Third-party access permitted for location sharing through Apple's Find My feature for misplaced items
Apple's latest innovation, the Share Item Location feature, is set to revolutionise the way lost items are tracked, particularly in the aviation industry. This feature, available in beta with iOS 18.2, is expected to be adopted industry-wide to complement existing tracking tools.
The new service allows Apple device users to share the location of lost items, such as AirTags or Find My network accessories, with third parties like airlines, using a secure link. Recipients of this link can view the location of the item on an interactive map through a website.
SITA, a leading air transport technology company, will integrate support for Share Item Location into WorldTracer, their baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers. This partnership will make it easy for airlines like British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL to incorporate Find My item locations into their lost baggage processes later this year.
Notable airlines already on board include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling, with more than 15 airlines in total set to begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags.
United Airlines plans to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025. Delta Air Lines, too, plans to support Share Item Location beginning later this year, providing their team with extra visibility to reunite items with their owners.
The first three airlines to accept Appleβs Share Item Location as part of the customer service process for locating delayed or separated baggage are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Qantas.
The shared location can be disabled as soon as a user is reunited with their item, can be stopped by the owner at any time, and will automatically expire after seven days. Access to each link will be limited to a small number of people, and recipients will be required to authenticate in order to view the link through either their Apple Account or partner email address.
Share Item Location is built on the Find My network, a crowdsourced network of over one billion Apple devices, and the entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, ensuring privacy. No one, not even Apple or Find My Network accessory manufacturers, can view a device's location or information.
For media inquiries, please direct them to Apple Media Helpline at media.help@our website. Nicole Hogg, SITA's director of Baggage, believes that this collaboration with Apple will be a huge benefit for passengers as global passenger traffic is expected to double by 2040.
