ATLANTA — The Reveal's investigation found Apple's AirTags are being used to track people without their knowledge. Now, the company is making changes to its device.
That’s not the only impact our reporting had.
Body cameras captured two Gwinnett Police Officers, meticulously searching a car. They look under the seats and in between floor mats. They even remove the center console. They’re not searching for drugs or weapons.
They’re searching for an Apple AirTag.
“Got it," the officer yelled victoriously, after he pulls the beeping device out from within a woman’s car.
“You guys are a Godsend,” the woman told them.
Back in December, The Reveal looked at cases across metro Atlanta where people were being tracked with Apple's AirTags without their knowledge. The small devices were found in their gas tanks, glove compartments and even underneath their cars.
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AirTags use Bluetooth technology. Their owners can see exactly where they are through their phone. At the time of our first investigation we found police had little knowledge of how they worked or what they are.
But one month after our report aired, that started to change. Body camera video out of Gwinnett captured this conversation.
“I guess these are attached to the phone?” a woman questioned to police after finding an AirTag in her car.
“I can actually send you an article about it published in the news,” the officer responded. He began rattling off in great detail how the AirTag works.
“He learned that all from a news report?” The Reveal asked Gwinnett Police.
“I guess so,” Corporal Ryan Winderweedle said.
Winderweedle said our initial investigation helped educate officers and the public. He said his staff is more knowledgeable about the devices now than they were just a few months ago.
That knowledge is key because The Reveal found unwanted tracking with AirTags is still happening. Atlanta Police added at least two more complaints since our report aired. So did Cobb County Police.
When we spoke to Apple last winter, it said AirTags were "designed to discourage unwanted tracking.”
But after our investigation aired, the topic gained national attention.
News stations across the country used our footage exposing the unwanted tracking that was happening. Now, Apple is going a step further saying, “…we have identified even more ways we can update AirTag safety warnings and help guard against further unwanted tracking.”
Apple also plans more updates later this year like increasing the beep volume to make an unknown AirTag easier to find.
Winderweedle said people, including officers, learning from reports like these are key.
“It’s not just one criminal using it," he said. "It’s becoming popular in the area and the region around here so it’s good information to put out there for citizens and officers to be aware of what they are, how they’re used."
Gwinnett Police say they expect to see more reports of unwanted tracking as people become more aware of what they are and how they work.
To learn more about how to protect yourself from unwanted tracking, click here for our original investigation.