You may not have even thought about replacing your AirTag yet, but Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a new one that could arrive in mid-2025. The new AirTag will reportedly feature an updated chip with better location tracking — an improvement it might need as competition among tracking devices ramps up.

By the time Apple rolls out its refreshed AirTag, the Bluetooth tracking landscape will look a lot different on both Android and iOS. Last month, Google revealed its new Find My Device network, which lets users locate their phones using signals from nearby Android devices. Even Life360, the safety service company that owns Tile, is creating its own location-tracking network that uses satellites to locate its Bluetooth tags.

In last week’s iOS 17.5 update, Apple finally started letting iPhones show unwanted tracking alerts for third-party Bluetooth tags. If an unknown AirTag or other third-party tracker is found with an iPhone user, they’ll get an alert and can play a sound to locate it. The feature is part of an industry specification created to prevent stalking across iPhones and Android devices. Several companies that make Bluetooth tracking devices, including Chipolo, Pebblebee, and Eufy are on board with the new standard.

While the sonic quality of the AirPods certainly works across most devices with a Bluetooth connection, the real magic and a plethora of useful features really shine when you connect AirPods with other Apple devices. If you use the same Apple ID across all your Apple devices, you can really take advantage of the seamless auto-connect features.

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How to connect your AirPods to your iPhone

Before you start, make sure you’ve installed the latest version of iOS on your iPhone and be sure your AirPods are charged and in their case. If you’ve already connected your AirPods to your iPhone, it should connect automatically if you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used to sign onto your Mac. If not, here’s how to connect them to your iPhone. 

• Unlock your iPhone and go to Settings
• Scroll down and tap Bluetooth, then turn on Bluetooth (if it isn’t already on)
• The toggle next to Bluetooth should be green, not grayed out.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• Now, grab your AirPods case with the AirPods inside, then hold it next to your iPhone with the case top open.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• At this point, a setup animation will show up on your iPhone screen.
• Tap Connect and you should be ready to listen.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: 8 INCREDIBLY USEFUL THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH AIRPODS

How to connect your AirPods to your iPad

Before you start, make sure you’ve installed the latest version of iOS on your iPhone and be sure your AirPods are charged and in their case. If you’ve connected your AirPods to your iPad already, it should connect automatically if you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used to sign onto your Mac. If not, here’s how to connect them to your iPad. 

• Open up your iPad and go to Settings.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• From Settings, scroll down and tap Bluetooth.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• Then, tap the button on the right once so that it turns green.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• Keep your iPad open to this screen and take out your AirPods.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• From here, a setup animation will appear on the iPad. Tap Connect.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

• Your AirPods should appear under the list of available devices in your Bluetooth settings on the iPad. Now tap your AirPods, and there you go.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Kurt’s key takeaways

In a nutshell, AirPods are popular because they’ve got great performance, reliability and are easy to use, especially if you’ve already got other Apple products in your life. They just get you, you know? They move between your iPad to your iPhone without a hitch – it’s like they’ve got a mind of their own. And setting them up is super simple. It’s like tap, tap, boom – you’re connected.

In what ways do you think the AirPods’ features could be further enhanced when paired with Apple devices? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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A security lapse could let millions of college students do free laundry, thanks to one company. That’s because of a vulnerability that two University of California, Santa Cruz students found in internet-connected washing machines in commercial use in several countries, according to TechCrunch.

The two students, Alexander Sherbrooke and Iakov Taranenko, apparently exploited an API for the machines’ app to do things like remotely command them to work without payment and update a laundry account to show it had millions of dollars in it. The company that owns the machines, CSC ServiceWorks, claims to have more than a million laundry and vending machines in service at colleges, multi-housing communities, laundromats, and more in the US, Canada, and Europe.

CSC never responded when Sherbrooke and Taranenko reported the vulnerability via emails and a phone call in January, TechCrunch writes. Despite that, the students told the outlet that the company “quietly wiped out” their false millions after they contacted it.

The lack of response led them to tell others about their findings. That includes that the company has a published list of commands, which the two told TechCrunch enables connecting to all of CSC’s network-connected laundry machines. CSC ServiceWorks didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

CSC’s vulnerability is a good reminder that the security situation with the internet of things still isn’t sorted out. For the exploit the students found, maybe CSC shoulders the risk, but in other cases, lax cybersecurity practices have made it possible for hackers or company contractors to view strangers’ security camera footage or gain access to smart plugs.

Often, security researchers find these security holes and report them before they can be exploited in the wild. But that’s not helpful if the company responsible for them doesn’t respond.