Apple AirTag has been removed from sale by Australia's largest retailer

Apple AirTags has been removed from shelves by Australia's largest retailer Officeworks. The new product went on sale on April 30, and the exact reason for the removal has not been confirmed at this time.

In a statement, an Officeworks spokesman said, "The Apple AirTag list will be temporarily unavailable for purchase at Officeworks."

“This product will not be retained by Officeworks until further guidance is provided from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

"Officeworks continues to work with Apple to address any security issues," the statement said.

While Officeworks has not yet commented on Apple AirTags' continued removal, various unconfirmed comments are emerging online.

As reported by Gizmodo, news began to emerge of AirTag withdrawal from Reddit's r / Australia, when Redditor said they could not buy the trail from the Officeworks store, and was told by staff that the product had been returned for safety reasons.

Reddit's post reads, "Finally someone came down from the office and explained that the AirTags had been returned due to concerns about the safety of how easily the cell-battery could be removed by a child."

The Reddit thread is currently marked as 'unconfirmed' by management, and at the time of writing, Apple AirTags is still available to many Australian retailers, including the online store Apple.

As noted by one commentator on the series, however, some Australian retailers including Big W and JB Hi-Fi display a warning message about the battery-cell product of the product, saying batteries are harmful to children if swallowed.

AirTags currently cannot be purchased at an online store for Australian retailer Big W, although it remains unclear whether this is because the devices have been removed from sale, or simply because they have just expired.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been campaigning for safety and awareness of battery cell batteries for several years.

In a statement, ACCC spokesman said, “ACCC is aware of reports that raise concerns about the availability of button batteries in the Apple AirTag product.

"If a supplier finds that the product they are offering is unsafe, the ACCC expects the supplier to voluntarily make a reminder to advise consumers about the risk, address the issue of safety, or remove the product from the market," a spokesman for the organization said.

What is Apple AirTags?

Apple AirTag is a wireless tracking device whose location can be viewed on Mac and iOS devices with the Find My app. Small and round, designed to slip in a purse or purse, or attached to keys and other items by inserting the phone into an AirTag-ready keyring (purchased separately).