel, such as airlines to retrieve missing baggage. Built with privacy and security at its core, the function will be disabled as soon as the missing item is returned or manually switched off by the user and will terminate automatically after seven days.
In the coming months, more than 15 global airlines are set to begin accepting this feature as part of their customer service process to locate delayed or mishandled bags. These include: Singapore Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.
Working directly with its partner airlines, Apple has put systems in place to ensure security when it comes to using this feature, requiring recipients to authenticate before accessing an item-sharing request through their Apple account or partner email address.
“We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind,” said United Airlines chief customer officer David Kinzelman. “We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”
In addition, air transport industry IT provider SITA will develop support for the Share Item Location feature into the WorldTracer baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and at more than 2,800 airports across the globe.
“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” said Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue. “With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”
Share Item Location is built on the Find My network and the entire process will be end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one else including Apple or accessory manufacturers can view a device’s location or information.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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