Apple made tracking your valuable items very easy with the release of AirTag on April 30, 2021. Along with the Find My app, you can use it to track and locate your valuable items like bags and wallets. If you are traveling with your family, friends, or colleagues, you might be wondering if you can share an AirTag.
So, can an AirTag be shared? You cannot share your AirTag because it is designed to work with one single device at a time. Once you link your Apple ID to an AirTag, you cannot add another one and the AirTag will only stay connected to the device with the same Apple ID. Apple does not want people to share AirTags because of privacy concerns. If you use your AirTag to track your keys or wallets, you might not want others to know their location.
Many people share their location with their friends or family over their smartphones. Sharing information with your loved ones is important for your safety, and you might wonder if you can share your AirTag.
Apple’s AirTag is the latest tracking device that you can use to track your valuable items like bags, wallets, and keys, among others. If you are having a great time using AirTag, you might be wondering if you can share it with other people.
You cannot share AirTag with other people because Apple designed it to work only with one device. AirTags are meant to be owned by one person, and once you link it to your Apple ID, there is no way of adding others.
This feature allows you to track your items without worrying about other AirTags easily. Apple also cares about your privacy and limiting an AirTag to one device is one way of ensuring you keep enjoying your privacy. If you want to share your AirTag with someone else, you have to remove your Apple ID and let them link their Apple ID to the AirTag.
AirTag uses a combination of technology, which includes Bluetooth, Apple U1 chip, NFC, and Accelerometer, to precisely track your items using the “Find My” app on your iPhone or iPad. The inability to share an AirTag makes it easier to send the exact location to your iPhone or iPad.
If one or more people used the same AirTag, it could make sending exact information to numerous devices hard. Apple has not released any information about sharing an AirTag in the future; therefore, for now, your AirTag will only be tracked by one person whose Apple ID is linked to it.
Your privacy could be the reason Apple is yet to allow people to share an AirTag. An AirTag is meant to track your valuable items like keys, bags, wallets, and some of them you might not want to be accessible by others.
Making an AirTag shareable makes it easy for people to locate items you want to keep private. If an AirTag was shareable, some could use it to track your movement. Therefore, Apple has restricted the number of Apple IDs that can be linked to an AirTag to one. Once you buy an AirTag and use your Apple ID, only your iPhone or iPad will be able to track it unless you deregister your Apple ID.
If you have linked your Apple ID to your AirTag and someone else tries to use it, they will receive an alert on their iOS device, which may read “AirTag Detected,” “AirTag Found Moving with You” or “Unknown Accessory Detected Near You,”. Their iPhone or iPad will mark your AirTag as “Unknown” since that AirTag has been linked to your Apple ID.
Apple has also designed its devices to detect and alert you when a stray AirTag is close to you. Therefore, you will be able to know if someone is trying to track you using an AirTag without your knowledge as long as you have an iOS device.
Can I Share AirTag With Family?
Family sharing on Apple allows you to share certain Apple services with up to five family members. The benefits of using Family Share include entertainment, location sharing, watching what minors do on their devices, and keeping track of purchases. If you have purchased an AirTag, you might be wondering if you can share it with your family.
You cannot share an AirTag with your family members because it is not included in Apple’s Family Sharing. AirTag is limited to one person only; the person whose Apple ID is linked to the AirTag is the only one who can use it to track their items on their device.
Family Sharing currently allows you to share with up to five family members certain Apple services, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Card, among others. Apple has not included AirTag in Family Sharing, and it does not matter whether the person you want to share the AirTag with is a member of your family.
Apple’s Family Sharing allows you to share several Apple services, including locating missing devices. If any person in your Family Sharing group misplaces their iPhone or iPad, you can use it to track its last known location. However, you cannot share AirTag with any of your family members or close friend because Apple is yet to include it in the sharable Apple services.
If you want to track each other’s devices or items, then AirTag is not an option. The AirTag will only track one person’s items, and the other members in your Family Sharing group have to find their AirTags or use a different tracking alternative.
Family Sharing requires a personal Apple ID signed in to iCloud. To add more people into your Family Sharing group, they each need an Apple ID to accept your family sharing invitation. It is impossible to use AirTag with friends because it is limited to working with one Apple ID.
If you have already linked your AirTag to your Apple ID, you can no longer add the other five members or less to the device. Therefore, if you are traveling with your family and want to track your items using one tracking device, you should use the ones that allow family sharing, such as Tile.
