Are these the sounds we'll be hearing when we use Apple's AirTags?

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iPhone XS Find My app
iPhone XS Find My app (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • AirTags are rumored to be ready for launch this year.
  • An anonymous Twitter account has shared sounds that might be part of the release.
  • They aren't all new, though.

AirTags. They've been rumored for far longer than anyone care remember. But they might finally be coming this year and we might also know what they'll sound like. Or, more accurately, what sounds the Find My app will make when interacting with them.

https://twitter.com/Soybeys/status/1273580099158159362

Anonymous Twitter user Soybeys has shared a video of a Mac previewing several files all of which play audio. But as AppleInsider points out, these aren't any normal audio files – they have haptic feedback as well.

The video shows an array of sounds in what looks like a list of files with localized versions. Of the icons that leaker Soybeys clicks on to play, all are either .caf or .ahap files. The former is Core Audio Format, developed by Apple, which aims be a container for multiple sounds or types of sound.

All of this does suggest these could be sounds – and vibrations – that will be used by the Find My app once AirTags are a real thing.

Importantly, this isn't the first time we've seen and heard some of these sounds. They first appeared more than a month ago when details about Apple's Gobi were also shared.

At this point, I'll just be happy for Apple to finally announce AirTags. I don't care if they use the sounds from a Sega Genesis game!

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.