Apple and Google are partnering to prevent possible spying by item trackers

Apple and Google are cooperating (again!) on use of Bluetooth (again!) tracking technology. AirTags and other item trackers based on Bluetooth could be used to perform unwanted tracking.

Apple added additional safeguards to report unrecognized AirTag traveling with user. Also, app was introduced for Android users.

Now Apple and Google are working together to have unified specification to alert users of unwanted location trackers. Future versions of iOS and Android are to implement these specifications.

Apple Newsroom: Apple, Google partner on an industry specification to address unwanted tracking

IETF Datatracker: Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers

Google Play: Tracker Detect

References:

Weekend good reads for Apple developers, issue #48

Hey there! This week we have many great reads for the developers, so – buckle up!

This week we'd like to pay our respects to Ray Wenderlich and his portal. Now it has new name – Kodeco. It is still great source of useful content for developers and we'll even share couple of articles today.

That's a lot for this week. Have time for rest and some time to read something interesting!

AirTags might be banned from luggage by airlines

Reports arise that Lufthansa is now banning AirTags in checked luggage requesting tracking devices to be turned off.

At the moment it is not known if rules are to be enforced and what airlines, which countries and airports will require removal of AirTags from luggage.

Overall, it still looks very strange having that Airplane mode on iPhone does not turn off Bluetooth.

References:

User reports some issues with recent OS updates and betas

There are couple of reports showing issues with macOS 12.2 Monterey, iOS 15.3 and watchOS 8.4.

Users report that macOS 12.2 sometimes might result in battery drain during sleep when Bluetooth connection is on.

And watchOS 8.4 with iOS 15.3 update might result in sync issues with Wallet. Some cards and passes added or removed on iPhone are not synced to Watch automatically.

Also, some reports show issues with current beta versions too. Apple warns macOS Catalina and Big Sur users with FileVault volume with possible issues trying to boot into macOS 12.3. Release notes for the beta now includes the warning.

Warning

If your Mac currently has macOS Catalina installed, installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a volume with FileVault enabled might cause a boot loop when attempting to log back into the previous volume. (88163545)

Apple Support: Installing macOS on a separate APFS volume

Reference:

Apple publishes safety guide addressing AirTag fears

Apple tries to address AirTag unwanted tracking issues in updated safety document.

Both AirTag and the Find My network are designed with privacy at their core. AirTag and Find My network accessories have unique Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently. To discourage unwanted tracking, Find My notifies you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My accessory is seen moving with you over time by sending you the message, “Item Detected Near You.” (This feature is available on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 or later). If you see this message on your device, an AirTag or other Find My accessory that has been separated from the person who registered it is traveling with you, and the owner might be able to see its location. It’s possible that the AirTag might be attached to an item you are borrowing.

Apple

Apple: Personal Safety User Guide

Apple Support: What to do if you get an alert that an AirTag or Find My network accessory is with you

Reference: Apple Explains How to Stay Safe With AirTag and More in Personal Safety Guide

Weekend good reads for Android developers, issue #17 (01/2022)

Happy New Year 2022
Here is your list of interesting articles:

Bluetooth LE for modern Android Development (Part 1, 2, 3)

Erik Hellman looks at BLE and covers most of the issues and aspects which we need to address when we develop this support.

WorkManager multi-process for libraries

How Leakcanary leverages WorkManager multi-process and more.

AWS SDK for Kotlin (Developer Preview)

The SDK makes it easy to call AWS services using idiomatic Kotlin APIs. The AWS SDK for Kotlin is multi-platform with support for JVM and Android environments.

Google Cloud’s top AI blog posts from 2021

Google Cloud’s top artificial intelligence and machine learning posts from 2021.

Bonus:
List of trends for 2022

I recommend you review your favorite and main disciplines.

That's all from us, see you next week!