Reports of Apple introducing a Tile-like Bluetooth tracking device called ‘AirTags‘ has been making the rounds of the Internet for quite some time now. It’s been rumored to arrive in the first half of 2020 but Apple seems to have made a grave error today. It has accidentally not only confirmed the existence of its Tile competitor but also shared its official name in a support video (since deleted) uploaded to YouTube.
First spotted by Apple-focused blog Appleosophy in the video titled “How to erase your iPhone,” the Cupertino giant is simply seen teaching users how to reset their device to factory settings. During the process, users are instructed to navigate to the ‘Find My iPhone’ menu to turn it off before moving ahead with the process.
And here, on the ‘Find My iPhone’ settings page is where you will see a new ‘Enable Offline Finding’ option. The text underneath, if you take a close look, references the AirTags product name. It reads, “Offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.”
Prior to this seemingly official reveal, references to the Apple AirTag had been spotted in iOS 13 code more than once. We even got an official first look at the tracker prior to the iPhone 11 lineup launch. Today’s news, however, confirms that the AirTags are an unreleased product that could go official in the coming weeks.
AirTags, for those unaware, are rumored to tiny circular stick-on trackers that you can attach to your personal belongings – ranging from keys or tumblers to pets or laptops. These trackers are rumored to employ Ultra-Wideband radio technology, along with Apple’s in-house U1 chip, that is baked inside the latest iPhone 11 and iPad Pro models (packing LiDAR). This enables superior spatial awareness, making it possible for users to locate lost items in the AR Space. It will most likely require you to raise your iPhone or iPad, with the camera app open, to scan for and ping AirTags.
The long-rumored Apple AirTags tracker has (sort of) officially been revealed today and would most likely go official at WWDC 2020 in the coming months.
