Apple blunder resulted in all AirTag units in the world receiving a new update at the same time
To prevent all AirTag users from requesting a firmware update at the same time, which would tax Apple's computer systems, the company staggers the release of such updates so that such a scenario doesn't occur. That makes sense, right? However, according to a tweet from "X" account iSoftware Updates (@iSWUpdates), Apple made a mistake when it set the deployment date for the AirTag update to version 2.0.73.
The update normally would have a deployment date using the following format: "m/d/2024" with "m" representing the month and "d" representing the date of the update. When Apple punched in the year, whoever was tasked with that job accidentally typed in "m/d/24" by mistake. Or maybe it was just muscle memory since most places ask for the last two years of the current date instead of all four digits.
Looks like Apple accidentally set the deployment dates for the 2.0.73 AirTag firmware to "m/d/24" instead of "m/d/2024" that has used in previous versions and which the AirTag update system uses as date format.
— iSoftware Updates (@iSWUpdates) March 21, 2024
As a result, AirTags think the deployment dates are in the year 24… pic.twitter.com/dH5s0FrgTy
Nonetheless, the mistake created a situation inside Apple. As @iSWU explained in his tweet, "As a result, AirTags think the deployment dates are in the year 24 and they just skip to the 100% rollout batch." The latter does exactly what it sounds like and pushes out the update to all AirTag units wherever they are in the world, all at the same time.
As for the firmware update to version 2.0.73, Apple did not release a detailed changelog for the update which means that we have no idea what changes AirTag owners should expect after updating the item tracker. This is the first update for the AirTag tracker since last October. To update your AirTag, keep it close to the iPhone that you have it paired with. Open the Find My app on the iPhone while walking around the area. That should help the handset detect the AirTag and trigger the update.
Speaking of AirTag, Apple recently tried to have a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, dismissed. The suit accuses the item tracker of being used by criminals to stalk their victims. Per Bloomberg, Judge Vince Chhabria refused to dismiss the case noting that the three plaintiffs had presented sufficient claims to back up allegations of negligence and product liability against Apple.
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