Apple AirTag Stalking Lawsuits

People filing AirTag lawsuits claim that Apple didn’t do enough to prevent the trackers from being used for nefarious purposes. Lawsuits report that stalkers used the devices to track victims’ locations without consent.

Lawsuits argue that Apple knew early on that its AirTags could be weaponized by providing real-time location data.

“Prior to and upon the AirTag’s release, advocates and technologists urged the company to rethink the product and to consider its inevitable use in stalking,” one lawsuit states. “In response, Apple heedlessly forged ahead, dismissing concerns and pointing to mitigation features that it claimed rendered the devices ‘stalker proof.’”

AirTags first hit the market in 2021. Apple had sold more than 55 million of them by the end of 2022. Media coverage also quickly emerged surrounding a potential stalking risk and the threat of AirTags being used to commit crimes.

People who have filed cases typically claim that a stalker or abuser secretly placed an AirTag to track the victim’s location. This includes dropping AirTags into bags, hiding them in clothes or placing them inside cars. The device is about the size of a quarter, making it very difficult to notice.

Apple has faced a growing wave of these lawsuits.

One of the core claims of the AirTag lawsuits is that Apple was negligent in the design and release of the product. Lawsuits argue that the tech giant put everyday people who were not even customers at an unreasonable risk of harm by releasing a product that could easily be used to track them.

Another key claim is that Apple rushed a defectively designed, harmful product to market. Lawsuits argue that the benefits of AirTags do not outweigh the serious risks they pose.

You could qualify to file an AirTag stalking lawsuit if someone used an AirTag to track your location against your will.

This includes if an AirTag was hidden somewhere with the intention of tracking you. You typically must have suffered serious mental or physical harm as a result of this stalking to qualify.

A police report is not a requirement to file a lawsuit, but it can serve as helpful evidence in building your case. A lawyer can help you understand your legal rights.

You may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit if a family member was tracked using an AirTag and that stalking contributed to their death.

Wrongful death lawsuits can typically be filed by parents, children, spouses and estate representatives.

A lawyer can evaluate the circumstances of your family member’s situation and help you to determine whether filing a wrongful death lawsuit is the best course of action.

A trusted lawyer can help you determine if you are eligible to file an AirTag stalking lawsuit. They can review the details of your case for free and assist you in understanding your legal options.

If you are eligible, your lawyer will handle the filing process. They will lean on their expertise to manage your case and decide which court or venue makes the most sense.

Before your lawsuit is filed, you may need to provide some evidence to help strengthen your case. This could include screenshots showing alerts or tracking notifications of the AirTag in question, and possibly the AirTag itself.

Any official documentation, such as a police report you filed, can also help. Your lawyer will assist you in determining what you need and how best to track it down.

So far, Apple has not agreed to a global settlement for all AirTag lawsuits. But the company has worked to settle individual cases, cutting deals to resolve 20 lawsuits in a two-month span at one point in 2026.

The settlement landscape will also be impacted by whether a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) is established for the AirTag lawsuits. This is a common legal procedure that is used when many similar lawsuits are filed.

MDLs place all of the cases before the same judge to cut down on duplicative work and allow them to move through the legal process together. MDLs can also play a big role in influencing settlement talks.

A hearing is scheduled for September 2026 to determine whether an AirTag MDL would be established. Some people who have filed lawsuits were pushing for one to be created, but Apple has been firmly against consolidation.