Apple today introduced the first beta developer of iOS 14.3, and while it brings the ProRAW feature for iPhone 12 Pro users, 9to5Mac also found some interesting changes in the iOS setup process and a new icon that reveals Apple’s AirPods Studio headphones. Now, we also discovered that iOS 14.3 includes hidden support for the rumored AirTags.
Based on the internal iOS 14.3 files, we can affirm that AirTags are still on track to be announced by Apple. The company has included new videos and images that will guide users through the AirTags setup process — and some of them had previously been found by 9to5Mac in a leaked iOS 14 internal build earlier this year.
iOS 14.3 beta includes a new hidden section in the Find My app with the codename “Hawkeye,” which is intended not only for AirTags but also for third-party tracking accessories such as Tile, as promised by Apple at WWDC 2020.
The Find My app will guide users to set up their tracking tags and then place them in bags, suitcases, key chains, and other objects to then track them through the Find My network. Code confirms that AirTags and other accessories registered in the Find My app can be tracked even offline using Bluetooth connection, just like Apple already does with iPhone, iPad, and other devices.
Users can reproduce sound alerts and also link an AirTag to an Apple ID, so it won’t work with another ID if someone else finds it. “Removing this item will allow it to be set up and used by another person and it will no longer be linked to your Apple ID,” says the code. Apple will also provide an easy way for others to scan AirTags and find out who owns that lost item.
Once you enable Lost Mode, this phone number will be visible on an Apple website that others can access to contact you whenever they found your lost item.
Just like with AirPods Studio, rumors suggested that Apple would introduce AirTags sometime later this year — as the accessory was even referenced in a support video from Apple. While it seems unlikely that Apple will introduce AirTags in 2020, this confirms that the company is still working on its own tracking accessory.
Author: Filipe Espósito
Source: 9TO5Google
