What you need to know
- Apple was expected to announce Apple Tags at its iPhone event.
- That didn't happen, but iOS 13's Find My app is ready.
- New screenshots show an Items tab that will house Apple Tags.
New screenshots have been leaked that show an unreleased version of the Find My app, complete with a new Items tab. That tab is expected to be where users find their Apple Tags along with whatever they've attached them to.
The screenshots were obtained by MacRumors and also include the codename for the unannounced tags. We've been calling them Apple Tags so far, but internally they go by the less snazzy name B389. That will obviously change by the time Apple announces a product. Given the use of the word "Tag" in Apple's on-screen text, Apple Tags does seem likely.
Apple Tags can theoretically be placed in or on items that users want to keep tabs on. Wallets, car keys, or just about anything of value could be tracked with such tags similar to how third-party Tile trackers currently work But with Apple's pizazz lathered on top.
The Items tab will allow users to find their Apple Tags as well as mark them as lost if required. Once an item is marked lost users will receive a notification once the tag is spotted by another Apple device. Users will also receive notifications when they are separated from their Apple Tags, although so-called Safe Locations can be configured and are areas where those notifications will not be triggered. We imaging a user's home or office may be good use cases here.
Finally, Find My will also include support for Apple's AR frameworks to allow for the use of balloon images to aid the locating of Apple Tags in 3D space.
While Apple didn't announce Apple Tags during its iPhone event, an October event is expected to be announced soon. It's possible Apple Tags will be announced at that time.
