Australia retailer pulls AirTag over safety concerns
Officeworks responds to reports that AirTag battery is dangerously easy for children to access.
| 9 hours ago
The Australian retailer Officeworks has stopped selling Apple s AirTag object tracker, following reports that its battery can easily be removed by children.
The move, first reported by Gizmodo and since confirmed by Officeworks, was done quietly at first, with shop-floor staff unaware that the product had been pulled.
One Apple fan in Keswick, South Australia, described a mystifying shopping experience on Reddit. They tried to buy an AirTag using a voucher, but employees were unable to find any, despite seeing stock on the system and remembering selling the devices a few days previously.
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Image: Apple
Exclusive! Officeworks has confirmed with Gizmodo Australia that is has pulled the Apple AirTags from its shelves until further notice due to concerns regarding the accessibility of the button battery.
This article has been updated to include comment from Apple and the ACCC.
AirTags removed from Officeworks shelves and online
Word of the AirTags removal were first floating around Reddit on Monday.
One user posted in r/Australia about their experience trying to buy AirTags in a South Australian store.
“Staff at the counter could see on their system that they had some in stock, and one staff member even remembered selling them on Friday, but they couldn’t find them today,” the user wrote in a post.
Australian retailer pulls AirTag over battery safety concerns Australian retailer Officeworks has pulled AirTags from sale over potential safety issues, which revolve around the ease of access to the button cell batteries used in the tracking accessory.
Reddit posts surfaced on Monday claiming that the store was not offering the AirTags for sale, despite sales associates confirming they were sold on the Friday. An Officeworks representative then allegedly advised the AirTags were pulled from sale over safety concerns, relating to the accessibility of the button-cell battery.
The lack of availability wasn t limited to just the physical stores, as the retailer s website also removed listings for the Apple product.
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