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What just happened? If you have ever lost luggage after a flight, you know how frustrating it is. United Airlines just made finding your misplaced luggage less painful for iPhone users. The airline announced this week that it has integrated Apple's new Share Item Location feature into its mobile app.
United Airlines passengers can now share AirTags or other Find My devices with the United app. This feature can help personnel find missing luggage after flights much quicker.
Instead of going through the usual lost-and-found channels, passengers can fire up that United app and file a delayed baggage report when a piece of luggage goes missing. The app allows customers to share the location of any AirTag or similar tracking device attached to their bag.
After sharing, United's customer service team can see the bag's current location (or last known location) on a map. With that information, they can take a more targeted approach to scouring airport and handler facilities to quickly reunite passengers with their belongings. The feature works with any device on your Find My app. So, if you don't have an AirTag, but your iPad is in your suitcase, they should be able to track it down.
Customers don't necessarily need the United app to use this new perk. The airline says if a passenger reports a delayed bag over the phone, website, or in person at the airport, it can send a notification to the customer's phone to share an item's location.
The feature only requires the iOS 18.2 update, which rolled out earlier this week with features like ChatGPT integration with Siri. Passengers will, of course, also have to have an activated Find My item in their baggage.
Apple notes that location sharing is disabled automatically once the bag is returned. Users can also terminate sharing manually at any time. For extra security, shared locations expire after seven days, whether the airline located the luggage or not.
United isn't the first or only airline enabling this new capability. Apple says Air Canada is also integrated, with 15+ other airlines coming soon.
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