The latest version of iOS 18 will have a new feature that allows users to share the location of lost AirTags with third parties. Airlines are given as a specific example given the popularity of using AirTags to keep an eye on baggage, and Apple says over 15 airlines are partnering with Apple over the coming months.
Qantas is a notable participant for Australian travellers. Other airlines partners include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.
More airline partners will be added over time.
Apple says it has worked directly with partner airlines to build systems that allow users to privately and securely share their AirTag with the company. Apple says only a small number of people will be able to access the location of the shared item, and they'll all need to authenticate in order to do so. Users can set an expiry time, stop sharing the location manually after the AirTag is found, or otherwise, the link will expire after seven days.
WhistleOut reached out to Qantas to see if there was a time frame on when it would start using the technology, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Airlines including British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, and Delta all plan to accept AirTag when managing lost baggage by the end of the year. United will trial the select in select airports initially with the goal of launching it universally in early 2025.
While being able to share AirTag locations with airlines is a key use case for the feature, Share Item Location links can be sent to anyone.
iOS 18.2 is expected to launch in December, but a public beta is currently available. iOS 18.2 will also be a notable release, as it will expand Apple Intelligence features to Australian iPhone users.
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Alex Choros
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