Apple added Share Item Location to the Find My app to let AirTag users securely share with an airline the exact position of a tracking tag attached to lost luggage.
Here’s how to use the new feature to show an airline employee that your bag is actually just outside Concourse C in the Atlanta airport, not in Denver where they think it is. They can even see the exact position of the luggage.
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Find lost luggage with AirTag -> save your vacation
You can attach an AirTag to anything that gets misplaced frequently. Or something important you’d be very sad if it goes missing, like your luggage on the way to Grandma‘s for Thanksgiving. Then, if the item gets lost, you can open Apple’s Find My app on your iPhone and receive directions to the tracking tag’s exact location.
That’s been an option since AirTag launched, but the information has been of limited use for travelers trying to show airlines how to find their lost luggage. That’s where the new Share Item Location feature comes in.
Just note that it’s part of iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta testing. Still, the launch is expected next week, and the current beta version is quite stable. If you want it for your Thanksgiving trip, you can sign up for the public beta.
How to use AirTag and Share Item Location to help an airline find your lost luggage
Hunting down your lost luggage with the Find My app can be done if there’s an AirTag concealed in it, but that’s not the only option. A variety of tracker tags support the Find My app. There’s the Chipolo One Spot and Card Spot, the Pebblebee Clip and many others. You can even try this with a PlugBug Travel wall charger.
If your bag with the tracker gets lost, you can generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My application on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Someone you send this link to can view a website that shows the location of the item on an interactive map. Here’s what to do:
Screenshots: Cult of Mac/Apple
I’m using an iPhone for this tutorial, but the process is similar on iPad and Mac.
Start by opening the Find My app, then tapping on the Items tab at the bottom of the screen to open your list of tracker tags and trackable items. Tap on the name of the one that‘s in your lost bag.
That opens the screen for that item. Scroll down to Share Item Location. Select it.
You’ll get a pop-up window with a brief summary of the Share Item Location function. Tap on Continue.
Screenshots: Cult of Mac/Apple
That opens a page labeled Item Location Ready To Share. There’s a link on that page you can copy and send to the person looking for your bag. Alternatively, tapping on the Share Link button on the bottom of the page opens the usual Share Menu that gives you options to send the necessary link via text, email, etc.
Link goes to an AirTag tracking webpage
Image: Apple
The link you send out gives access to a website that shows the location of your AirTag (or other tracker) on an interactive map. The website automatically updates when a new location becomes available and will show a timestamp of the most recent update.
Don’t be concerned that by using this feature you’re signing yourself up to be tracked by all and sundry. Apple limits access to each link to a small number of people. Plus, recipients must authenticate through their Apple Account or a special airline email address to view the link. And the instant your tracker tag detects you’re near, Share Item Location gets disabled.
Now it’s up to your airline
Of course, the feature is useless if airlines don‘t know what to do with the location links flyers want to send them. And if you’re hoping to use Share Item Location on your AirTag for Thanksgiving 2024, it’s possible you’ll be ahead of the curve. Airlines might not be ready to handle it yet.
While Apple worked directly with airlines to put systems in place to support Share Item Location, the iPhone-maker says airlines will be able to handle it “in the coming months.” So maybe not yet. Be prepared for your airline to not yet know what to do with the location link you want to send them.
Still, more than 15 airlines are preparing to accept Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags. The list includes: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling. Plus, Apple plans to add more airlines over time.
So travelers should be familiar with Share Item Location in the Find My app and be sure they keep an AirTag or similar tracker tag in their luggage. It might save your next vacation.
