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Topics: News, Technology, Apple
Bec Oakes
Sometimes it feels like the only thing that gets you through a long day at the office is blasting a few bangers through your headphones.
But experts have warned that anyone who wears AirPods at work could be in for a nasty surprise.
It all started when narcissist, murderer and general creep Joe Goldberg used the Apple headphones to follow somebody during the latest season on Netflix's You.
And, unfortunately, it's since been confirmed that this sinister scenario could happen in real life too.
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Marc Porcar, a tech expert at QR Code Generator, says work-provided AirPods may pose a privacy risk for employees by allowing bosses to track their movement.
He told the Digital Journal: "AirPods can be tracked indirectly through, say, the work mobile or laptop, not necessarily Apple-branded, whose location an employer can access anyway."
Essentially, they be used to track your location, so we wouldn't be heading to the pub on your lunch break if we were you!
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And, beyond the four walls of the office, employers can even use AirPods to spy on remote workers to see if they took a detour to the nearest Marks & Spencer while on assignment.
Porcar warns that while 'AirPods do not have built-in GPS or cellular capabilities,' employers can 'use the Find My network or an already paired device to estimate their [employees’] location, much like an AirTag'.
The expert says people should be wary when it comes to accepting AirPods from work, especially if they're given to us in a previously opened box or without any packaging.
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This means your boss has had the chance to link them to their Apple ID and therefore track their location on the Find My app.
Fortunately, you can stop yourself from being tracked by manually restoring the AirPods' factory settings.
To do this, simply place both AirPods in their charging case, close the lid, wait for 30 seconds and reopen the lid. Then, press and hold the reset button at the back of the case for 15 seconds until the little light at the front of the case flashes amber and then white.
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You can then link them 'with another non-work Apple ID using an iMac, iPhone or iPad.'
But be warned, Porcar says: "Keep in mind that, even if you successfully switch to a different Apple ID, your employer will be able to see the location where you did that.
"So make sure you carry out the changes at an already familiar address if you want to keep your out-of-work activities private."
Tyla has contacted Apple for commet.