AirTag Owners Bemoan Inability to Let Others Track Their Items Via Family Sharing

[KeithJenner]

Certainly would be a security issue. It'd allow you to avoid the security measures in place to prevent people tracking others without them knowing. Put one on the wife, set it to be "hers" so that her iPhone doesn't alert her when it's nearby, then Family Sharing it to you so that you can view the location.

How is that different to the current situation where I can view my wife’s location via her phone?

If someone can get hold of their partners phone to allow sharing of the airtag then they could just have easily done that for their phone or watch ages ago.

This is where the security comments don’t make sense to me. Family sharing already shared the location of your phone and other devices. If security is an issue for airtags then why is it ok for the other devices.

 

[seinman]

Certainly would be a security issue. It'd allow you to avoid the security measures in place to prevent people tracking others without them knowing. Put one on the wife, set it to be "hers" so that her iPhone doesn't alert her when it's nearby, then Family Sharing it to you so that you can view the location.

Yet we can share our PERSONAL location through Find My Friends with ANYONE, not just iCloud family members, and that's not a security concern. Uh huh, sure.

Apple said, thrillions times. it´s not a PERSON tracker!

Who's talking about tracking people? We're talking about multiple people tracking single objects. Pay attention.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Another example of people saying they want privacy and security but really don’t care. This is another Apple product that will be vilified in tech blogs yet sell in the millions to normal users. But aren’t ALL Apple products vilified in tech blogs?

Disney is doing it. If you go to the House of Mouse, you can get a 'Magic Band'. It uses a chip the manufacturer has removed all documentation on, and supposedly was created with the help of the infamous Cambridge Analytical, and has ties, supposedly, to a few defense contractors. (For the tin foil hat brigade)

It's amazing what we humans will do. I railed about privacy incursions, and have a HomePod, and soon, AirTags, and carry a cell phone with excellent tracking ability almost everywhere. But at some point, you either trust one company, or you just give it all up. We could all end up being tracked down to the inch, and will likely never know it.

Minority Report here we come (are?)...

People were losing it over the Nike+ Foot Pods, and the ability to track people with them. It was rudimentary tracking at best for that time, but it caused a lot of people to drop them. *shrug* How many RFID chips are in the average wallet?

And the Magic Band is apparently both passive, and active! It definitely was beaconing across the Happiest Place On Earth.

 

[citysnaps]

Another example of people saying they want privacy and security but really don’t care. This is another Apple product that will be vilified in tech blogs yet sell in the millions to normal users. But aren’t ALL Apple products vilified in tech blogs?

That little burst of power that comes through vilifying is the only way some people can feel good about themselves.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

How is that different to the current situation where I can view my wife’s location via her phone?

You can? I've tried, and can't seen to figure out a way that doesn't let her know I'm turning her into a Geo Cache item. Not that I'm really trying to track her, but just to show what's capable of being done. She is like the Will Smith character in 'Enemy of the State'. Not quite sure personal tracking and surveillance is possible, but...

 

[joewhite]

AirTags are only meant to be owned by one person, and it's not currently possible to share an AirTag's location with another family member using another Apple ID.

But so are the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods, all of which are visible to family members in Find My.

 

[JosephAW]

The solution will require a new iPhone 13 to share locations.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

The solution will require a new iPhone 13 to share locations.

No, the 13 has the beginnings of SkyNet. Ooo...

 

[Radeon85]

While their adding sharing support maybe they can update the pathetic watch app to support finding items as it can still only find people. What's the point of the series 6 having a U1 chip if we can't use it to find U1 AirTags

 

[Maconplasma]

Sorry but I have zero sympathy for the ones who bought these "sight unseen" and before they even hit the streets, but now are unhappy. Typical "I gotta have it, I gotta have it to be first on my block" mentality. That's why I wait it out a few weeks when a new Apple product comes out. Of course there will be a future software update (which is another reason why I don't buy a completely new product from Apple right away) to increase functionality but if people want it FIRST then they may not get everything they hoped for out of the box. That's on them. Oh well.

 

[RickDEGH]

I am one of those idiots that bought 5 of these in the heat of the pre order moment and now I can’t use either of them really cuz the damn affordable keychain Accessoire isn’t available until the end of June! 😅

😂 I bought mine yesterday and it’s still in my hip bag when I picked it up from the store. I’m not buying Apple’s 39€ case. Ordered one on Aliexpress

 

[HiVolt]

This is a solution looking for a problem.

Like was said earlier, a child can easily swallow the whole thing, just like any other brand tracker or object of similar size.

And give me a break, its a 3V battery. Even if a child manages to take it out, and sticks it in his/her mouth, the little tickle from 3V will make them spit it out, as a reflex action.

Perhaps they could have made the stainless backing screw into the casing, like a wrist watch back.

 

[jicon]

Is this the same with the 3rd party 'Find My' earphones/bikes etc? Biggest gripe I have with Apple is having an iPad used in the house without different profiles.. it's essentially one person's iPad that everyone else borrows.

