Apple has released two firmware updates for its AirTag item trackers since November, but the company didn’t provide any information about what was changed at the time. Earlier this week, Apple finally updated a support document explaining what’s new.

AitTag New Firmware
According to Apple, firmware update 2.0.24 allows AirTag owners to use Precision Finding to help locate an unknown AirTag with their iPhone.

Also introduced in update 2.0.24, if a user’s iPhone is awake, a new notification alerts them when an AirTag that has been separated from its owner is nearby and emits a sound to indicate that it has been moved. It can then be located by sound or Precision Finding if the feature is available. Apple says that this change will also help if the AirTag sound is hard to hear or if the speaker has been tampered with.

The two features were promised by Apple earlier this year in an effort to prevent AirTags from being used for stalking purposes.

Additionally, Apple says the latest firmware update, 2.0.36, fixes an issue with the AirTag accelerometer not activating in certain scenarios. All of the features detailed above require iOS 16.2 or later, while the features that use Precision Finding require an iPhone 11 or later models with the U1 Ultra Wideband chip.

It’s not possible to force an AirTag update because that’s something done over the air by a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens‌, you can put your AirTag within range of your iPhone‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device. You can check your current AirTag firmware version through the Find My app, with instructions available in our how to.

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