November 11, 2024
update
Apple’s Find My allows users to share the location of lost items with third parties.
Now available in iOS 18.2 beta, users can share secure links containing AirTag locations or Find My Network accessories with others, and soon with airlines.
Apple has introduced Item Location Sharing, a new iOS feature that helps users find and recover lost items by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties, such as airlines. Shared Item Locations is now available in most regions around the world as part of the iOS 18.2 public beta, which will soon be available to all users as a free software update for iPhone X.S And later. Find My was built with privacy and safety at its core. A shared location becomes deactivated as soon as a user associates with it again, can be stopped by the owner at any time, and automatically expires after 7 days.
“Find My is an essential tool for people around the world to track and locate their belongings,” said Eddy Cue, Apple Services senior vice president. “The Find My network and AirTags have proven to be a powerful combination, providing valuable location information when bags are misplaced or mishandled during travel. We’re excited to provide a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties, such as airlines, while protecting users’ privacy through Shared Item Location.”
Users can create shared item location links in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Recipients of the link can view a website that shows the item’s location on an interactive map. The website will automatically update as new locations become available and will display a timestamp of the most recent update.
In the coming months, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Turkish Airlines. , United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling — will begin allowing Find My Item as part of their customer service process to locate mishandled or delayed baggage. More airlines will be added over time.
Apple has worked directly with partner airlines to create a system that allows airlines to privately and securely accept shared item locations, leveraging the hundreds of thousands of Apple devices already in use. Access to each link is limited to a small number of people, and recipients must be authenticated to view the link through their Apple account or partner email address.
“We’ve worked closely with Apple to integrate shared item location into our baggage recovery process, and we’re excited to soon offer this feature to our customers,” said David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer. “We know that many of our customers are already traveling with AirTags in their checked baggage. This feature will soon make it easier for our customers to securely share their location information with us, allowing our customer service representatives to work more efficiently and provide additional benefits to our customers. peace of mind. “We plan to initially allow Find My Item locations at select airports, with the goal of rolling out the service system-wide in early 2025.”
“More than 99% of checked-in items arrive at their destination as planned, but we know how stressful it can be for our customers when they don’t. That’s why we’re excited to support shared item locations starting later this year,” said Erik Snell, senior vice president of Airport Customer Service, Cargo Operations, Ground Support Equipment and Global Clean, Delta Air Lines. “This will give our team additional visibility to reunite these items with their owners. “This cutting-edge solution developed by Apple in partnership with Delta Air Lines will help us find items more efficiently and effectively.”
“Allowing the Find My Item feature will provide additional peace of mind to customers traveling with AirTags in their luggage,” said Annalisa Gigante, head of innovation at IAG, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Vueling. , Aer Lingus and LEVEL. “We are always testing innovative solutions and improving our systems to ensure checked baggage reaches its desired destination as quickly as possible, and we look forward to integrating these solutions into our lost baggage handling from later this year.”
Additionally, SITA, a leader in air transportation technology, will build support for item location sharing into WorldTracer, a baggage tracking system used by more than 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports worldwide.
“As a leading industry provider of end-to-end baggage management solutions, with global passenger numbers expected to double by 2040, airports and airlines around the world will face significant challenges. “This collaboration with Apple will allow airlines using our industry-leading WorldTracer solution to easily implement item location sharing for more efficient baggage management, which will also be a huge benefit to our passengers,” said Nicole Hogg, Director of Baggage at SITA. said: “We look forward to adoption of this feature across the industry to complement existing tracking tools.”
Item Location Sharing is built on the Find My Network, a crowdsourcing network of more than a billion Apple devices that uses Bluetooth wireless technology to detect nearby lost devices or items and report their approximate location to their owners. The entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one, including Apple or the Find My Network accessory manufacturer, can see your device’s location or information.
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