Apple might release a new safety feature in its Find My app with the next dot release of iOS 14. Apple blogger and iOS developer Benjamin Mayo spotted the feature in the beta release of iOS 14.5. According to him, the feature will allow users to know if an unknown tracking device is moving with them. Users will then be able to remove the tracking device or disable it.
The safety feature is named “Item Safety” and the developer Mayo has shared a screenshot of the settings pane on Twitter. Users will be able to enable or disable the safety feature, suggests the screenshot. He adds that the feature will help reduce stalking with location tracking devices.
Find My: Opened to third-parties
The new safety features will help reduce the risk the Find My app could cause after Apple having decided to open up the app to third party accessories. Smart accessories makers like ‘Tile’ make some of the most sophisticated trackers and an upcoming ultra wideband (UWB) tracker could increase the risks of users being stalked. Samsung already makes a tracker which is the size of a keychain and it could easily be slipped into somebody’s bag.
Apple is rumoured to be working on new Bluetooth tracking devices similar to Tile’s offerings. The company was previously rumoured to release the product in 2020 but appears to have postponed the release for reasons unknown. The product will now reportedly release sometime this year, possibly at its March event alongside updated iPad Pros and an updated Apple TV.
AirTags will help users find their items with ease – things that usually get lost. The small tracking devices are useful in finding things quickly. The market for such products is already huge, companies like Tile and Adero already have similar products. However, Apple’s own tracking devices will likely be better integrated into its ecosystem.
