- Apple has released a press release announcing a new Find My feature with iOS 18.2.
- Users can now share the live location of their lost items using the Share Item Location feature.
- It creates an E2EE shareable link.
Find My has helped millions of users find their lost items including Apple devices like iPhones, pets, bags, and more. However, it was still limited in a way where Find My was only limited to your Apple devices. With iOS 18.2, you can now share the live location of your lost, misplaced, or stolen items with someone like airlines so they can track them using Share Item Location feature.
It is part of the iOS 18.2 public beta that will be released soon to the public. We have been testing the iOS 18.2 public beta for some time now. So how and where do you use this new Share Item Location feature?
One example can be airlines. You can share the live location of your suitcase (carrying one of your spare AirTag) to help them find it quickly. Share Item Location feature works with both AirTag and Find My network.
How to Create Share Item Location Request
The steps are pretty easy.
- Open Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or web browser.
- Select the lost item you can no longer find from the Devices tab.
- Select Share Item Location option.
- Share the item location link with others.
Not anyone with access to the link can see the item’s location. The access to the shared location of the item is limited. The receiver of the link will have to authenticate their ID using an Apple account before they can view the item’s location live on a map. While the feature has been designed with airlines in mind, a number of them are on board too, I feel this will also be useful for taxis, schools, friends, and family members. Other details you can see on the map are the date and time when the item’s location was last updated.
Airlines Supported
Yes, several airlines will be supporting Apple’s Find My app’s Share Item Location feature from day one. Here they are – Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.
And that’s it, folks.