Apple’s new Share Item Location feature, introduced with iOS 18.2, is already transforming how travelers manage misplaced luggage. United Airlines has announced the integration of this feature into its mobile app, allowing passengers to seamlessly share the location of their luggage through AirTag or Find My network accessories.
With this new feature, passengers whose luggage is delayed can generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac and submit it through the United mobile app when filing a delayed baggage report. This link, securely connected to the passenger’s AirTag or compatible tracker, provides United’s customer service team with real-time location updates via an interactive map. This precise information enables the airline to quickly locate and retrieve delayed luggage, significantly improving the recovery process.
United Airlines emphasized that this integration is an evolution of its existing customer service tools, which already allow passengers to track their bags’ journeys through the United app. According to David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer, the addition of Share Item Location offers travelers even more confidence by enabling a direct and secure way to share AirTag information with the airline’s baggage team. The shared location data is automatically disabled once the passenger is reunited with their luggage and expires after seven days, ensuring privacy and security. Passengers also have the option to manually stop sharing the location at any time. From Apple:
We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind. We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.
Apple’s Share Item Location feature is built on the robust Find My network, which leverages over a billion Apple devices worldwide to locate missing items. The process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, ensuring that only the owner and authorized parties can access the location data.
To use this feature, travelers need to ensure their iPhone is updated to iOS 18.2 or later, and that the United app is also up to date. Even those without the app can benefit, as United provides automatic text notifications to help track misplaced luggage and add a Share Item Location link.
United Airlines is among the first to adopt this technology, but it is not alone. Apple has confirmed that Air Canada has also integrated the feature, and over 15 other airlines, including Delta, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, are preparing to roll out similar capabilities in the coming months.
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