If your Apple Vision Pro gets stolen, Find My won't help you get it back

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Vision Pro

A support document published in the wake of the Apple Vision Pro release has made it clear that all you can do with Find My if you lose your headset is lock it down.

Don't lose your Apple Vision Pro
Don't lose your Apple Vision Pro



Presumably, Apple is relying on the sheer size of the headset and protective cast to insulate against loss. It's a good thing, because a support document published on Friday makes it clear that you won't be able to use your iPhone to find it.

"When you turn on Find My, you protect your Vision Pro with Activation Lock -- but you can't use another Apple device or the web to find Vision Pro on a map, play a sound to help find it, turn on Lost Mode, or remotely erase it," Apple says in the document.

It's likely an engineering choice. The headset itself doesn't have a battery. The battery is attached to the side of the headset with a removable plug, and when it's disconnected, there is no "grace period" to swap to a new battery -- it just shuts off.

If you do lose it, there's always Activation Lock. That is settable in Find My, the same way you'd lock any other device remotely in the case of loss.

Apple is also clear that users shouldn't take ownership of Apple Vision Pro if it's still protected by Activation Lock.

The giant Apple Vision Pro bag next to a normal-sized backpack
The giant Apple Vision Pro bag next to a normal-sized backpack



There's always an AirTag, though. And, there's far more than enough room inside the backpack-sized travel bag that Apple sells to fit one.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    nealc5nealc5 Posts: 44member
    How hard would it be for Apple to include all of the AirTag electronics, including a separate battery, into the Vision Pro? Seems like that could be squeezed in somewhere.
    retrogustodesignrAnilu_777byronlbeowulfschmidtgrandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    XedXed Posts: 2,575member
    It's likely an engineering choice. The headset itself doesn't have a battery.

    They still could've allowed it to send it's location when it is powered on.
    byronlwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 15
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,308member
    Sew an AirTag into the headband.

    Problem solved.
    rezwitsAnilu_777byronldanoxwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 15
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 814member
    nealc5 said:
    How hard would it be for Apple to include all of the AirTag electronics, including a separate battery, into the Vision Pro? Seems like that could be squeezed in somewhere.
    Vision Pro gen 2 upgrade feature built in AirTag.
    byronlgrandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,729member
    Well that’s stupid. 

    I can find any of my devices. But not this? 

    Lame. 
    designrgrandact73
  • Reply 6 of 15
    Anilu_777Anilu_777 Posts: 528member
    The first thing that needs changing for a Gen 2 is to add a small battery in the headset to enable you to swap external batteries without losing whatever you’re looking at such as a 3-hour movie. 
    dewmelesterkrimbaughwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    AfarstarAfarstar Posts: 42member
    Anilu_777 said:
    The first thing that needs changing for a Gen 2 is to add a small battery in the headset to enable you to swap external batteries without losing whatever you’re looking at such as a 3-hour movie. 
    It’s all about weight my dear. 
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,376member
    Afarstar said:
    Anilu_777 said:
    The first thing that needs changing for a Gen 2 is to add a small battery in the headset to enable you to swap external batteries without losing whatever you’re looking at such as a 3-hour movie. 
    It’s all about weight my dear. 
    If all they have to do is save state information and variables, I.e., not cache data, it’s possible that they could use a super capacitor that provides enough power to save enough state information to nonvolatile memory, like flash, to pick up where they left off. The supercap + flash technique is used in some industrial controllers in lieu of backup batteries because batteries are a maintenance issue for some applications. I imagine Apple considered this approach and maybe didn’t want top add more complexity, schedule risk, or even the weight of a supercap plus memory chip.

    If the VP’s power cable had a pluggable connection on the battery side it would be possible to use a y-connector so a second battery could be plugged in in-parallel before disconnecting the first one, or use two batteries in-parallel at the same time to increase the run time.
    lesterkrimbaughwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    lesterkrimbaughlesterkrimbaugh Posts: 55member
    This begs the question: Why didn't Apple include a tiny rechargeable battery in the VisionPro headset?

    When the main battery dies, or if you simply swap the main battery, the headset must be rebooted.

    Yes you can recharge the main battery while using the device but that may not be feasible when at a work site.

    A small rechargeable battery in the headset could maintain low power during a battery swap and power an AirTag.

    I see others have already proposed this for the next version.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,875member
    9secondkox2 said:
    Well that’s stupid. 

    I can find any of my devices. But not this? 

    Lame. 
    :wink: 
  • Reply 11 of 15
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 692member
    No built-in battery. No Find My.

    Get over it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,141member
    nealc5 said:
    How hard would it be for Apple to include all of the AirTag electronics, including a separate battery, into the Vision Pro? Seems like that could be squeezed in somewhere.

    My thoughts exactly!  This seems an awfully big miss on Apple's part.
    grandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,327moderator
    Appleish said:
    No built-in battery. No Find My.

    Get over it.
    Mac desktops don't have batteries, it should be able to track location as soon as it's plugged in using the Apple id logged in on the device.

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214043

    Even a few last known locations would be useful.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,311member
    I think you have to be pretty clueless to bring your Vision Pro out into public and around with you.  It's a small $3500 device and you could easily get mugged for it.  Especially these days!!!  You are just asking for it.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 15
    RespiteRespite Posts: 111member
    lesterkrimbaugh said:
    This begs the question: Why didn't Apple include a tiny rechargeable battery in the VisionPro headset?

    When the main battery dies, or if you simply swap the main battery, the headset must be rebooted.

    Yes you can recharge the main battery while using the device but that may not be feasible when at a work site.

    A small rechargeable battery in the headset could maintain low power during a battery swap and power an AirTag.

    I see others have already proposed this for the next version.
    You can recharge the main battery using another USB-C battery, and since you can get those from third parties in far larger capacities and/or smaller sizes than Apple's it'd make far more sense to invest in one of those than a replacement proprietary AVP battery pack.  And that way you can plug straight in, daisy chaining your batteries, no need to hot swap and reboot the AVP.
    watto_cobra
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