Apple Enhancing AirTags Anti-Stalking Measures With Android App and Shorter Sound Intervals

[mikethemartian]

Couldn’t a stalker just put the AirTag in case made of Sorbothane?

 

[verdi1987]

Do you know what is a serious concern of suburban moms? Child kidnapping. If you poll then they things it’s huge. But it’s insanely rare for a child to be kidnapped by a stranger and these tragedies have been falling for years. So...what people fear is no basis for decision making. What is the realistic likelihood should be the basis.

There is an Adam Ruins Everything episode on this topic. Child-napping is rare, and there isn't a single substantiated case of adulterated Halloween candy even though dire warnings are given each Halloween.

 

[goobot]

Imo this isn't a good move, for some stalker 8 hours is more than enough, but for a regular user 8 hours is abysmal since people could leave their tags at home or something easily for 8 hours.

This reminds me when everyone was freaking out about vaping and Apple removed a bunch of vape verification apps from the App Store as a knee jerk reaction. Turns out it was fake vapes from China killing people and Apple removed a way to allow people to know they were safe, so basically Apple‘s virtue signaling only made the problem worse.

 

[manu chao]

This is where over the air updates, post purchase becomes a strange and complicated issue. I don't remember clicking a button that said Apple could reduce the capability of the devices I ordered after I paid for it... Yet are we are - paid for air-tags that now Apple has made less appealing because I have to worry about them beeping, or if I leave my computer bag in my friend's car while at the lake they'll now be notified that I was trying to stalk them or something after 8 hours.

Apple never promised your that three-day window. All official Apple statements only ever talked about that there will anti-stalking measures after a limited time of separation. I don’t remember whether it was an official statement but it was known that Apple is able to change that time period (and reserves itself the right to change it).

So, if you followed the official line, that time period was unknown. And if you followed the unofficial line, you knew that Apple can change that duration and also was still evaluating things. So, you cannot say you didn’t know, only that you might not have researched every aspect in detail.

And also what too many people keep overlooking, that time limit only applies if the tracker is also moved (after being separated from you for that time period).

 

[manu chao]

Imo this isn't a good move, for some stalker 8 hours is more than enough, but for a regular user 8 hours is abysmal since people could leave their tags at home or something easily for 8 hours.

Why do so many people keep forgetting the part where the tracker also needs to be moved in addition to being left alone?

 

[deebinem]

I'd guess victims of any crime would say that crime is a problem, but that doesn't mean they're correct.

I don't follow. To them, it is a problem even if it isn't for you. Does that make it less valid?

I see your point in that overall stats might lean towards a lower percentage of that crime for an area but that doesn't lessen their experience.

 

[manu chao]

So what's the point of AirTags if all a thief has to do is open up his Find My app and see if there are any hidden AirTags on my laptop that he just stole? And if he forgets to check before running off with my stuff, my AirTag will alert him in 8 hours now instead of give me 3 days to find him and get my stuff back. I thought the whole point was to help me track my stuff, not help everyone else stop me from tracking my stuff.

The point is to help you find stuff that you have merely misplaced or lost. If that is not enough functionality for you, you don’t have to buy it.

 

[hot-gril]

Sure, but then you're talking about a serious edge case. Also have you heard the noise an AirTag makes? You can barely hear it in your house, let alone on a subway car or in public.

It's not an edge case in a subway car full of people. Same way a car alarm shouldn't be going off for no reason, but among hundreds, it always does. But if it's quiet enough that I don't hear it, I don't care.

 

[tothsa]

Randomising the measures is a great step. You can minimise disturbance to regular users, while keeping crooks nervous about being exposed at any moment.

It is easy to disable the loudspeaker just Google it, so there is not much point to this.

 

[skoor101]

Can you take out the speaker if you open it up ?

Edit: not that i am going to try just curious for security purposes.

You could, but if you just put a piece of tape over the speaker it greatly attenuates the sound. In fact, it anything touches the speaker the volume is much lower.

I have one hidden in my car, so it it become a problem (shared garage), its sound will be so low to anyone outside, I don't think they will hear it. That will be my first approach, if still to loud, out comes the speaker. That will work until Apple detects the speaker is not working by aFW update and disables tag. Or nags you for ever. LOL

 

[poematik13]

Nobody is forcing you to buy one.

