Apple iOS 15.4 Beta Finally Makes It Tougher For Creeps To Exploit AirTags For Stalking
Among the measures Apple is taking to mitigate misuse of AirTags for stalking and car theft is cooperation with law enforcement. All AirTags that are in use are registered to an iOS device, and Apple has been and will continue to provide the account details of iOS devices linked to AirTags misused for malicious purposes. According to Apple, law enforcement has successfully used this information to find, apprehend, and charge bad actors misusing AirTags.
iPhones will warn users when unfamiliar Find My network devices have been following them around, and Apple previously stated that it would push a software update to clarify the kinds of devices detected nearby. iPhones currently display “Unknown Accessory Detected” notifications when certain AirPod models are detected nearby, but the latest iOS 15.4 beta now specifies that these devices are AirPods. The beta also includes new notification settings that separate regular Find My notifications from Tracking notifications, giving users finer control over these notifications.
Apple has said that more anti-stalking software features are in the works, and iOS 15.4 isn’t expected to launch until mid-March, so we may see more of these features appear in future beta releases before the final release. You can head on over to 9to5Mac for confirmation of the new features in the latest beta build.