An Apple AirTag was essential for a couple in West London who managed to get back their stolen Jaguar E-PACE with little help from the police, as cited by the BBC.

The couple’s £46,000 SUV was taken in early June, but they had concealed an AirTag inside. After notifying the authorities about the theft, they supplied real-time location information, expecting a swift reaction.

Nonetheless, the couple asserted that even though the tracker indicated the car was merely nine minutes away, the police did not respond quickly. They resolved to take matters into their own hands.

The AirTag led them to a nearby residential avenue where they discovered the Jaguar parked and intact. Retrieving it necessitated proving ownership and working with the software provider to reactivate the vehicle’s immobilizer system.

As per the BBC, the police only checked in a week after the couple had already reclaimed the car and informed them.

This event underscores a beneficial application of AirTags, which have faced criticism since their 2021 launch over privacy and safety issues, including their potential misuse in stalking and domestic violence scenarios. Apple has introduced various safety features to tackle these concerns.

One significant feature is that if an individual is near an unfamiliar AirTag for several hours, they receive a notification alerting them to its presence, irrespective of whether they are on iOS or Android.