For those who don't know what "Lost Mode" means, which is everyone on Earth, I will explain it. Lost Mode does not change the behavior of the AirTag, it changes the behaviour of Apple's Find My servers. If you tell Apple's Find My servers that you want to put an item into "Lost Mode", what that will do is tell Apple's Find My servers that you are authorizing anyone who finds your lost device to be able to see your contact information on their screen so that the finder can call you to say that they found your item.
It's really a badly named feature. It should be called "Mutual Contact Mode." Because it tells the finder who the owner is, and it suggests to the finder that they call you. If you don't put the item into Lost Mode, you can still see the item in your Find My App, but you won't be able to receive a text or a phone call from anyone who finds it.
So will an Air Tag ping iOS devices near it anonymously without alerting the owners if those iOS devices, unless you enable Lost Mode? So you can still track your lost thing anonymously?
You just asked me if AirTags behave differently if you enable "lost mode." But I just told you that "Lost Mode" does not change the behaviour of AirTags. So the answer is no, as I said.
The term "Lost Mode" is a misnomer because it makes you think that the AirTag behaves differently. It does not.
Basically an AirTag asks every iOS device around it to report its location to the FindMy servers. And the AirTags have memory so they probably won't ask the same device twice in a short period of time, whatever that is defined to be by Apple. I'd like to know the details, but I can't find them.
Ok let me rephrase it. if you lose an Air Tag, and you want to find it with the Find Amy app, you go in the app and select to find it right, now that will make the Air Tag ping its location out to any iOS devices near by. Simple right?
But...
Do these iOS users know an Air Tag is lost nearby as their iOS device tells them by default? As in without you telling it to. Does it ping its location out completely anonymously?
And then it only shouts it’s lost to people nearby if you tell it to do that.
This is what I am not clear on, the idea is good but if the thing automatically starts broadcasting it’s lost to anyone nearby it’s a complete waste, as it’s basically shouting steal me I’m lost, or rather the thing it’s attached to.
There is no “pinging”. The AirTags do not receive a signal from the Find My service, they have no internet connection. Everything happens via the network of iOS devices and Macs; they send their location and all the AirTags they can detect to Apple, and Apple can send back information about whether they are lost. The AirTag gets the message relayed to it and enters lost mode, which means devices with NFC can be held close to it and can read the contact details. The owner of the device is not notified that there is a lost thing nearby, there’s no “broadcasting”.
AirTags are not really an anti-theft device, they’re a device for finding things you’ve lost, and helping other people to help you.
The more confusion I see around how AirTags work the more I suspect that AirTags are going to be a tough sell for Apple.
I’m also starting to think that Apple may have overestimated the demand for this type of product. I’m struggling to figure out what I’d attach one of these tags to. When I travel I never let my bags out of my sight. I’ve had my bags “lost” by the airlines, but having a tag on my bag would not have made a difference in any of these cases. The airlines knew where my bags were, which were thousands of miles from where I was.
I wonder what demographic Apple is targeting with AirTags?
Probably the most domestic of scenarios. I'd drop one in my wife's bag 'cause she's always looking for it just when we need to leave the house. I'd add them onto a couple of keychains for the same reason.
I don't think it realistically will address any of the lofty use cases that Apple thinks will be addressed - but I wouldn't dismiss it outright.
sounds like it wont be useful for tracking thefts as i think they said it alerts an iphone carrier of an unknown tag
shame i wanted to put one in my car
Plus the website says the batteries are easily replaceable, meaning anyone who finds it can remove the batteries and it's game over.
Don't know about yours, but most cars are pretty big. Plenty of places to hide an AirTag.
Failure would rely on: Car thief having an iOS device Car thief knowing what AirTags are Car thief managing to find the AirTag in your car (while making their getaway)
And if they do all that then taking the battery out would seem to be an inferior solution to just throwing it out the window.
