Apple VP Kaiann Drance talks AirTags in new interview
Apple’s VP of worldwide iPhone product marketing Kaiann Drance has spoken with colleague Ron Huang, Senior Director of Sensing and Connectivity in a new interview with Fast Company, discussing AirTags and their anti-stalking privacy features.
Apple introduced the AirTag on Tuesday its “Spring Loaded” special event – the iPhone maker’s long-rumored tracking accessory that integrates with the Find My app to allow users to track items such as handbags, keys, backpacks, or other items from their iPhone.
In typical Apple fashion, the company has designed the AirTag with privacy in mind. AirTags send out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of the AirTag to iCloud — then the tag can be located in the Find My app by the owner.
The whole process is anonymous and encrypted, with location data and history never stored on the AirTag itself.
Speaking with Fast Company, Drance said: “When it came to designing our own product, we thought carefully about how to get this right in a way that no one else in the industry’s ever done before. You’ll see that we designed for the privacy of AirTag owners and nonowners, as well as making these benefits opened up to third-party products as well.”
If a lost AirTag is found, anyone with an NFC smartphone, including anyone with an Android device, can hold it against their phone to be taken to a website that will display a contact phone number for the owner, if they have provided one, along with a personal message with information about how to contact the owner and what to do with the lost item.
Although almost any smartphone can interact with the AirTag, Huang says the AirTag is a “privacy-first” smart tracker. “If you lose your AirTag, somebody can’t just pick up your AirTag, repair it with their iPhone, and continue using it,” said Huang.
Apple says AirTags has also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking.
AirTag has also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking. To discourage tracking without your knowledge, Find My will notify you if an unknown AirTag is seen moving with you over time. An AirTag that isn’t with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved so you can find it, even if you don’t use an iOS device.