Apple device updates to address concerns on stalkers and battery drain

Apple rolled out several updates to address problems including a battery draining bug affecting MacBooks and accusations that its AirTag trackers were being misused by stalkers. — Bloomberg

Apple is rolling out several updates to address complaints including AirTags being used for stalking, as well as battery drain issues on MacBooks.

The tech company said it is changing the Unknown Accessory Detected alert which previously triggered when an AirPod earphone was detected in the user’s proximity.

With this update, the warning should correctly trigger when a suspicious, unknown AirTag is detected following the user.

It is also updating its tracking support articles and the privacy warnings to clearly tell off bad actors looking to misuse the tracking device, warning that it is a crime and that law enforcement will be given their identifying info should the device be misused.

“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” Apple said, in a press release.

It said more updates would be rolled out later this year, including: Precision Finding to make it easier to locate an unwanted tracker using a combination of sound, haptics, and visual feedback.

Additionally, AirTags will also automatically emit a sound to alert anyone in the area if it is detected following someone else’s Apple smartdevice. This will be paired with an update to unwanted tracking alert logic, so the warning will trigger earlier plus a louder alert sound to make it more findable, according to the US tech giant.

Separately, tech site 9to5Mac reported about an update to macOS Monterey version 12.2.1 which has some security and bug fixes, including a battery drain issue caused by a Bluetooth bug.

The bug effectively causes MacBooks restless sleep: causing it to wake up repeatedly overnight if the Bluetooth is left connected to accessories, causing the battery to drain out.

To note, Apple’s update note said the fix is for machines running on an Intel processor, though users have complained it also affects those with M1 processors.