I wonder if Apple record the id of any devices that were alerted to the presence of the AirTag, in case the AirTag is later reported as stolen. That would seem to be a good idea, though probably brushing up against privacy concerns.
sounds like it wont be useful for tracking thefts as i think they said it alerts an iphone carrier of an unknown tag
shame i wanted to put one in my car
I was ready to head all in with the AirTags for the exact same reason. Knowing that any iPhone out there would relay back its location without having to install any app (like Tile) was no-brainer for me.
Stalkers abusing this is a valid concern. I'm hoping to see what the real-world issues are when it comes out. I live in San Francisco and garage break-in's are common here. AirTags would be perfect for tagging some of my high-priced items in case of theft. To think that a stranger's iPhone would get a prompt of an unknown AirTag would seem to me like message overkill has me thinking there's a practical solution to prevent stalking, yet give victims of theft a useful and accurate location for the police.
Well, Tile has been around for some time now so shouldn’t we already know of any real-world issues like you describe?
The more confusion I see around how AirTags work the more I suspect that AirTags are going to be a tough sell for Apple.
I’m also starting to think that Apple may have overestimated the demand for this type of product. I’m struggling to figure out what I’d attach one of these tags to. When I travel I never let my bags out of my sight. I’ve had my bags “lost” by the airlines, but having a tag on my bag would not have made a difference in any of these cases. The airlines knew where my bags were, which were thousands of miles from where I was.
I wonder what demographic Apple is targeting with AirTags?
Probably the most domestic of scenarios. I'd drop one in my wife's bag 'cause she's always looking for it just when we need to leave the house. I'd add them onto a couple of keychains for the same reason.
I don't think it realistically will address any of the lofty use cases that Apple thinks will be addressed - but I wouldn't dismiss it outright.
I understand. I was originally excited about these from an anti-theft standpoint, putting them on tools, toolboxes, non Apple laptops, recreational equipment, etc. I’ve worked with RFID tags since the mid 80s and envisioned some interesting use cases for AirTags.
For now I’ll wait and see how they play out in the real world with regular consumers. They kind of feel like very niche product for Apple, unlike products like iPhone and iPad, so it’ll be interesting to see whether Apple can get a substantial segment of their huge iPhone/iPad customer base to bite on AirTags.
After all, Apple’s products are usually fun, aspirational, trendy, fashionable, and outwardly signaling in nature, as in “I’m cool because I have an Apple gadget” rather than only being practical, low key, and kind of hidden away when doing its job.
So the question is, how does Apple make AirTags “cool” with the cool kids? If they can pull that off, the sky’s the limit. Otherwise, niche is the word. I do think there are some social focused things Apple could do with AirTags, especially with tagged pets, that would improve their coolness factor.
For example, if a lost pet is found the finder would be directed to a cloud based "contact page" for the pet that would have a picture of the pet, its name, its owners name, contact information, and any other relevant information related to the pet that may be useful when the pet is found, like allergies, health issues like blindness, deafness, fear of being chased, whether the pet is chipped, etc. In addition to providing emergency information that needs to be acted on immediately this would gives the pet its own social media page and perhaps allows (certain) people to see where the pet is at any given moment, or just named locations rather than coordinates, e.g., "I'm at home with mom and dad" or "I'm at doggie day care with my furry friends."
Can I use it to track a stolen vehicle? Will it be able to locate? Does it require that there are iPhone users or wireless networks nearby to transmit the location?
Can I use it to track a stolen vehicle? Will it be able to locate? Does it require that there are iPhone users or wireless networks nearby to transmit the location?
In theory it would be an outstanding way to locate a stolen vehicle, as every iPhone owner who passed within range of your AirTag equipped stolen car would update the location over the "Find My" app. It would be Tile on steroids. You'd be able to tell the police exactly where to find your vehicle.
In practice, Apple will warn the thief within a short amount of time (perhaps 30 minutes to an hour, but not long) that he is in the vicinity of an AirTag that is tracking his location, assuming he has an iPhone of his own. That pretty much negates its utility as an anti-theft device, in my opinion.