Apple defintiely wants me to buy one, but I won't

 

[Michael Scrip]

Your stalker already knows every move you make. They were stalking you before AirTags.

 

[deebinem]

Apple defintiely wants me to buy one, but I won't

Ugh, you got that flyer on your windshield too?

 

[manu chao]

These are far more complex, with limited battery life, with subscription plans, and generally more expensive.

Most stalkers will be happy enough with a two-week stalking period and are usually motivated enough to spend a bit more money. What is different is that their manufacturers normally don’t have to worry about bad press because they are too small a target for the public to get riled up about and don’t have such a large other business that could suffer from bad press.

 

[Khedron]

So Apple has reinvented the everything’s ok alarm. It beeps continuously to indicate there is no stalking problem. Battery life is quite short though.

 

[andiwm2003]

You have a deep misunderstanding of the topic. Tags at rest aren’t going to react. Your scenario will never happen.

So the tags know if they are moved or not. Then there won't be an issue in my house, only if i give my camera or the second key to my GF.

In that case she would have to take the tags off, defeating the purpose somewhat.
Also, (not a big issue!) but when I go hiking/climbing I usually put my phone in airplane mode. The tags then might go off if we're out longer than 8 hrs.

 

[Putzytart]

The only android owners who will download this app will be people who intend on stealing things that might be fitted with an airtag. No way is your average android owner going to download an apple app just in case they might get airtag stalked.

 

[manu chao]

This confuses me. I use currently a number of Tile's. I have them on my secondary car key and other valuable items I use only once in a while (e.g. cameras and such).
If I switch to using airtags then these would start going off randomly in the middle of the night or during the day when my phone is off or not at home? I mean I have 6 of them in my apartment so that's a lot of noise over nothing.

The trigger is x hours of separation from your other devices AND movement of the tracker after that. Unless you sleep in a moving vehicle, you don’t have to worry.

 

[alexandr]

i love how everyone is stating the obvious — that apple didn't market this as an anti-theft device. who cares? apple didn't market it as an anti-stalking device either, but they are taking all these measures and i think they could also consider making these as anti-theft as possible, because we often lose our things, but not always through the fault of our own.

in possibly related news, yesterday my phone informed that it had found an airtag that was traveling with me. it was my airtag... anybody else get this?..

 

[alexandr]

The only android owners who will download this app will be people who intend on stealing things that might be fitted with an airtag. No way is your average android owner going to download an apple app just in case they might get airtag stalked.

did you consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe they may want to buy some airtags and use them despite having an android phone?..

 

[SigEp265]

You could, but if you just put a piece of tape over the speaker it greatly attenuates the sound. In fact, it anything touches the speaker the volume is much lower.

I have one hidden in my car, so it it become a problem (shared garage), its sound will be so low to anyone outside, I don't think they will hear it. That will be my first approach, if still to loud, out comes the speaker. That will work until Apple detects the speaker is not working by aFW update and disables tag. Or nags you for ever. LOL

Yeah I did notice my Tiles are a LOT louder than the AirTag. Kind of disappointed in the aspect.

 

[manu chao]

But that being said, there needs to be a away for airtags to have more that one owner. If I give my keys to my wife and she goes off to work, she needs to be able to be a co-owner.

If you both are part of an AppleID ‘family’, the other family members have the option to disable that audible warning permanently.

 

[FindingAvalon]

These anti stalking measure changes are silly. 8 hours? I leave for the day to work and I’m going to get airtags randomly playing sounds at my house because I’m gone. It was just fine how it was.

As far as the android app, that is great.

That’s not how it works. It knows where your house is and thus doesn’t give a separation alert.

 

[skoor101]

I am just waiting for the first news article to report an airtag'ed loaned article making a very public nucance of itself and the person with the borrowed device having no idea what is going on or what to do with it. Bright spot, one more reason to not loan your stuff?

 

[FindingAvalon]

8 hours minimum really puts the crimp on people using these as pet trackers, as they will go off for a lot of people who leave them on the collar of their pets as they work a normal day shift at many jobs.

My understanding is that apple doesn't want these used on pets anyway, so that probably wasn't part of the considerations of the recent changes to the duration of the anti-tracking sounds.

It knows your home address.