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So happy for Seamus and his family!!!

I wonder why Apple doesn't recommend using AirTags to track pets?

EDIT: I found the answer to my question «As for strapping an AirTag to a pet, Drance says, "If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the Find My network" so its location can be tracked.»
 
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Or how many AirBags saves lifes, compared to AirTags.
Well, just adulations, it’s what the majority of people in here want to hear, so they write about it.
There were probably news articles about airbags when they first came out. In 50 years it’ll be a law that you are required to wear an Apple Watch. /s
 
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My friends have 3 dogs and each one of them has an AirTag. I thought it was a little funny at first, but knowing their dogs and seeing this it now makes sense lol
 
And this is why both my cats have had AirTags since they launched, they come and go as they want so at least if something happens or they get stuck somewhere I at least have a chance to find them as there is a high chance of someone with an Apple device is going to be in range of the tag.

My cats have a regular collar with contact info as well as being chipped, the AirTag is just an extra piece of mind and the cats really don't care about it, they've taken a good amount of abuse since the tags launched but are still working great after a battery replacement.
 
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How close from another iphone an airtag has to be?

And what if I don't want Apple to use my gps (and thus drain my battery)?
 
Awesome! So glad he was saved bless him ❤️😀 I use Tractive on our dog, works well enough.
 
Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man..




or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

Because thats not what they are used for, or what Apple's AirTags are meant for. They are meant to find lost items, but stalking concerns means they are made to be rather terrible for tracking pets.

For instance, this person may very well have drilled out the speaker to not risk the scenarios where they will automatically play alert sounds - while attacked to a poor dog's neck.

There are indeed devices for this, GPS dog collars.


these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
You do realize you are on an Apple-specific news site and forums. There's going to be a certain amount of bias in which stories are run as a result.
 
Part of the reason Apple says not to use these on pets and kids is because of the EMF radiation they put out from Ultrawideband.
 
How close from another iphone an airtag has to be?
About 50 feet / 15m

And what if I don't want Apple to use my gps (and thus drain my battery)?
Turn off Find My. However, it is tit-for-tat participation using cryptographically anonymized devices, so you won't be able to find your own stuff either.

However, it typically is not using GPS, but rather a more approximate location (from prior GPS usage, from wifi network proximity, from cellular tower triangulation). It wouldn't really make sense to fire up radios to get a more precise location, as that phone location may still just tell you that there's an AirTag in a 25m radius.

As a result, Find My only shows an approximate location, especially the less dense wifi radios are in the area. Thats why you can also tell it to play a sound, or use UWB to get a more precise direction/distance.
 
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My point was if Apple PR manages it somehow.. and I have never seen it for any other brand except Tesla.
For Tesla it is nearly all Elon's twitter feed, the Tesla blog, and noise by Tesla fans. Tesla has no public or media relations people.

This is also a cause for some public-facing issues, since a journalist has no way to get a statement from Tesla about the latest controversy/crash.
 
Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man.. or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
Odd reaction to this story
 
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Apple's AirTag this week saved a dog that was swept away in California floodwaters, leading rescuers to his location. As reported by ABC7, one-year-old Australian shepherd Seamus fell into fast-moving storm drain after he got away from his owner during a walk.

seamus-the-dog-airtag.jpg

Seamus was swept into a flood control basin and quickly floated away from his owner, but he was eventually able to crawl out of an access tube. As Seamus had an AirTag on his collar, rescuers were able to locate his owners, and his owners were able to track his location.

The drainage network took Seamus approximately a mile away from where he started, and he was stuck at the bottom of the access tube. On its Facebook page, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said that both the Apple AirTag and the conventional ID tag "aided rescuers and owners in tracking the pup and reuniting them."

Apple created AirTags to track items, and the company does not recommend using them for tracking pets, children, or other living creatures because they require a nearby iPhone to be located and do not have their own built-in GPS tracking functionality. That has not stopped many pet owners from using AirTags on their animals, and there are a wide range of collars, harnesses, and other accessories for equipping a pet with an AirTag.

