Apple's AirTag remains one of the best keyfinders available, but when it was first released it lacked safety features to prevent stalking. Apple has addressed these criticisms in later updates, but none have been as obviously powerful as the latest one.

Changes to the Find My app in the 15.2 beta version of iOS (spotted by MacRumors) now allow you to scan AirTags you don't own in your immediate vicinity. Additionally, if you are concerned about what the tags are being used for, you can disable tracking from your iPhone even if you don't own an AirTag.

As the screenshot shows, the Items tab has an option for "Items that can track me." Selecting this will bring up the "Unknown Items" prompt, which will scan your iPhone for nearby AirTags and other Find My-enabled items that you do not own and notify you. You then have the option to turn off tracking for devices that you don't think should be tracked.

Similarly, even if an item is not considered suspect, it can attempt to locate the lost tracker and return it to its owner, much like Apple's original AirTag pitch.

This is a welcome change and helps answer the ongoing concern that trackers are prone to misuse. However, this does not appear to be an automatic process, unlike the lost chime that AirTag emits after 8 to 24 hours away from its owner, or the notification one receives when in the vicinity of an AirTag that one does not own. Furthermore, the ability to remotely turn off the tracking feature for others could be used for mischief or abuse.

This feature is only available in the beta version of the upcoming iOS 15 update, so it won't be available for a while yet, and may not be available at all if Apple decides to remove it from the final version. This is because these beta versions may contain bugs that could put your phone and data at risk.

Apple had also promised an unexpected Android version of its Find My app that would allow users of rival phones to detect AirTags and contribute to the device's Find My network. However, since its announcement, there has been no further news on the app.