Well, Tile has been around for some time now so shouldn’t we already know of any real-world issues like you describe?
There are a multitude of electronic gadgets you can buy to surreptitiously track a person. For $29 you can buy a GPS tracker from Amcrest and secure it under someone's car, then get location updates every 5 minutes via the cellular data network. Tile is no different; I do not doubt that Tile trackers have been used to stalk people.
The difference is that now Apple is the one marketing such a device. Abuses that the technology press would have shrugged about with any other manufacturer's products will now get giant screaming clickbait headlines of "APPLE AIRTAGS USED BY STALKERS!"
That, in my opinion, is why Tile shouldn't be complaining too much about AirTags. They have the opportunity to capture the anti-theft tracker market which Apple clearly wants to steer clear of. If Tile can gain access to the "Find My" network, then they will be able to sell the device that I want to buy.
Car thief having an iOS device Car thief knowing what AirTags are Car thief managing to find the AirTag in your car (while making their getaway)
And if they do all that then taking the battery out would seem to be an inferior solution to just throwing it out the window.
There's another factor: The victim being aware that the car has been stolen. It could be hours before he or she realizes that, at which point the thief could long since have learned he was being tracked, and removed the AirTag. In fact, a smart thief would place the AirTag in someone else's vehicle, or leave it in a bus or taxi, thereby leading the owner and police on a wild goose chase.
I'm not clear if AirTags can be connected to a geolocation alert. Anyone know if that will be possible? IOW, I get a notification if my AirTag goes beyond a certain distance from a specified location?
Edit: Apple's web site says "Devices that relay the location of your AirTag also stay anonymous, and that location data is encrypted every step of the way. So not even Apple knows the location of your AirTag or the identity of the device that helps find it." I guess everything I wrote was wrong!
I just want to adhere one of these to my AirPod Pro case since the “find my AirPods” is completely worthless now. But no idea on how big they are and if that’s possible.
One day I woke up and couldn’t find my AirPods Pro and was freaking out when Find My app said the last location was Walmart parking lot. I jammed over there to where I was parked, looked everywhere, went in the store and asked the staff if they’d found it. No luck. Got home and was moving some clothes around and it was in my pants pocket in my bedroom FFS.
Interesting the precision tracking feature requires iPhone 11 or newer. Guess that's an understandable technology limitation. My wife will be disappointed her new iPhone SE won't work for that.
I'll be getting a 4 pack; two of which are going on each of my dog's collars. Not sure yet - anyone say anything about the Find My app having geotagging? Can I be alerted if airbags stray from a given location?
Edit: and the lack of a required subscription for this is a very welcome feature.
I noticed that Apple doesn’t mention pet tracking.. liability thing or what? I’ve been wanting something like this for my cats.
Don't know about yours, but most cars are pretty big. Plenty of places to hide an AirTag.
***
I wonder if Apple record the id of any devices that were alerted to the presence of the AirTag, in case the AirTag is later reported as stolen. That would seem to be a good idea, though probably brushing up against privacy concerns.
This is a really good point about how hard it would be for the thief to locate and disable the AirTag...unless it starts beeping at them. Even then there is a pretty good chance the the thief will discard the car/item and flee rather than taking the time to locate and disable the AirTag.
Apple is 99% going to have a record what device is pinged and where that device was. I suppose they could not record what device sent the AirTag location, but I doubt it. As I think more about the question, though, you may be right. It would be pretty shocking if a stolen or lost AirTag suddenly recorded the location of every person walking around with an iDevice. Of course, the cell companies are already doing that so maybe it is just more of what is already happening. Edit: Apple's web site says, "Devices that relay the location of your AirTag also stay anonymous, and that location data is encrypted every step of the way. So not even Apple knows the location of your AirTag or the identity of the device that helps find it."
I'm still not understanding some of the location-finding features.