Article Link: AirTag Helps Rescuers Find Dog Lost in California Flood
Amazing! Wish I could retroactively put an AirTag on my stolen fixie (cycle)...
 
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It will be interesting to hear Apple’s response here. They like to pat themselves on the back when their devices save lives, but they’ve been discouraging the use of Airtags for tracking pets. So happy the pup is with its owners!
Some people are sharp as a marble, so that is for those. If you are rational person and understand the limitations and everything that goes with it then it is fine. I also have AirTag on my dog just in case.
 
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I believe it will be required by law a tracker for pets in future.
Some jurisdictions require dogs/cats be "chipped" with an NFC tag along with a license and many more do it automatically with pets adopted at shelters. The tag, when scanned, has an ID that can be used to lookup the owner's info. It's usually implanted in the scruff at the back of the dog/cat's neck. It's not a tracker, but at least makes it easier to ID a lost animal with no tags.

If you are 3D Print inclined, our pup is outfitted with one of these on her collar: https://www.printables.com/model/254459-airtag-case-for-backpack-camera-bag-strap-or-pet-c/comments

Part of the reason Apple says not to use these on pets and kids is because of the EMF radiation they put out from Ultrawideband.
They say that to negate any liability for someone using AirTags to stalk another person, and/or someone trying to sue them if they did put it on a pet/person and the product failed to perform to their expectations. The warning is setting the expectation that they make no claim toward the product being reliable enough for that. Someone might place one on a family member with dementia or Alzheimers as a way to help locate them if they got lost. If there was no clear expectation that the product was not designed for this, Apple could be sued in the event the FindMy network failed and there was a tragic outcome.

If EM radiation was even remotely a concern, there would be warnings to not use AirTags in wallets or on keychains that go in pockets next to people's reproductive organs for hours a day. Not to mention iPhones and AirPods have UW radios too and have no such warning.
 
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AirTags are not perfect... but IMHO they have a good future. As long as Apple keeps listening to users about how to make it better (security issues, range, portability, etc).

I am really really looking forward to a second generation of AirTags!


P.S. -- the fact that the dog in this story was AirTagged.... shows that the Owner really cared for and loved his dog very much. 🐶
 
Cool, too bad the owner couldn't have just leashed their dog.

Yesterday the dog of someone else who doesn't use leashes decided to start running with me when I passed them.

Leash your dog and you wont need tech to solve your easily avoidable problem.
 
Some jurisdictions require dogs/cats be "chipped" with an NFC tag along with a license and many more do it automatically with pets adopted at shelters. The tag, when scanned, has an ID that can be used to lookup the owner's info. It's usually implanted in the scruff at the back of the dog/cat's neck. It's not a tracker, but at least makes it easier to ID a lost animal with no tags.


If you are 3D Print inclined, our pup is outfitted with one of these on her collar: https://www.printables.com/model/254459-airtag-case-for-backpack-camera-bag-strap-or-pet-c/comments


They say that to negate any liability for someone using AirTags to stalk another person, and/or someone trying to sue them if they did put it on a pet/person and the product failed to perform to their expectations. The warning is setting the expectation that they make no claim toward the product being reliable enough for that. Someone might place one on a family member with dementia or Alzheimers as a way to help locate them if they got lost. If there was no clear expectation that the product was not designed for this, Apple could be sued in the event the FindMy network failed and there was a tragic outcome.

If EM radiation was even remotely a concern, there would be warnings to not use AirTags in wallets or on keychains that go in pockets next to people's reproductive organs for hours a day. Not to mention iPhones and AirPods have UW radios too and have no such warning.
I know about chipping. It’s common in mostly developed countries. But NFC needs special equipment and it’s mostly for authorities. I meant trackers for everyone can help with lost pet.
 
Some people are sharp as a marble, so that is for those. If you are rational person and understand the limitations and everything that goes with it then it is fine. I also have AirTag on my dog just in case.
And I pray you never need to use the AirTag to find your beloved pup.
 
Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man.. or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
It’s because of Apple's best marketing strategy. Sure, Tiles existed long before AirTag but it wasn’t marketing correctly and didn’t gain much news.
 
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