Can you share AirTag location with family?

Re: “… I don't understand why I can share the location of all my devices but not my tags …”

Short answer: Privacy and total anonymity for you AND the relaying phone owners (who are actually reporting THEIR location) and an EXTREMELY low-power device.

This is something Tile’s architecture DOES NOT provide.

If you’re sincerely interested in learning the “whys” you can delve into it starting here:

Find My security – Apple Support (AU)

If you want to submit feedback to Apple, PLEASE go here: Feedback - AirTag - Apple

If you just want to vent here, that’s fine too 😉

Bought AirTags to track our dog when one of us travels. Unfortunately Apple has not made sharing a feature so now we need to have 2ATs - Dog1 and Dog2 - so that we can track her separately.

Come on Apple; you are missing out on a shed load of business without the family-share feature.

No, what I’m saying is… I bought 8 and cannot share.

therefore, I will not buy any more Apple products until they get better reviews on how they work.

I have since swapped my AirTag’s for a competitor tag… which works 200% better.

sucks for Apple customers like me, but if they don’t help their own customer base, they can lose their respect and $$$

jezus… you can share a device, but you can’t share a tag??!?!!? Bad business

Re: “… All location data is already collected in a database …”

Correct …

BUT at present … all AirTag location data in that database is encrypted using the Public Key held in the Airtag.

And ONLY the Trusted Devices of the paired AppleID hold the corresponding Private Key needed to decrypt the location pulled from the database.

Apple can’t read it, nor can the relaying devices - which actually provide the location data AND perform the encryption - read it.

See more detail on the “workings” here:

Using Find My to locate missing Apple devices – Apple Support (AU)

I see two options here. I might be wrong, so others can correct me as needed. One option might be better than the other. I’m replying as my dad died from Alzheimer’s complications, and some replies mentioned this.

1. The possibly “better” option, or perhaps more reliable.

If you register the AirTag to your “Apple Family member”, and then place it with them for example in a Book Bag, or keychain.

Who can track? Well the family member with the tag can track it. Also the “Organizer” of the Apple Family may track it, this might be you. Where does it show up? In the “Items” tab of Find My. This is what makes it the better option as the AirTag may be tracked by two people.

From time to time any AirTag might notify someone else “traveling with them” in “close enough” proximity, for “long enough”.

Here’s the example

3 people (A, B, and C) with iPhones in a High School Bus with 2 AirTags registered, one to a person (A) in the bus and another to your family member (B), also in the bus. At “some point” person C in the bus may be notified of 2 AirTags close by, not registered to them.

Option 2 is the not as good option: simply for a person to register an AirTag to themselves, and to place it with a family member with their consent. This AirTag is visible to the registrant, but no-one else. Everyone else just gets the notifications at some point.

Lastly I’m wondering this fall just how many notifications will go off on long high school bus rides in wealthy school districts.

Suggestions, corrections and questions always welcome.

Hope this helps, Chris.

“ … Not being able to … share a [Air]tag is …disappointing … “

I can’t think of anyone who would disagree.

It will be interesting to see if Apple develops a secure, and equally anonymous technical solution; although none are “hinted-at” in the iOS 15 Preview.

https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-15-preview/features/

I am not sure you understand the problem. Family sharing isn't a "nice to have feature". Right now, if my wife borrows my car and misplaces the keys, she cannot locate them because she is not me. What is worse, she is constantly barraged with "there is a Airtag following you" warning message that she cannot permanently dismiss. It is more than an annoyance, it is worth moving back to Tile to avoid.

larajt wrote:

Please report this sharing issue to Apple through the below link. This is a forum for discussion. And although I’m encouraged by how many share my pain, (that I cannot share my AirTags with my family) Apple needs to get inundated with our requests!

Why are you replying to me with pretty much exactly what I just posted?

TheMicSmith wrote:

Same! Gave one to my mother to track her dog. It’s a shame my dad can’t also share the ability to track the dog. Much NEEDED update!!!

Have you told Apple?

Product Feedback - Apple

Hi Mate, As a work around, on your partner's iPhone > open find my app > tap end icon "me" > scroll to the bottom > tap "help a friend" > enter the iCloud username and password the airtags are used with.

presto .... you can see and control those airbags.

I agree, this solution is not ideal. Airtags tag locations should be able to be shared, best within your iCloud family group or specific members of that iCloud family group.

Hope this helps.

I was also disappointed to find that family sharing was not available on the AirTag.

I have submitted a feature request on the Apple Feedback site. The more of us who submit the same feature request, surely they will need to consider it :-)

Product Feedback - Apple

Don't tell your cat. We didn't tell our dog. Now we know where he really sneaks out to when he is supposed to be at his doggie club. BUT WE CAN ONLY SEE THIS ON MY PHONE, my wife - his main caregiver - can't see what he's up to and thus believes him when he asks for more cookies.

Apple really needs to fix this: if I can share my phone, iPad etc. with anyone, why can't I share something as simple as an AirTag????? There's no justification for this that's remotely valid.

tarafromleawood wrote: "Apple please update this to include family sharing."

Tara ~ Ask Apple to do that here:

iPhone Feedback

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waterfallman wrote: "...Please add sharing!!..."

Ask Apple to do that here:

AirTag Feedback

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Kozanator wrote:

I wish Apple would update their AirTags so family sharing would work.

Then you should tell them:

Product Feedback - Apple