Apple's web site says "AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking. If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s traveling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there. Of course, if you happen to be with a friend who has an AirTag, or on a train with a whole bunch of people with AirTag, don’t worry. These alerts are triggered only when an AirTag is separated from its owner."
So if I leave my keys with a valet, my wallet in the gym locker, my bag in the house when I go to work, the AirTag with that item is going to start sending alerts and start beeping? My gym locker is going to beep while I work out? The valet stand is going to be beeping? My wife is going to listen to my 4 AirTags beeping up a storm because I went on a business trip and didn't take the item with me? All of those AirTags are going to be "separated from its owner." I cannot imagine an item that is literally with me all the time even though a few items come close. Something is really odd about this picture.
Comments
AirTags are not really an anti-theft device, they’re a device for finding things you’ve lost, and helping other people to help you.
EDIT: Corrected some inaccuracies after seeing this thread: https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/221281
I'd add them onto a couple of keychains for the same reason.
I don't think it realistically will address any of the lofty use cases that Apple thinks will be addressed - but I wouldn't dismiss it outright.
Failure would rely on:
Car thief having an iOS device
Car thief knowing what AirTags are
Car thief managing to find the AirTag in your car (while making their getaway)
And if they do all that then taking the battery out would seem to be an inferior solution to just throwing it out the window.
I wonder if Apple record the id of any devices that were alerted to the presence of the AirTag, in case the AirTag is later reported as stolen. That would seem to be a good idea, though probably brushing up against privacy concerns.
Tile has been working well for me for years.
My normal use is to find lost keys or wallet - 99 times out of 100 they are in the house somewhere, i just need to "ring" them
In practice, Apple will warn the thief within a short amount of time (perhaps 30 minutes to an hour, but not long) that he is in the vicinity of an AirTag that is tracking his location, assuming he has an iPhone of his own. That pretty much negates its utility as an anti-theft device, in my opinion.
The difference is that now Apple is the one marketing such a device. Abuses that the technology press would have shrugged about with any other manufacturer's products will now get giant screaming clickbait headlines of "APPLE AIRTAGS USED BY STALKERS!"
That, in my opinion, is why Tile shouldn't be complaining too much about AirTags. They have the opportunity to capture the anti-theft tracker market which Apple clearly wants to steer clear of. If Tile can gain access to the "Find My" network, then they will be able to sell the device that I want to buy.
There's another factor: The victim being aware that the car has been stolen. It could be hours before he or she realizes that, at which point the thief could long since have learned he was being tracked, and removed the AirTag. In fact, a smart thief would place the AirTag in someone else's vehicle, or leave it in a bus or taxi, thereby leading the owner and police on a wild goose chase.
Apple is 99% going to have a record what device is pinged and where that device was. I suppose they could not record what device sent the AirTag location, but I doubt it. As I think more about the question, though, you may be right. It would be pretty shocking if a stolen or lost AirTag suddenly recorded the location of every person walking around with an iDevice. Of course, the cell companies are already doing that so maybe it is just more of what is already happening. Edit: Apple's web site says, "Devices that relay the location of your AirTag also stay anonymous, and that location data is encrypted every step of the way. So not even Apple knows the location of your AirTag or the identity of the device that helps find it."
Apple's web site says "AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking. If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s traveling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there. Of course, if you happen to be with a friend who has an AirTag, or on a train with a whole bunch of people with AirTag, don’t worry. These alerts are triggered only when an AirTag is separated from its owner."
So if I leave my keys with a valet, my wallet in the gym locker, my bag in the house when I go to work, the AirTag with that item is going to start sending alerts and start beeping? My gym locker is going to beep while I work out? The valet stand is going to be beeping? My wife is going to listen to my 4 AirTags beeping up a storm because I went on a business trip and didn't take the item with me? All of those AirTags are going to be "separated from its owner." I cannot imagine an item that is literally with me all the time even though a few items come close. Something is really odd about this picture.