Greatly enhanced "find" on iOS 15.Corresponds to the misplacement warning, making it discoverable even after the power is turned off or erased

From Apple's developer event WWDC21. At the same time as iOS 15, the ability to "Find My" to find iPhones and AirTags will be greatly enhanced.

New features include a separation alert that alerts you to misplacement, "Find My" network detection even when the power is off, Find My device even after erasing the device, live updates of family and friends sharing location information, and AirPods Pro. "Find" network support etc.

For users who tend to lose or misplace Apple products, including his just-released AirTag, this update is more likely to be found in the unlikely event of loss.

Apple's Find My can help you find your device, such as your iPhone or Mac, or your belongings, such as the just-released AirTag, on a map, or play a sound if you can't find it nearby. An app that allows you to be notified when it is detected when it is lost.

Unlike iPhones, which can connect to the Internet on their own and declare their whereabouts, AirTag is equipped with only short-range wireless Bluetooth used for earphones, etc., and the direct connection will be cut off if it is more than 10 meters away from the iPhone. increase.

However, his "Find My Network" network, in which his iPhones and Macs around the world act as sensors, allows users of Apple devices to be detected if they are nearby, and the "Find My" app can be used to find them.

With iOS 15, AirPods Pro with Bluetooth will also be available on the Find My network.

Misplacement warning (separation alert)

Separation alert, which was compatible with Bluetooth trackers before AirTag, is a function that warns of misplacement because the signal of short-range wireless such as Bluetooth is interrupted or weakened.

Since conventional products rely on Bluetooth, which is interrupted or weakened due to various factors from the beginning, there are problems such as giving a warning by mistake even if it is near, or conversely not giving a warning even if it is far away. ..

In a demo that Apple unveiled as a new feature on his AirPods Pro, the iPhone received a notification that it was misplaced and where it was located.

"Search" even when the power is off

What is striking about this new feature is that you can find it by "searching" even when the power is off. Even with the current "Search" app, you can see where the device that was turned off or lost was last seen, but once you turn it off, it doesn't emit radio waves and you can't find it.

A completely power-off device is no different than a lump of metal or glass, so it seems hard to find it, but Apple obtained a patent in 2015 for a device and method to detect the position of wireless devices even after shutdown. Was there.

The patent was granted for an invention that helps discovery by waking up only some circuits at regular intervals and transmitting radio waves even when the power is turned off.

Apple explains that "even if the thief turns off the power", so if you enable the search function even when the power is turned off, even if the power is turned off manually, you can find it with the "search" app. It seems to keep calling.

If the battery is completely exhausted, you will not be able to find it in principle, but if you want to wake up some circuits for a moment with a device with a low power consumption design so that AirTag can be used for one year with a single button battery, it will be to some extent with very little power. The period of is considered to be functional.

"Search" even after erasing the device

The "Search" app remotely erases your device in case your iPhone or Mac is stolen or lost and is unlikely to be recovered, or if you have sensitive information that you don't want to be stolen. There is also a function (to initialize). This is the so-called remote wipe function.

After the remote wipe, the "Search" app can no longer be displayed on the map, so I was sometimes worried about the choice between giving up the collection and erasing it, or being scared of the possibility of seeing the contents.

With the new function, "Search" is enabled even after erasing, and due to the conventional activation lock mechanism, even if the iPhone is stolen and erased, when the power is turned on, the "Hello" screen will be displayed. It makes it difficult to buy or sell stolen goods because it shows what the owner is looking for and is still detectable.

It is unknown how far the "search" function can be used after erasing, compatible devices, etc. However, in the past, even if you erased the device, there was a note that "If your Mac or Apple Watch is near a Wi-Fi network that you have previously connected to, you may be able to locate it."

A preview for developers of iOS 15 is available today. The public beta is scheduled for next month and the public release is planned for this fall.

AirPods Pro supports "find" network, and misplaced notifications on iPhone. Provided on iOS 15