Apple is about to make tracking lost or missing items easier than ever. In the coming months, Apple users will have a new way to share the location of lost items, such as iPhones, MacBooks, or AirTag-tracked belongings, with people who aren’t in their contacts—simply by sharing a link through the Find My app.
Currently in testing with the iOS 18.2 public beta, this feature was first introduced earlier this month in the developer beta. It’s designed to help people reconnect with their belongings by allowing them to securely share location details with third parties. Imagine needing to share the location of your lost luggage with an airline employee or even a cab driver—you’ll soon be able to do that with just a tap.
Airline Partnerships: Locating Luggage Faster than Ever
In a significant partnership move, Apple has announced that nearly 20 major airlines are set to join this initiative in the months ahead. These include top names such as British Airways, United, Delta, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and many more. These airline partners will begin accepting Find My item location links as part of their customer service protocols for lost or delayed luggage.
To ensure security, airline staff must authenticate their access to a location link via an Apple account or a verified partner email address. Once authenticated, the airline can help track down your bag using the shared link without any delays or added privacy concerns.
New Features: Shareable Location Links and Automatic Expiration
The Find My app’s latest update will feature a new “Share Item Location” option, which generates a shareable link for the location of a missing item. You’ll be able to send this link to anyone—even non-Apple users—who can open it on any device to view the last-known location of the item. For added security, these links will automatically expire after a week or sooner if the item is recovered.
The goal is to empower users to share location information seamlessly when they need assistance, while protecting privacy. Eddie Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, explained: “The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”
Enhanced Contact Sharing and Privacy
Additionally, the new “Share Contact Info” option in Find My makes it easier for someone who finds your item to reach you directly. If you’ve linked your phone number and email to the item’s contact page, anyone who connects with the lost item can open a secure webpage to view your contact details. This feature could be especially helpful for items left in public places or accidentally swapped in transit.
Apple has implemented these updates with privacy in mind. The company continues to prioritize user privacy, ensuring that only those with whom you share links or contact information can access these details. And to give you more control, you’ll be able to review stats like how many people visited your shared link, adding extra insight into the recovery process.
A Game-Changer for Travelers and On-the-Go Users
This update is a major enhancement for Apple users, particularly those who travel frequently. Losing track of valuable belongings can be stressful, but with the new Find My features, Apple is aiming to make lost-and-found a much smoother experience. By making it easy to share the last-known location of items with trusted third parties, Apple is not only expanding Find My’s functionality but is also making it more universally accessible.
Stay tuned for more as Apple rolls out iOS 18.2, allowing you to harness the power of Find My’s enhanced tracking capabilities and make lost items easier to locate across the globe.