A bit frustrating with the Home app as well... Only one iCloud account can set up devices, others can only operate the devices. To use AppleTV in the system, well the primary iCloud linked account first set up on the iPad better be the same individual linked to Home administration.

It just works... awkwardly.

 

[bilbo--baggins]

This is one of those things that is an obvious and ridiculous omission from day one that will no doubt be available as an big upgrade in the distant future.

or maybe not, like merging Apple ID.

 

[jclardy]

This should be a simple software fix, but I also am surprised that this isn't available already...after AirTags have sat in development for 2 years.

Since AirTags are already "shared" in a family so that when spouses/kids are together everyone doesn't get "stalker" pings, then it is only a matter of adding a "shared" setting to each tag. Then in the app you choose whether to share an AirTag with family or not.

 

[LeadingHeat]

What the f**k? Is this correctly described?

Someone else, as long as they’re in the same iCloud family.

 

[seinman]

Sorry but I have zero sympathy for the ones who bought these "sight unseen" and before they even hit the streets, but now are unhappy. Typical "I gotta have it, I gotta have it to be first on my block" mentality. That's why I wait it out a few weeks when a new Apple product comes out. Of course there will be a future software update (which is another reason why I don't buy a completely new product from Apple right away) to increase functionality but if people want it FIRST then they may not get everything they hoped for out of the box. That's on them. Oh well.

That's not what this is about. I bought AirTags knowing full well what the current limitations were. Most people on here did as well. That's not why we're spicy.

This is about the fact that it's a ****ing obvious feature that SHOULD have been in place regardless. It's not a privacy issue, because we can already share our personal location (via phone location, which is with us 99% of the time) with ANYONE. There's absolutely no reason this feature couldn't have been included from day one, unless they're planning on charging of that with a Pro version later on, which is why people are upset.

We're not angry at the AirTags for not supporting sharing. We're angry at Apple for dicking us around regarding it.

 

[xander49x]

I love how people just assumed that apple airtag would work like they wanted them to, apple never suggested that other people could track your airtag, so for all that said it’s a no brainer then try using common sense next time. I for one do not want anyone else tracking my items, remember Apple is all about privacy.

 

[seinman]

I love how people just assumed that apple airtag would work like they wanted them to, apple never suggested that other people could track your airtag, so for all that said it’s a no brainer then try using common sense next time. I for one do not want anyone else tracking my items, remember Apple is all about privacy.

Read my post directly above yours. You're misunderstanding the argument entirely.

If you don't want anyone tracking your items, that's fine. Then don't enable that option. That doesn't change the fact that it should have been an option from the very start.

 

[ersan191]

It doesn’t work with find my iPhone on the web either, so if someone steals your keys and phone you’re kind of SOL on locating your airtag until you have access to another Apple device that you can completely log into iCloud on (not just borrow).

I’m even more annoyed that I can’t ping my devices with Siri on anything other than an iPhone/iPad. Doesn’t work on Watch, Apple TV, or HomePod.

This seems like stuff they should have thought of before release. I’m sure it will get better with time, though.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Would like this for my new airtags as well.

(What I would like better is for Apple to take their Vontact app out of demo mode stasis. I’ve been hoping for family sharing of the individual cards and directories in contact app since about 100 years.

having checkboxes to designate a readable or editable contact card by family member would be good. Suggested edit notifications from those without authorization (also those with), and update notifications to all would be a great time saver and family organizer.)

 

[sirozha]

It only makes sense. Apple Card (credit) was released without being able to have a family account first. We still can't have iCloud Photo library to be shared among family members. Reminders can't be shared among family members (even though Calendar can be - strangely enough). We can't have shared iCloud storage among family members (you can only share a folder - thank goodness - we can share folders now but only in Big Sur - not in Catalina).

Apple is a company of metrosexuals. Most of Apple decision makers are single adults who have their own finances (not shared with their significant others), their own dogs, their own file storage, their own photo library, etc. They cannot understand why we are clamoring for sharing. They don't realize that there are other people who live outside of coastal California that still carry out traditional lifestyles in which they are married, living together, and sharing finances and photos.

 

[1258186]

Is this to stop a husband following his wife’s every movement by tracking the tag on her keys? If so it makes perfect sense to me and is actually a good move.

 

[Maconplasma]

Read my post directly above yours. You're misunderstanding the argument entirely.

If you don't want anyone tracking your items, that's fine. Then don't enable that option. That doesn't change the fact that it should have been an option from the very start.

No it's you that doesn't get it. The article title along with those twitter posts are saying that people did not know they couldn't family share. That explains 100% that they did not do their homework before being first on the block with their new toy. "

"AirTag Owners Bemoan Inability to Let Others Track Their Items Via Family Sharing"​

There would be no reason for these first time buyers to "bemoan inability" if they already knew what they were buying in the first place, so you're completely off in your defense.

 

[genovelle]

Put my AirTag in my significant other's jacket (with consent) last Sunday. We're not living together and she's been out running errands a couple times. She hasn't gotten the "you're being tracked" notification yet after 2 days. Even though I can sometimes see the AirTag at different locations during her errands and evening walks.

What version of IOS are they running?