AirTags Separated From Owners for Three Days or More Play Audible Sound When Moved

[MacRumors]

Apple's AirTag item trackers let you track things like your keys, wallet, purse, backpack, or luggage, and if an AirTag is separated from its owner and out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network can help track it down, thanks to its U1 Wideband chip.

According to Apple, an AirTag that isn't with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved, to alert anyone nearby so that it can be found, even without an iOS device.

Apple's documentation doesn't elaborate on what constitutes "an extended period of time," so Daring Fireball's John Gruber asked his sources at Apple for a more exact definition. They informed him that the timeout period is currently three days, but hinted that this could change in future:

I talked to folks from Apple today about some of this. The timeout period for when an AirTag will play a sound if separated from its owner is currently three days — but that's not baked into the AirTags themselves. It's a server-side setting in the Find My network, so Apple can adjust it if real-world use suggests that three days is too long or too short.

If someone finds an AirTag after hearing it make a sound, they can use any device that has NFC, such as an iPhone or Android phone, to see if its owner marked it as lost and help return it.

AirTags‌‌ start at $29 each or $99 for a four-pack. Online orders open this Friday, April 23, with ‌‌AirTags‌‌ shipping April 30.

Article Link: AirTags Separated From Owners for Three Days or More Play Audible Sound When Moved

 

[Serban55]

Thats nice, some of Apples magic
No wonder Tile is angry

 

[wanha]

They should call this feature "iSeparation Anxiety"

 

[_Spinn_]

Three days seems reasonable to start with. Probably a good thing that it is configurable server-side.

So if I’m understanding this correctly, this means that if I go on vacation for a week and leave my work bag at home with an AirTag it won’t start making noise unless it is moved?

Also what does moved mean? Does it have a motion sensor so it can tell if it has been picked up (probably not) or does moves mean taken to a different location?

Edit: The three day timeout is probably good for people that want to tag their luggage. It wouldn’t be good to have bags beeping in the plane’s cargo hold after only a few hours 🤣

 

[matrix07]

Also what does moved mean? Does it have a motion sensor so it can tell if it has been picked up

It has accelerometer.

 

[rdy0329]

In the previous thread about disabling AirTags, I think if one is to hide the AirTags properly on a valuable they have at least 3 days of being able to track down the missing item before it beeps/send notif and the thief gets wind of it.

 

[Smartwatchlover]

We definitely need to better understand this feature: if I hide an AirTag inside my car and then I'm flying somewhere for a week, I don't want it to play any sound

 

[EmotionalSnow]

We definitely need to better understand this feature: if I hide an AirTag inside my car and then I'm flying somewhere for a week, I don't want it to play any sound

If it doesn't move it doesn't make a sound. That's what the article says.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

so Apple can adjust it if real-world use suggests that three days is too long or too short.

yeah, right... why not let the user adjust it? If you put something in your car that thing will start wasting its energy after 3 days when your wife takes the car...

Just because it's not with YOU doesn't mean it's lost... I really hope this is an optional feature...

@EmotionalSnow So what? There are a lot of scenarious in which an object might move legitimately without you moving it...

 

[Simiber]

We definitely need to better understand this feature: if I hide an AirTag inside my car and then I'm flying somewhere for a week, I don't want it to play any sound

Maybe theres a setting... Wait... Apple knows whats best! 3 days it is...

 

[nikaru]

You have to mark it as lost in Find My in order to make it play a sound I guess. Im still struggling to understand how this tags actually work. I think most people would want to use it to track stolen cars/bikes, rather than a keychain or purse which is what Apple is advertising it for. Track small children and preteens is also what many people are interested. If the air tag is not suitable for these use cases, Im really not that interested in this product. I havent lost a bag, keys or wallet in my 30 years lifetime.

 

[Sandstorm]

I have a feeling "privacy" of thieves is a more important "human right" to Apple than your property rights. :/

 

[NotTooLate]

I have a feeling "privacy" of thieves is a more important "human right" to Apple than your property rights. :/

Its a fine line , what if I put an airTag in YOUR bag ? wouldn't you want to know that I am tracking you ? In the extreme cases of theft and privacy , there will always be 2 sides for such trackers , the one in which you just want to track your dog or kid or your luggage , vs some 29$ mega anti theft device use case.
I will also say the following , in my country at least , you cannot just say to a police officer "my stuff were stolen , lets go and track it via GPS" , its just not how things go , you need to file a complaint in the police with whatever details you can and they go from there , usually doing nothing.
If , however , you (or anyone else) think you are going to track your car to a chopshop full of criminals and get your car out somehow , then , best of luck , but it seems ill advised to me.

