Apple recently released iOS 17.5 beta version, as part of the expected evolution schedule for this generation of the iPhone operating system. And as always when a beta version of an operating system is released, they are subjected to intense analysis to find and capture new features that arrive with said update. Sometimes they are easy to identify, but other times it is necessary to “dive” into the code to find these clues.

This time we are faced with the second case, and that is that 9to5Mac claims to have found references that indicate that iOS 17.5 will finally introduce the expected measures to prevent unwanted tracking with geolocation beacons. Specifically, they detected text strings that refer to the detection of tracking devices, regardless of whether or not they are certified by Apple (by which we mean whether the user has registered them in their list of devices), which will notify the user of their presence. This is the most notable text in this regard:

«this article [en alusión a la baliza detectada] Not certified in Apple’s Find My network. You can ban this item to prevent it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on the website of the manufacturer of the item«.

Of course, this was revealed by the tests carried out This function is not active yetalthough we have good reason to think that it will be ready when Apple starts rolling out iOS 17.5, which we hope will happen during this month of April, although since the first beta has just seen the light, it may be delayed until May .

Of course, this investigation explains to us, the reason Google started rolling out Find My Device network mode, currently also in beta. This tells us that communication between Apple and Google has confirmed to search engines that they are ready to improve the security of beacons in the iOS ecosystem, which until now was the reason why Google delayed the launch of their own network, which was announced in May last year and which in its corresponding part they have been ready for several months.

On the other hand, another big reason why we understand that Apple will roll out this new security feature sooner rather than later is that over two weeks ago we learned that the company will have to go to court due to AirTag security issues, just what these changes will fix. So its inclusion in iOS 17.5 won’t solve the problems that have already occurred, but it will at least allow Apple to demonstrate that it has already acted to prevent them from happening again.