An Initially Challenging Use Case
Initially, using an Apple AirTag to track the movements of another person was not straightforward. The AirTag is equipped with anti-stalking features designed to prevent unauthorized tracking. For example, if you place an AirTag linked to your Apple account in someone else's belongings and that person has a smartphone, the AirTag might emit regular beeps to alert them. Additionally, anti-stalking notifications might appear on the tracked person's smartphone.
While these features are crucial for preventing misuse of the AirTag, they made it difficult to use the device in legitimate scenarios, such as monitoring a vulnerable elderly person—unless that person didn't have a smartphone.
New Possibilities with iOS 17
With iOS 17, released in the fall of 2023, it is now possible to set up AirTag tracking for another person—with their consent—in a more suitable way. This is made possible by a new feature introduced in iOS 17: the ability to share an AirTag between multiple Apple accounts.
Starting with iOS 17, to track a loved one’s movements using an AirTag, you can set up the AirTag with one Apple account (yours or the person being monitored) and then share the AirTag with a second Apple account. This way, tracking the movements of either user will not trigger any anti-stalking alerts.
Tracking Even Without Mobile Data
The AirTag uses the network of iPhones worldwide to locate itself, not just the iPhone of its owner. This has two significant advantages when monitoring an elderly person. The AirTag will continue to update its location during outings even if the older adult doesn’t have their phone with them or if their phone doesn’t have mobile data access. In this latter case, however, it’s recommended to initially set up the AirTag with the account of the observer. If not, we have observed that the AirTag might not update its location because it does not adjust its behavior based on whether the owner’s iPhone has mobile connectivity. Although the AirTag utilizes all iPhones in its vicinity to determine its location, it prioritizes the owner's iPhone when it’s within range.
Detailed Setup Instructions
• Decide on the item to attach the AirTag to, ensuring it will likely always accompany the older adult during outings. Attaching it to their keychain is one option, and there are many accessories available for securing an AirTag to a keychain.
• Install the AirTag from the older adult’s iPhone or your own. Refer to Apple’s instructions: Add an AirTag in Find My on iPhone.
• From the same phone, share the AirTag with the second Apple account. The iPhone associated with the second Apple account will then receive a notification to accept the sharing. Once the sharing is accepted, everything is set up for tracking. Learn more about sharing.
Enhance the Safety of an Older Adult
While access to an older adult’s geographic location is very helpful in certain situations where you suspect something might be wrong, it doesn't allow for continuous monitoring or anomaly detection. We recommend combining the use of an AirTag with our safety check-in app. Our app ensures that an older adult’s day is proceeding safely and helps avoid situations where a problem goes undetected for too long.
