On the 3rd of April this year, Apple uploaded a support video on YouTube showcasing how to reset an iPhone. In the process, the company appears to have mistakenly revealed an upcoming product of theirs – AirTags.
AirTags has been making noise on the internet rumour mill for a long time now. Reportedly, these tags will help find items like keys, wallet, etc. The information that has leaked regarding the AirTags, suggests that it will be very similar to what the company Tile makes.
The existence of such a product from Apple is very much confirmed now. The video uploaded by Apple has since been pulled from the internet but it did confirm the rumours. In the video, a new toggle option in the settings showed “Enable Offline Finding” beneath which “AirTags” were mentioned.
Offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.
According to Techcrunch, based on the information gathered till date, AirTags will be tiny Bluetooth enabled tiles. Adding the data obtained from Apple’s video, we know that these Apple tiles will not require Wi-Fi or data and will work flawlessly when not connected to the internet.
Tile has been making similar products for a while now but Apple developing such technologies will mean that they take advantage of the company’s tight integration of hardware and software. Last year, Apple released iOS 13 and along with it, released the “Find My” app which will very likely be the home for AirTags.
According to MacRumours, the upcoming AirTags from Apple will feature user-removable coin sized cells (battery). If the report turns out to be true, AirTags will be very similar to Tile’s products as they also feature coin cell batteries.
Tile has begun to notice the news and a few weeks ago talked about Apple’s anti competitive behavior.