The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has a message for the parents : “Keep AirTags out of the reach of children”. This is the second time Australia has had an issue with Apple’s Object Tracker.
Beware of AirTags with children
In May, a major Australian brand had decided to withdraw the AirTag from sale, judging that children could “easily” swallow them given its size. Also, the ease of access to the battery worried the brand, with again a concern of swallowing the component.
Today, ACCC says it has informed Apple “Of its security concerns regarding the accessibility and security of the coin cell battery inside” of the AirTag. As a reminder, all you have to do is put pressure on the back of the beacon and turn to access the battery. For the Australian regulator, this mechanism is too simple, which allows children to access the battery.
On the other hand, the ACCC notes that the AirTag beeps when the user resets the cache, but it happens that this signal is emitted when the cache is not correctly reset. Also, the regulator is sounding the alarm about the absence on the packaging of a warning about the potential risk that the AirTag could represent for children.
For its part, Apple assures that its tag is “Designed to meet international child safety standards (…) by requiring a two-stage push and turn mechanism to access the user-replaceable battery”. The manufacturer adds strive “To ensure that [ses] products meet or exceed new standards, including those relating to the labeling of packaging, well in advance of the required deadline ”. The ACCC says it is continuing to discuss with Apple to take stock of this matter. The product remains available for purchase from Apple and other resellers in Australia immediately.
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