AirTags are sending a new kind of false alarm, report says

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

According to a new Wall Street Journal report, Apple has been sending out confusing notifications to its users. The AirTags feature anti-stalking measures that are designed to alert users when an unknown AirTag has been detected on their person over an extended period of time. The idea is to discourage AirTags from being used to track people.

According to the WSJ, these false alerts usually occur in the middle of the night and have started popping up in recent weeks. When a person receives an AirTag alert, they are supposed to see an accompanying map that shows where and how long the AirTag was on their person. Maps depicting several straight lines from a person's location accompany the false alarms. If you have ever seen an unknown AirTag alert, this is very unusual and indicates a bug in the system.

It's not clear how common this false alert is, though it's not the only type of false alarm a person may experience. While testing the AirTag's safety features, I was repeatedly notified that my own AirTag was following me. Several users have reported a similar experience. Other users have reported seeing confusing alerts triggered by their AirPods, an issue that Apple addressed in a recent update to better differentiate between alerts triggered by various accessories.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Users say that the alerts put them on edge, particularly when they can't find AirTag on their person. One user said they couldn't force the AirTag to play a sound because the FindMy app said the AirTag was not reachable. Even though the AirTag was close, this happened in my testing many times.

Apple said in February that it intended to make unknown AirTags alert people sooner and to emphasize louder tones on sound notifications. An AirTags update is currently being rolled out by Apple.

Domestic violence experts said that too many false alarms could be dangerous, as users may become desensitized to AirTag alert meant to keep them safe. There are design challenges that need to be addressed. The current notification window isn't adequate and shortening it too much may frighten people who aren't being tracked. AirTags must still be able to identify if they have been planted on a person or just happen to be in that person's vicinity. Concerns about false alarms are being proved to be justified by the recent round of phantom alerts.