Tracking lost luggage may become easier with new Apple feature
Losing your luggage is one of the most dreadful parts of traveling — but tracking a lost bag might become easier.
Many passengers have already started to put tracking devices in their bags so they can see their location for themselves.
But airports often don’t want to know what the trackers say, or they can’t do anything with the information.
However, passengers using Apple AirTags will soon be able to give third-party access to tracking information. This would allow airports and airlines to look for lost bags in real-time.
Apple announced the “Share Item Location” feature as part of the new iOS 18.2 operating system, which will have a third-party sharing option.
The new feature is available now in most regions worldwide as part of the beta version of iOS 18.2, which will soon be available to all users with an iPhone Xs and later as a software update.
The new feature on the Find My app will allow the user to share the location of a lost item with “an airline or trusted person.”
Choosing the “Share Item Location” option will generate a link that will allow someone to see the location of the item for a limited time.
Shared links will stop working when the item is returned to you, when the owner stops it or when the link-sharing date expires, the report said. The shared link will expire after one week, and the user can see how many people have visited the link.
According to the press release, more than 15 airlines will begin accepting Find My item locations in the coming months as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags.
The airlines currently include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling. More airlines will be added over time.
It can also be opened on a non-Apple device, so someone without an iPhone or Mac — such as a staff member at an airline desk or call center — can help you find your lost item.
Additionally, the user can choose to “Show Contact Info” which would allow any phone or tablet to connect to the lost item and open a website with more information about it. This would let others get in touch with the owner of the problem through a phone number or email address.
“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said in a statement.
“The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”