Apple has released a new application that hints that the release date of the AirTags is near. AirTags that have been rumored for months without appearing.
There is a whole halo of mystery surrounding the future products that we will see in some countries by Apple. Initially, it was thought that March would be the month chosen to present its hardware innovations, but in the end, it will be the WWDC in June that will bring these products.
And Apple may have given us yet another clue about its elusive AirTags, the Tile-like location stickers that are expected to arrive later this year. The folks in Cupertino have released a new app that for all practical purposes is of little use to the user but hints at the idea that AirTags is near.
The application called Find My Certification Asst. is an app designed for manufacturers to test the operability of their accessories with Apple’s Find My network. It is intended for manufacturers of third-party accessories compatible with Apple’s iPhones.
This Find My network helps users find lost Apple devices, such as iPhones, Mac computers, iPads, and AirPods. It is also ready to add support for other accessories compatible with the network so that they can be found in the same way even if they are manufactured by third parties.
Users of MFi licenses, i.e. manufacturers can use this new app to “test positioning, connection and other key requirements” for accessories incorporating this Apple technology. In short, it is a necessary application for manufacturers to test whether their devices work with Apple’s search network.
This network is not new; It was introduced in the “Find My” app a couple of years ago and among other things allowed finding lost Apple devices. As long as we have other nearby Apple devices turned on and connected, we can track other devices even if they are completely disconnected.
In the screenshots associated with the application, we can see how it works, since a normal user cannot make use of it if he does not have access to Apple licenses. According to the App Store, the app was launched on April 4, i.e. last Sunday.
Given that in iOS 14.5 it will be possible to integrate third parties to this search network, it is reasonable to think that the launch of Apple’s AirTags and thus compatible third-party AirTags is coming soon. It is estimated that it would use the same technology that is used with the U1 chips, which allows among other things to locate devices indoors with a greater range of action.
