Apple’s Find My feature has finally become available in South Korea, according to a company announcement translated by Apple Insider. This comes after years of public demand, when the network search tool was not available in the country. The omission was particularly surprising given that Apple has been selling AirTags across the region. Without Find My, they are essentially just paperweights in the shape of a puck.
The company never explicitly stated why it restricted access to Find My in South Korea, but it appears to have been due to local legislation that could allow the government to access location data. The service first appeared during the beta testing of iOS 18.4, but the official software update makes it available to all residents of the country. Find My has long been operating in remote areas of South Korea, such as Panyeong-do and Ulyeong-do.
“Find My is an important tool that allows users to get information about the location of the things that matter most to them, such as friends, family, and personal belongings, and I’m very excited to be able to bring this feature to Korea,” said David Dorn, senior director of Apple’s services products, in a statement on the company’s local website.
The current iteration of Find My was launched in the US in 2019 as part of iOS 13. However, the tool actually originates from a service called Find My iPhone, which appeared in 2010. Recently, Apple has expanded the functionality by allowing users to share information about the location of a lost item with other people on the network. This is useful when you’re negotiating the return of a lost item with a stranger.
