Apple is facing over 30 lawsuits from people who claim to have been stalked using Apple AirTags. The filings come after an AirTag lawsuit from 2022 (Hughes v. Apple) failed to get class certification.


In each filing, Apple is accused of releasing the ‌AirTag‌ while being aware that it could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims."

Further, the lawsuits say that Apple knew adequate safeguards were not in place when the ‌AirTag‌ launched in 2021, and Apple is aware that "AirTags remain a profound risk" to people like the plaintiffs. Apple reportedly received more than 40,000 stalking reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and Apple internal documents sourced from the original lawsuit show the company knew its safeguards would only "deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The company also acknowledged that it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping."

Multiple news reports of AirTags being used for stalking are referenced, including cases that ended in murder. The lawsuits claim that AirTags "revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking."

While there are other tracking options on the market, the ‌AirTag‌ uses the Find My network that leverages any nearby device to relay the ‌AirTag‌'s location back to its owner.

Apple has put multiple anti-stalking measures in place, including cross-platform notifications that let potential stalking victims know that an unknown ‌AirTag‌ is following them, but the plaintiffs don't feel that Apple's protections are adequate. The lawsuit cites the 4-to-8-hour delay before a notification is received, and notes that originally, AirTags didn't send a notification to potential stalking victims until 72 hours had passed.

One of the ways an ‌AirTag‌ alerts users to its presence is by playing a sound, but the speaker can be removed. Sellers on sites like eBay even offer modified silent AirTags.

Each lawsuit includes the personal story of the plaintiff involved and all of whom claim to have been stalked using an ‌AirTag‌. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order preventing Apple from engaging in the unlawful business practices alleged in the filings.

The judge overseeing the 2022 ‌AirTag‌ lawsuit denied class certification because of the difference in state laws and the individual nature of each stalking incident. The plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits within 28 days of the class certification denial.
This article, "Apple Faces Dozens of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking After Class Action Denied" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We were so busy covering Apple's earnings call last Thursday that iFixit's AirTag 2 teardown video that afternoon went under our radar until now.


For those who have yet to watch the video, iFixit opens up the AirTag 2 and reveals what is new inside, including a redesigned speaker that is up to 50% louder than the one in the previous AirTag, according to Apple. The teardown also provides a look at the AirTag 2's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip and more.

The overall design of the AirTag 2 is similar to the original version of the item tracking accessory.


While a previous teardown showed that it is more difficult to remove the speaker in the AirTag 2, compared to the one in the original AirTag, iFixit was still able to disable the speaker's audible chime with the use of a soldering gun.

For those who are not familiar, the AirTag is a small accessory that you can attach to your backpack, keys, or other items. Then, you can track the location of those items in the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iCloud.com.

Apple released the new AirTag last month. In addition to the louder speaker, Precision Finding works up to 50% farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model, and the overall Bluetooth tracking range is also improved.

Related Reading: AirTag 2 Hands-On: What's New and Should You Upgrade?
This article, "iFixit Shares AirTag 2 Teardown, Here's What's New" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple just released the second-generation AirTag, five years after the original model debuted. There's been a lot of time for Apple to come up with improvements, so we thought we'd test out the new model to see what's changed, and whether it's worth upgrading from the first-generation ‌AirTag‌.


Unfortunately, Apple didn't update the design of the ‌AirTag‌ 2, so it looks almost identical to the original model. The only thing that's changed is the text on the back, which is now in caps and includes wording about the IP67 waterproofing, and that doesn't count as any kind of design change.

It would have been nice to have different design options or a rechargeable battery, but the ‌AirTag‌ is the same coin shape and it still uses CR2032 batteries. Apple didn't mention anything about battery life improvements, so the ‌AirTag‌ 2 still lasts about a year before you need to swap it out.

While there aren't external updates, Apple did boost connectivity. The ‌AirTag‌ 2 uses an upgraded version of Bluetooth and it has a second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip, so it can be tracked from further away over Bluetooth, and the close-range Precision Finding feature works over longer distances.

According to Apple, Precision Finding works from up to 50 percent further away, so when you lose your ‌AirTag‌ indoors or are close to it, a UWB-enabled iPhone (the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and later) can lead you right to it. Apple also enabled Precision Finding on the Apple Watch Series 9 and later and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, which is super useful. You can't use an Apple Watch to locate an original ‌AirTag‌ nearby, and it's probably the best addition to the second-generation version.

You can even add a quick access toggle for Precision Finding to the Apple Watch for instant access to tracking down an ‌AirTag‌ without digging through menus. It's a much more natural way to find your items.

In our testing, Precision Finding on the Apple Watch worked reliably, tracking down an ‌AirTag‌ indoors even with walls and furniture in the way. The interface is the same as the Precision Finding interface on ‌iPhone‌, just scaled down to an Apple Watch size. You'll get a directional arrow and distance to help you accurately track down the ‌AirTag‌.

When pitting the original ‌AirTag‌ against the ‌AirTag‌ 2 with ‌iPhone‌ Precision Finding, the ‌AirTag‌ 2 was clearly superior. Both AirTags were tucked inside a backpack, and placed out of line of sight.

The original ‌AirTag‌ had a hard time with walls and objects, and required us to be closer to the backpack to get a connection. The ‌AirTag‌ 2 picked up signal from much further away, and kept the signal as we walked toward the backpack. It even worked with the ‌AirTag‌ 2 on a different floor, and kept its connection in a large office building.

Apple also updated the internals of the ‌AirTag‌ 2 to upgrade the sound, and it is noticeably louder. It is a pretty big improvement in audibility, and you will notice the difference between the two. The sound is sharper and easier to pinpoint, and it is much less likely to blend into background noise. It makes it easier to find items, but it also improves the ‌AirTag‌ 2's anti-stalking capabilities. It's harder to tuck an ‌AirTag‌ away and mute its sound, and Apple also made the speaker module more difficult to remove with additional adhesive.

The ‌AirTag‌ 2 is still priced at $29, with Apple offering a pack of four for $99, so it's a solid deal, especially with the tracking improvements. For most people, it's probably not worth upgrading to an ‌AirTag‌ 2 if you already have an original ‌AirTag‌, but if you're someone that heavily relies on AirTags on a regular basis, it could be a good idea to pick up a couple of the second-generation versions.
This article, "AirTag 2 Hands-On: What's New and Should You Upgrade?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag.


This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked.

Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting that many customers are attempting to take advantage of the deal.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was planning to release an AirTag 2 in mid-2025, but that did not happen. The current AirTag was released in April 2021.

For those unfamiliar with the AirTag, it is a Bluetooth accessory that you can attach to items like a backpack and keys, and you can then track the location of those items in the Find My app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iCloud.com. Similar item trackers are sold by brands like Tile, Samsung, Chipolo, and Pebblebee.

Update: Apple has reverted the price of the AirTag four-pack to the usual $99.

It is still unclear if any of the $29 orders will be fulfilled. Some customers said their orders now show a price of $99, but it is a fluid situation.

In its U.S. sales policy, Apple says it "reserves the right to change prices for products at the Apple Store at any time, and to correct inadvertent pricing errors."

The policy also says "Apple may refuse or cancel any order or limit order quantity."

Update 2: Apple has cancelled many of the orders, but some customers managed to receive their discounted AirTag four-pack via in-store pickup or courier delivery.
This article, "Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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