Can Multiple People Track An AirTag? What You Need To Know (2024)

Apple's AirTag has proven to be a helpful accessory for keeping tabs on valuables, but can multiple people access an AirTag's location? To recall, the company released the coin-size tracker in 2021, offering Bluetooth and an ultra-wideband U1 chip to enable Precision Finding. It's also put stringent privacy policies in place to prevent unwanted tracking.

As Apple explains, an AirTag works by sending a Bluetooth signal that other Apple devices in the Find My network can detect and use to relay the AirTag's location back to its owner. Once the owner comes close enough, the iPhone can see its location through the U1 chip. When users set up an AirTag, its unique serial number is linked to their Apple ID, which is how the device knows who it belongs to. Hence, only the owner of the AirTag has access to its location.

Related: Can You Put An AirTag In Your Luggage? What The Official Rules Say

Can Someone Else Track Your AirTag?

Suppose users put an AirTag in their wallet and forget it at the airport; other Apple devices passing it will pick up the AirTag's Bluetooth signal and update its location on the Find My network, making it visible to the owner. The entire process is encrypted. Now, if someone has signed in with the same Apple ID on multiple devices like an iPhone or an iPad, both devices can track the AirTag through the Find My app. If a person's other devices get into a bad actor's hands, the AirTag's location could be compromised.

To summarize, only an AirTag's owner can tap its location under normal circ*mstances — neither the family members nor someone else. It's linked only to one Apple ID. Further, other phones or devices in the Find My network that relay an AirTag's location remain anonymous to ensure privacy. Still, there have been questions about AirTags' potential use for malicious purposes following numerous reports of unwanted tracking.

Although Apple created the AirTag to track personal items such as luggage bags, car keys, wallets, and more, people began using AirTags as a stalking tool by slipping the devices into others' belongings without their knowledge. In response, Apple released the unwanted tracking notification feature, which alerts users if an unknown AirTag is moving with them on iOS 14.5. Through this feature, users can find an AirTag that might be on them and disable it.

Source: Apple 1, 2