Apple's Find My has a hidden AirTag debug mode

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited May 2021
When looking for an AirTag, users can call up hidden developer information listing technical details about how tracking is working.

Find My has a hidden AirTag developer mode
Find My has a hidden AirTag developer mode


It's a curiosity rather than anything immediately useful to most users, but it's possible to get the Find My app to display much more information as it tracks an AirTag. Tapping on the item's name five or so times, at any point during tracking, or even after it's been found, will turn on a kind of developer mode.

First spotted by Reddit user "cyem," the hidden mode contains readily understandable information about bearing and pitch. There's also a great deal of detail that's less obvious, plus the ability to alter seven settings.

Left: two shots showing the regular way to find an AirTag. Right: the same way but with the hidden mode on
Left: two shots showing the regular way to find an AirTag. Right: the same way but with the hidden mode on


It's not advisable to use the sliders to alter those without knowing what they are, though. This hidden mode persists, it stays on whenever you use Find My to track an AirTag, until you switch it off. So it's likely that changed settings will stay changed.

To switch off this hidden mode, tap on the item name another five or so times and it disappears.

Note that while this is a feature of the Find My app, it is specific to AirTags. There's seemingly no equivalent for any other devices being tracked by the app.




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cornchip

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,954member

    It's not advisable to use the sliders to alter those without knowing what they are, though..


    I guess an article detailing what they are is forthcoming?

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 5
    mushmashmushmash Posts: 24member
    Guesstimating the sliders are for manual calibration.

    Also I can smell someone getting yelled at in Cupertino.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 5
    mushmash said:
    Guesstimating the sliders are for manual calibration.

    Also I can smell someone getting yelled at in Cupertino.
    This will be disappearing in ... 5, 4, 3 ...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 5
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,705member
    If Apple uses 5 taps as a debug indicator, I guess others may too. I'm going to have to try 5-tapping on every app I have.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 5
    sunman42sunman42 Posts: 290member
    cornchip said:

    It's not advisable to use the sliders to alter those without knowing what they are, though..


    I guess an article detailing what they are is forthcoming?

    It goes to 11?
    watto_cobra
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