These Apple users are reportedly receiving ‘Phantom’ alert – Times of India

Apple AirTags are reportedly sending “phantom” alerts to a few users. As per a report by Wall Street Journal, AirTag users are receiving false alerts on their iPhones, generally in the middle of the night. These alerts are accompanied by maps that show several straight lines radiating from the user’s location unlike the regular AirTag alert where the map shows where and how long the tracking device was detected on their person.
Since the launch of Apple AirTag, numerous cases have been reported where criminals have used the tracking device for stalking. To address the issue of unwanted tracking, Apple AirTag and Find My network accessories have unique Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently. This helps prevent you from being tracked from place to place. If the feature detects an unknown Apple accessory nearby it notifies the users.
The report suggests that the false alerts may be due to a bug in this feature. Following the reports from several users, Apple has acknowledged the issue and has suggested a temporary fix. As per an Apple spokesman, the false alerts could have resulted from an iPhone receiving area Wi-Fi signals that temporarily confused its location services.
How you can fix the false alert AirTag bug temporarily
A potential fix would be to go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, and toggle the switch off and on while Wi-Fi is enabled on the iPhone. The spokesperson further said that in more densely populated areas, AirTags owned by others nearby could inadvertently trigger unwanted alerts.
Recently Apple also added a new message to the AirTag setup screen which advises users that “using this item to track people without their consent is a crime in many regions around the world.”