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

[meister_209]

i would like apple to improve the audio with a sound update for their air tags and make it bi-direction improving the
bluetooth range like that of the tile tracker without having to use the find my app to locate items while endangering
your safety indoor and outdoor which is pricele$$ and cannot be replaced! Stay Safe!

 

[rivertrip]

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 can remove the speaker magnet.

 

[insomniac86]

Is stalking really that big of a problem that Apple needs to make these changes?

It isn’t. Just a lot of snow flakes. A stalker is gonna buy a cheap GPS 3G device and still do their thing.

 

[insomniac86]

Would love to see how many times I am alerted on a subway train car surrounded by apple fanboys.

Unlikely as they are probably with their AirTag.

 

[nikaru]

It makes a lot of sense from Apple's perspective.

The airtag has serial number, that is linked to an Apple ID and an iPhone where it was initially set up which has IMEI number, and SIM card with phone number. It is perfectly possible to seek accountability for any illicit use of the airtag and identify the person using the airtag to track someone.

 

[nikaru]

Things that apple users want to use Airtag for, since it is perfect solution for these use cases:
- track your lost pet (millions of pets get lost every year in the world and many are never recovered),
- track your kid at school and outside school and potentially avoid kidnappings, monitor that a minor stays at school or wherever location it has to be at a given moment (tens of thousands of kids go missing every year and many are never found),
- track your car in case if it gets stolen and being able to recover it within hours (a generalized use of Airtags could lead to a major drop in car theft crimes globally) which would also help reduce pressure on police since normally thieves leave stolen cars on a public locations for several days before dissembling and selling the parts,
- track your luggage at the airport and being able to locate it if it ends up being lost and send to another flight (this happens every day in every airport - this is so generalized that everyone know someone whose luggage was lost by an airline),
- track valuable parcels sent via postal service, as a new service which may reduce costs for insurance and give peace of mind to sender and recipient (e.g. transporting cars, expensive watchers, jewelry, important documentation, etc).

What apple wants you to use the Airtag for:
- find your misplaced keys next room, because you and your house are complete disaster.

 

[LaGuarpe]

So if I’m an Android user I have to download an Apple made app because Apple makes a thing that could cause a problem?

Yes.
In the same way an Apple user (or LG, Xiaomi, Motorola, OnePlus users) would have to download the Samsung app for the SmartTags.
(If and when they actually comes out with an app. As of now, the Samsung tracker only works with Galaxy devices, so you'd never know if you were tracked with a SmartTag...)

Or ANY smart-phone user having to download the Tile app...

 

[manu chao]

That’s not the same as the AirTag knowing it’s at home.

Your iPhone knows where home is. It just has to hand over those coordinates to the AirTag and then the AirTag knows where home is. Do I have to spell the rest out as well?

 

[manu chao]

Things that apple users want to use Airtag for, since it is perfect solution for these use cases:
- track your lost pet (millions of pets get lost every year in the world and many are never recovered),
- track your kid at school and outside school and potentially avoid kidnappings, monitor that a minor stays at school or wherever location it has to be at a given moment (tens of thousands of kids go missing every year and many are never found),
- track your car in case if it gets stolen and being able to recover it within hours (a generalized use of Airtags could lead to a major drop in car theft crimes globally) which would also help reduce pressure on police since normally thieves leave stolen cars on a public locations for several days before dissembling and selling the parts,
- track your luggage at the airport and being able to locate it if it ends up being lost and send to another flight (this happens every day in every airport - this is so generalized that everyone know someone whose luggage was lost by an airline),
- track valuable parcels sent via postal service, as a new service which may reduce costs for insurance and give peace of mind to sender and recipient (e.g. transporting cars, expensive watchers, jewelry, important documentation, etc).

What apple wants you to use the Airtag for:
- find your misplaced keys next room, because you and your house are complete disaster.

While AirTags can be used for pets, if they run off into nature, GPS trackers that use either cellular or other long-range radio are more reliable (but they require the changing of batteries every month or so).

Tracking Kids via smartwatches and phones has been a thing for a while now, but sure for younger kids that don’t have either, AirTags are a solution (but pet trackers work as well).

We’ve had a post in this thread reporting that a GPS/cellular tracker can be had for $140/yr (+$50 per tracker upfront). Given how much a car costs, if people cared enough, they could already easily track their stolen car. And that is before the tracking systems built into modern cars. You know what caused a significant drop in car thefts in the past? Immobiliser. Making it harder to steal the car in the first place is more effective than being able to track it. And AirTags can still be used quite effectively, if you hide the AirTag outside the passenger compartment, any beeping is unlikely to be noticed.

Tracking luggage works perfectly fine with AirTags. Apple had never indicated that it wouldn’t be a great use case for AirTags nor would the anti-stalking measures interfere with that in any way. Even with parcels, I highly doubt they would.

Apple doesn’t want to be in the business of tracking people without their knowledge. They also have not entered the general audio and video surveillance market. They also don’t market how great their devices are to consume porn. You might lament that but that is their choice.

 

[russell_314]

This is how people think nowadays. You can buy a cheap GPS tracker on Amazon that is may be a little bit larger than a AirTag but so much more effective at tracking someone. For example you can put one in their car that will constantly send you their location and doesn’t rely on a nearby iPhone. This is just going to make AirTags slightly annoying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.