 

[mymacrumorsname]

So, if sth. gets stolen and I need 4 days for preparation to get my stuff back and by accident the thief moves my airtags and they play an audible sound...There should be a setting to turn off such behavior.

 

[Sandstorm]

Its a fine line , what if I put an airTag in YOUR bag ? wouldn't you want to know that I am tracking you ? In the extreme cases of theft and privacy , there will always be 2 sides for such trackers , the one in which you just want to track your dog or kid or your luggage , vs some 29$ mega anti theft device use case.
I will also say the following , in my country at least , you cannot just say to a police officer "my stuff were stolen , lets go and track it via GPS" , its just not how things go , you need to file a complaint in the police with whatever details you can and they go from there , usually doing nothing.
If , however , you (or anyone else) think you are going to track your car to a chopshop full of criminals and get your car out somehow , then , best of luck , but it seems ill advised to me.

Of course, I understand this and agree, that there are no simple solutions. We still need to find out what are the precise time durations before audible alerts begin etc.
PS - obviously things differ everywhere, but I've seen plenty of examples locally and internationally where Police DO HELP when they can be provided with live tracking. After all, statistical percentage of unsolved cases is (should) be important to them.

 

[x-evil-x]

Anybody going to hide one of these in their car?

 

[Jana_CZ]

yeah, right... why not let the user adjust it? If you put something in your car that thing will start wasting its energy after 3 days when your wife takes the car...

Just because it's not with YOU doesn't mean it's lost... I really hope this is an optional feature...

@EmotionalSnow So what? There are a lot of scenarious in which an object might move legitimately without you moving it...

Yeah you’re not supposed to track the wife. That’s why it’s not an option.

 

[Pagemakers]

If you leave the airtag at the gym and somebody finds it and takes it with them then you go home and don’t report it as lost. When you open the find my app does it...

1. Show the tag at the gym
2. Show the tag with the person who has it
3. Not show the tag location at all

 

[Pimmp]

Anybody going to hide one of these in their car?

Was more into putting one in my boat actually. But it looks like I need to take ot for a spinn every 3rd day
Also lacking information about Family settings, kids backpacks etc

 

[polyphenol]

So, the Apple AirTamagotchi?

 

[flottenheimer]

I'd really prefer to be able to define/set this period myself.

If I am tracking down a stolen object that I attached a hidden AirTag to, I likely don't want to alert anyone, that the item is AirTagged/trackable.

 

[lars666]

If you leave the airtag at the gym and somebody finds it and takes it with them then you go home and don’t report it as lost. When you open the find my app does it...

1. Show the tag at the gym
2. Show the tag with the person who has it
3. Not show the tag location at all

It will show the tag location with the person who has it, of course. (Assuming that an iPhone is nearby.) Or do I understand something wrong here?

 

[Pagemakers]

It will show the tag location with the person who has it, of course. (Assuming that an iPhone is nearby.) Or do I understand something wrong here?

That what I was hoping but it’s not clear in any article I’ve read.

 

[jdavid_rp]

If you leave the airtag at the gym and somebody finds it and takes it with them then you go home and don’t report it as lost. When you open the find my app does it...

1. Show the tag at the gym
2. Show the tag with the person who has it
3. Not show the tag location at all

As I understood it will show the tag with the last location that an iDevice detected. So if the person has an iDevice close you will get an accurate location.
After 3 days if the tag keeps moving and you haven't connected in those 3 days to it it will start to beep.
If it doesn't move (they left it at their home) it will just keep sending its location with close iDevices.

And if a iDevice detects that an AirTag have been close to it for 3 days and its not linked to the iCloud account, it will show a message notifying you.

 

[SBlue1]

Anybody going to hide one of these in their car?

I was planing to hide one inside my bicycle and one inside my Vespa scooter. And since I would have two left one for the kids backpack and one for mine.