Apple's AirTag made its international debut a few days ago. Now there are concerns about the safety of children due to the replaceable battery.
AirTags have a replaceable CR2032 coin-cell battery, which Apple says powers the tracker for around a year. The AirTag battery can be removed by pressing down and twisting the stainless steel cover, a fairly simple and straightforward process. However, the simple process of changing the battery has raised concerns that a child could access the battery and potentially put themselves in danger. As Gizmodo reports, the concerns are so significant that major Australian retailer Officeworks has temporarily removed AirTags from its shelves. The retailer has not officially confirmed the exact reason, although the report notes that several Reddit users have said that an Officeworks salesperson confirmed the retailer's concerns about child safety.
"AirTag is designed to meet international child safety standards"
Counter staff could see on their system that they had some in stock and one employee even remembered selling them on Friday. But they couldn't find them today. In response, another Officeworks employee explained that the AirTags were removed due to safety concerns, particularly given how easily the coin cell battery can be removed by a child.
Meanwhile, an Apple spokesperson told Gizmodo:
AirTag is designed to meet international child safety standards, including those in Australia by requiring a two-step push-and-turn mechanism to access the user-replaceable battery. We are closely monitoring regulations and working to ensure our products meet or exceed the new standards, including those for packaging labeling, well ahead of the required timeframe.
According to the report, Officeworks now plans to hold back the AirTags until "further guidance is received from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission," which happens to be the same agency that is currently investigating Apple over allegations of anti-competitive market conduct.
Do AirTags violate legal regulations?
Australian regulations require that any consumer product that has a battery compartment that is accessible to the consumer, whether the battery is to be replaced or not, must be designed so that the compartment cannot be opened by young children. The regulations also state that the battery compartment must have "screws or similar fasteners for securing." The AirTags, however, do not rely on any screws visible to the consumer. To access the battery compartment, the user must first press down and twist the back. So while there are definitely concerns, it's unlikely that AirTags violate a direct legal requirement. Instead, it's likely that a lack of clarity about how Apple's AirTags fit in with existing regulations has led the retailer to withhold them. (Photo by askarim / Bigstockphoto)
