With iOS 18.2, you can share the location of lost items with an airline employee

iOS 18.2 is expected to arrive next month, along with new Apple Intelligence features on eligible smartphone models. While not all Apple smartphones will support the new machine learning capabilities, the company has also been working on new software features that surfaced in the latest iOS 18.2 beta 2 that rolled out on Monday. When the update arrives next month, Apple will reportedly let users share the location of lost items with a trusted person or airline employee.

iOS 18.2 introduces lost item sharing feature

Macrumoren spotted Added a new “Share Item Location” feature to the Find My app during the latest iOS 18.2 beta 2 update, which allows users to share the location of an item marked as lost with a third party. The description of the feature reveals that it is designed to help a user locate a lost item with the help of another person – this could be a taxi driver or an airline employee who has access to the item’s location lost object.

When iOS 18.2 rolls out to all users, the Find My app will include an option to share an item’s location, generating a link that can be used on any platform to see where the lost item is on a map located. Apple says the location can be shared “with an airline or a trusted individual.”

This means that beta testers can now share the location not only with their contacts and users with Apple devices, but also with airline employees who are unlikely to be in their contact list. It also works with Windows and Android devices, as well as Apple’s own products.

Apple has also placed some restrictions on the new feature, presumably to protect user privacy. To start, a link created using the Share Item Location feature is valid for one week, or until the item is returned to its owner. Apple will also show users how many people visited the link, according to the publication.

Meanwhile, another feature called “Show Contact Information” will allow other users to connect to a lost device to see contact information, such as the owner’s email address or even their phone number. This feature is optional and can help someone access an item’s owner information when returning the item.