An AirTag is available for only 29 USD, and it is affordable to get one for each member of your family. If you have enough money, you can buy an AirTag for every family member with an iOS device. For example, if four members of your family have an iOS device, you can spend 116 USD to get four AirTags or you can purchase a four-pack at $100.
Everyone will connect their iPhone or iPad to their AirTag and track their items easily. AirTags are customizable, meaning your family members can choose from over 56 different emoji and icon options that they can use to distinguish their AirTags from others.
Can You Share AirTag Location?
It is important to share your location with your family or close friends, especially when traveling to a new location. AirTag is a tracking device from Apple that you can use to track and locate your items through the Find My app on your iOS device. If you are using an AirTag to track some of your valuable items, you might be wondering if you can share its location.
You cannot share your AirTags location with anyone since Apple wants to ensure your privacy stays intact. If Apple allowed people to share their AirTags location, it could pose serious privacy issues when using your AirTag to track your items like a wallet or house keys.
Apple did not include the feature to share location when using an AirTag because it only tracks items. If you want to share your location with other people, you can use alternatives like Apple’s Family Sharing service or the Find My app.
AirTag helps people avoid losing items by tracking their exact location. You simply affix the AirTag to your items, such as a suitcase, and track it as you move from one location to the other. However, your AirTags location is only available on your iPhone or iPad, and you cannot share it with other people due to privacy concerns.
By restricting the ability to share the location, Apple ensures you have privacy as you move around. No one can use your AirTags location to track your movement unless they access your iPhone or iPad.
If you would like to share your location with members of your family or close friends, there are alternative ways to do so using your iOS devices. You can add people to your Family Sharing group and allow them to use their iOS devices to locate your device. You can also use the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad to share your location with others.
You should note that when you allow others to see your location, they are actually viewing the location of your device. Therefore, ensure your device is on your person at all times; otherwise, they will be viewing your devices’ location instead of your location.
The easiest way to share your locations if you have an iPhone or iPad is using the Find My app. To share your location using the Find My app on your iOS device,
- Open the app
- Tap “Me” located on the bottom tab
- Tap “Enable My Location”
- Select “People” on the bottom left-hand side of the screen
- Tap “+ Share My Location” and
- Enter the number of the person you want to share your location with.
The person you select should have the Find My app on their iOS device to view your location.
Can I Use AirTag To Track My Child?
After the release of AirTag in 2021, many people with iOS devices are using it to track their items. If AirTag is good at tracking your valuable items, you might be wondering if you can use it to track your child.
You can use AirTag to track your child as long as it is within range of your iPhone or iPad. AirTag has a range of about 800 feet outdoors and 130 feet indoors; therefore, you need to be close to ensure it works properly.
Even though you can use an AirTag to track your child, Apple has advised people not to use AirTags to track their children. Apple has advised parents or guardians to use an Apple Watch or the Family Sharing service to track their children effectively.
An AirTag can effectively track your child as long as it is within proximity of your iOS device. If you are outdoors, you can track your child as long as they do not move beyond a radius of 800 feet.
When you are indoors, it can effectively track them within a radius of 130 feet. An AirTag can make a good tracking device for a child because it is easy to carry, food-safe, utilizes the Find My app and has long-lasting battery life. No other device can track your AirTag; therefore, only you will know your child’s location.
However, using an AirTag to track your child has disadvantages, which might have encouraged Apple to advise people not to use it as a tracker. Apple has insisted that an AirTag is meant for tracking items only, not people or pets.
One of the disadvantages of using an AirTag to track your child includes the AirTag anti-stalking features, which alert nearby users of its existence. Another disadvantage is the AirTag alerts will give their presence away if your child is hiding from a potential kidnapper.
Apple has explicitly said AirTag is for tracking items; therefore, they are not liable if it fails to work when you use it to track your child. The best way to track your child is using an Apple Watch or adding their device to your Family Sharing group.
Finally
An AirTag is meant for one person, and there is no way you can share it or any of its information with another person. If you want to share your AirTag with another person, the only option is to remove your Apple ID and let them link the AirTag with their Apple ID.
If you want to share your location with some of your relatives or friends, you can use the Family Sharing service. The people in your Family Sharing group will be able to track the location of your device on their devices.
Even though you can use AirTag to track your child, you should take Apple’s advice and only use it to track your valuable items. You should use other effective alternatives like the Family Sharing service or the Apple Watch to track your child.
