“There are no software updates that Apple can release that will make a physically modified AirTag start to make noise again, and the other included safety features are still dependent on victims not only having an up-to-date smartphone but also being technically savvy enough to download and use the necessary apps to find rogue AirTags nearby.”
The beep was Apple’s main answer to stalking. An Etsy seller killed it with a small hole under the battery and sold the result. Every other safeguard assumes the victim owns a current phone and knows which app to install. Apple built a cheap, quarter-sized tracker and pushed the safety work onto the people being tracked.