Apple Fixes AirTags Accelerometer Issue with Firmware Update

Apple recently released firmware update 2.0.36 for AirTags, which fixes “an issue with the accelerometer not activating in certain scenarios,” as spotted by YouTuber and tech enthusiast Aaron Zollo (@zollotech).

The AirTag, launched for $29 USD ($39 CAD) last year, is a small, puck-sized device designed to help users keep track of their belongings (and more).

AirTags are powered by Apple’s Find My network, which is made up of over one billion devices across the globe. They likely use accelerometers to determine when they are in motion (especially in the absence of nearby Apple devices to ping off of) and should be actively transmitting their location.

Apple started rolling out firmware update 2.0.36 for AirTags on Monday, adding release notes for it to the Apple Support website. The new firmware carries a build number of 2A36, up from the 2A24e build number for the 2.0.24 firmware that rolled out in November.

AirTags receive and install updates entirely over-the-air through a connected iPhone, and there’s no way to manually update them. To ensure your AirTags get updated to the latest firmware, place them within range of your ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and simply wait for them to get the update.

You can check what firmware version your AirTag is currently on inside the Find My app.

In the previous AirTag firmware update that was released in November, Apple enabled Precision Finding to help locate an unknown AirTag if one is detected moving with the user. This was done as a security measure against bad actors using AirTags to maliciously track other people.

Earlier this month, Apple also made it possible to chime AirTags from a Mac running macOS Ventura 13.1.

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