Apple has added new warning labels on AirTags and their boxes that the devices and their batteries could be ingested by children, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Tuesday.

The Commission said Apple didn't have these labels on the AirTags imported to the US after March 19, 2024, and was therefore allegedly breaking Reese's Law, which took effect that month. Reese's Law requires consumer products with button cell or coin batteries to include warnings about the severe risk of injury from battery ingestion on the product and on the box. The Law is intended to help keep small batteries out of the reach of children under the age of six and was named after Reese Elizabeth Hamsmith, who was just 17 months old when she passed away in 2020 after swallowing a button battery.

To comply with the new law, Apple is now including warning labels and symbols on the AirTag's battery compartment as well as its box, the CPSC said. But because many AirTag units have already been sold without these labels, Apple will now also display warnings about the hazards of coin-cell batteries in the Find My app whenever it advises you to change an AirTag's battery.

AirTags can be used to track luggage, backpacks, vehicles, or even pets. These Bluetooth trackers are lightweight, effective for precise item tracking, and have a long battery life. Since their launch in early 2021 until the end of 2022, AirTags reportedly generated over $1 billion in sales for Apple.

But AirTags have also been misused for stalking, spurring Apple and Google to take steps to try to notify those who may have unwanted trackers moving with them. In March, a judge in California said a class-action lawsuit against Apple over alleged negligence and product reliability concerns with AirTags around stalking abuse could move forward.

This year, AirTags are expected to receive their first-ever major overhaul, with rumored upgrades including increased tracking range and improved anti-stalking features.

By: DocMemory
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