Originally published at: https://tidbits.com/2024/11/25/find-my-will-let-you-share-lost-item-locations-with-anyone-including-airlines/
AirTags and other Find My items have been a boon for finding mislaid objects and tracking down thieves—most recently of political lawn signs. Apple aims to make it even easier to find stuff with the help of others with a new kind of secure, shareable link available starting in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 Sequoia, which are now in public beta and will likely ship in a few weeks.
In a sign of Apple’s changing attitude toward not-yet-released features, the company issued a press release on 11 November 2024 describing the in-beta feature, Share Item Location.
Share a Link That’s Temporary and Secure
Starting in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 Sonoma, you can share your Find My items with up to five people. Those people must have iCloud accounts connected to their email addresses and must use the Find My app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, or the Find Items app on an Apple Watch. (iCloud.com doesn’t let you view or share Find My items.)
Apple’s new Share Item Location feature extends this sharing functionality without requiring an email address or the other party to have an Apple device. You also don’t have to add someone as a shared user for an item when you would need to remove them later—this feature is all about temporary access. Share Item Location generates a secure link that requires only a Web browser to access and that you can pass along using any standard link-sharing method, such as via Messages, email, or AirDrop.
The idea is that you can enlist others in a search and get help from a friend, a colleague, employees at a business, or, soon, an airline baggage handling department. The link is temporary, a good attribute when sharing with people you don’t know but trust with the information for a short period of time.
Each time you invoke the feature, Apple generates a unique secure link. There’s no danger of reuse—the link expires after seven days or once you “find” the device. “Finding the device” means you come within Bluetooth range of the item in question (i.e., you walk up to a bag containing your AirTag while holding your iPhone) or the item comes within Bluetooth range of one of your linked devices (someone brings a stolen bicycle back to your house close enough to your Mac). You can also manually turn off the link at any time.
Improve the Ease of Retrieving Lost Airline Baggage
Apple’s announcement says that “in coming months,” more than 15 airlines will provide a way to add the secure link to a baggage form for mishandled or delayed luggage. The only major US airlines in the initial announcement were Delta and United, though Apple says more will be added over time. The airline sharing system will be slightly different, as Apple said it will have layers of authentication and safety that airlines will have to use to ensure only a small number of people can access the link while it’s active.
Even better, Apple said that Share Item Location will eventually be built into a global baggage-tracing system, WorldTracer by SITA, that is used by over 500 airlines and “ground handlers” (baggage firms contracted by airlines) at over 2800 airports worldwide. Conceivably, that could mean you would share a link to tags in your luggage when you check in for a flight, so that if there are problems in transit, the baggage handlers can locate your luggage more easily. And perhaps you’d get a text that your bag had arrived at a baggage carousel? There are many potential uses.
Create a Sharable Link to a Find My Item
It’s a simple process to create a secure Share Item Location link:
- In the Find My app, tap or click the Items button.
- Select a Find My item; on a Mac, also click the Info button next to its name.
- Tap or click Share Item Location.
- The dialog notes that sharing the item’s location will also reveal your item’s serial number and either your email address or phone number associated with its paired Apple Account. Tap or click Continue. (If the item is nearby, you will be told you can’t share a link.)
- In the resulting dialog that says Item Location Ready To Share, tap or click Share Link and choose a sharing method like Messages or Mail. On the Mac, you can also click the blue copy icon next to the URL or Control-click the URL and choose Copy to put the link in the clipboard.
- Return to the same location to copy the link again or turn it off before it automatically expires.
Glenn Fleishman is the author of Take Control of Find My and AirTags, a guide to the sometimes complicated Find My ecosystem of people, devices, and items. If you purchase the book now, you will receive a free update covering these improvements later in the year.