Apple AirTag is now falsely notifying users about being tracked

Apple's AirTag is a good tool if you want to track your belongings or even pets. The device, however, has been misused countless times for stalking people and stealing cars. Now, cases of AirTag falsely notifying people about getting stalked online have surfaced. A woman reported that the Apple AirTag told her that she was being tracked but later she discovered that none of that was happening. It is to be noted that the AirTag comes with anti-stalking features that are designed to notify people when their movements are being tracked by other users. The feature was rolled out to discourage tracking people without their consent.

A new report by the Wall Street Journal now reveals that AirTag is sending phantom alerts to people that are scary and confusing to the core. The report states that the alerts were sent by the device mostly during the night, throwing people into a panicky situation. Usually, when an AirTag which does not belong to you is found moving along with you, you get a notification from the Find My app that an AirTag is found to be moving with you. Even if you put your friend's AirTag in your bag, you will be notified about it. However, when the device sends phantom alerts, maps with several straight lines coming from a person's location appear. This does not seem usual if you have seen an AirTag alert. The straight lines from the maps are indicative of a bug in the system.

The WSJ report revealed when a woman and her daughter were leaving Disneyland, they were notified by the Find My app that they were being tracked using an AirTag. They checked their bags and pockets thoroughly but did not find any AirTag. The alert was false but did scare them a lot as they frantically searched every bag and pocket but could not find the device.

A similar thing happened with McClain, a 25-year-old marketer in Indianapolis. He also got a notification from his Find My app saying that he was being tracked. "It was a shock in my morning," he said. "I thought, 'Who would want to stalk me? Who would want to hurt me?", he told WSJ. Many such incidents have taken place where people have been sent notifications about being tracked but upon digging deeper they could not find anything.

Apple is yet to address the issue.