Apple’s AirTag tracking devices have been around since mid-2021, but meeting professionals may be more interested than ever in the button-like units, with a new feature the company announced on November 11 called Share Item Location. 

The new feature allows users to share the real-time coordinates of lost or misplaced items with third parties. 

Apple is rolling out partnerships with 18 airlines to allow the system to more quickly locate missing luggage. However, meeting professionals might also consider an AirTag for exhibits and boxes of critical event materials that get shipped around the country. If the airlines don’t misplace them, trucking companies or convention centers might. 

Today, AirTag owners open “Find My” on an Apple device, which brings up a map showing the item in its current location, and the map updates as the item moves. With the Share Item Location feature, users can send a link to someone—for example, an airline customer-service representative or an event’s general service contractor—that shares the AirTag’s map and location.  

The new feature allows users to stop location-sharing at any time, and it will stop automatically when the lost item is reunited with the AirTag owner. 

According to Apple, the airlines that will start accepting Share Item Location links in the coming months include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling. 

The 1.26-inch silver AirTag buttons cost about $70 for a pack of four. The replaceable batteries last about a year. 

This article originally ran in MeetingsNet, a sister media outlet of Corporate Event News.  

Don’t miss any event-related news: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter HERE, listen to our latest podcast HERE and engage with us on LinkedIn!