Apple today began rolling out a firmware update for its AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A73 (2.0.73), up from the 2A61 firmware that came out last October.
Apple does share release notes for AirTag firmware updates, but the document has yet to be updated for the new release so there's no word yet on what might be included in the update.
As is typical for AirTag updates, today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis. One percent of users will get the update today, and then it will expand to 10 percent of users on March 26. On April 2, the update will expand to 25 percent of users, and then it will be available to all on April 9.
It is not possible to force an AirTag update, as it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your AirTag in range of your iPhone, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device. You can check your current AirTag firmware version through the Find My app, with instructions available in our how to.
Update: Due to an apparent error in date formatting by Apple in the deployment code, it appears the update has gone out to all AirTags rather than on a rolling basis as planned, as noted by @iSWUpdates.
Looks like Apple accidentally set the deployment dates for the 2.0.73 AirTag firmware to "m/d/24" instead of "m/d/2024" that has used in previous versions and which the AirTag update system uses as date format. As a result, AirTags think the deployment dates are in the year 24… pic.twitter.com/dH5s0FrgTy — iSoftware Updates (@iSWUpdates) March 21, 2024