 

[lordhamster]

I honestly think the "stalker" angle of the Airtags is WAY overblown. Apple introduced the idea of anti-stalking in their marketing for airtags, and some click-bait publications ran with it and amplified the issue. Not saying stalking doesn't happen, but I think 8 hours for the device to start beeping on its own is an overreaction.

If I was a motivated stalker, who happens to be in the apple ecosystem, I'd just buy an apple watch.

Amazon is selling the apple watch SE cellular 40mm for $279. Set it up with family sharing, take off the band, and you now have a cellular enabled "airtag" with more granular tracking that isn't much bigger or heavier than an airtag. It would be just as easy and unnoticeable to slip an apple watch (sans band) into someone's possession as it would be to use an airtag.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I honestly think the "stalker" angle of the Airtags is WAY overblown.

Amazon is selling the apple watch SE cellular 40mm for $279. Set it up with family sharing, take off the band, and you now have a cellular enabled "airtag" with more granular tracking that isn't much bigger or heavier than an airtag. It would be just as easy and unnoticeable to slip an apple watch (sans band) into someone's possession as it would be to use an airtag.

That's true.

But if you're close enough to someone to slip an Apple Watch in their bag... you already know where they are.

And most people typically have a regular schedule so you can find them again at home or work.

Unless we're talking about jet-setting Hollywood people... but you probably can't get close enough to them anyway.

I agree... this is all getting a little crazy...

 

[lordhamster]

That's true.

But if you're close enough to someone to slip an Apple Watch in their bag... you already know where they are.

And most people typically have a regular schedule so you can find them again at home or work.

Unless we're talking about jet-setting Hollywood people... but you probably can't get close enough to them anyway.

I agree... this is all getting a little crazy...

The same proximity problem is true of the airtags as well. Which is why I don't get the kerfuffle. If I can plant an airtag in a person's bag, I could just as easily just plain old-school follow them.

The only reason this is such a huge media-circus is because
a) Apple tried to pose for holy pictures with the anti-stalking marketing pitch
b) Because apple. Any other company releases this product and stalking will never come up. There are literally hundreds of dedicated trackers out there with much more capability that would be a better usecase for stalkers.

 

[lordhamster]

Tracking Kids via smartwatches and phones has been a thing for a while now, but sure for younger kids that don’t have either, AirTags are a solution (but pet trackers work as well).

Plus with the pet trackers, I could give the kids a little electro-shock "correction" when they don't do their math homework. 🤣

 

[citysnaps]

The airtag has serial number, that is linked to an Apple ID and an iPhone where it was initially set up which has IMEI number, and SIM card with phone number. It is perfectly possible to seek accountability for any illicit use of the airtag and identify the person using the airtag to track someone.

I believe Apple wants to be proactive, before a stalking occurs. Rather than reactive, after a potential crime has been committed, and then dealing with its adverse results.

 

[Khedron]

I believe Apple wants to be proactive, before a stalking occurs. Rather than reactive, after a potential crime has been committed, and then dealing with its adverse results.

If Apple cares so much about stalking why don't they send notifications to all nearby iOS devices when someone takes a photo with an iPhone so they can be aware of potential surveillance?

Why is the only time they're talking about stalking in the context of their new product they want to promote?

 

[manu chao]

If Apple cares so much about stalking why don't they send notifications to all nearby iOS devices when someone takes a photo with an iPhone so they can be aware of potential surveillance?

Why is the only time they're talking about stalking in the context of their new product they want to promote?

Apple has talked about privacy for many years and not in direct relationship to a particular product. And protection against stalking is another form of protecting your privacy in a particularly important manner.

And there is always a balance to be struck, your suggestion is simply not realistic. The measures announced for AirTags won’t preclude a decent number of uses (if it would preclude too many, very few people would buy the product). The point of surveillance is normally to not get noticed by whoever you are surveilling. That is difficult if you only have what amounts to a de facto wide angle and/or normal camera lens (and not real tele lenses).

 

[citysnaps]

If Apple cares so much about stalking why don't they send notifications to all nearby iOS devices when someone takes a photo with an iPhone so they can be aware of potential surveillance?

Why is the only time they're talking about stalking in the context of their new product they want to promote?

That would be silly.

 

[manu chao]

The same proximity problem is true of the airtags as well. Which is why I don't get the kerfuffle. If I can plant an airtag in a person's bag, I could just as easily just plain old-school follow them.

The only reason this is such a huge media-circus is because
a) Apple tried to pose for holy pictures with the anti-stalking marketing pitch
b) Because apple. Any other company releases this product and stalking will never come up. There are literally hundreds of dedicated trackers out there with much more capability that would be a better usecase for stalkers.

a) Apple tries to be more considerate to potential stalking victims than you think that group deserves to be.
b) No other company can corral about a billion devices to track things. Have you ever thought that Apple has to be very careful or the hundreds of millions of users of those devices who were opted in to help track things without being asked whether they want to, might feel a bit miffed about that?

Yes, Apple is concerned about its image (and some people might be offended if their position of not caring as much about stalking as a result looks somewhat cavalier). But Apple also shouldn’t rope it’s users into something not everybody might be comfortable with.

 

[manu chao]

If I was a motivated stalker, who happens to be in the apple ecosystem, I'd just buy an apple watch.

Amazon is selling the apple watch SE cellular 40mm for $279. Set it up with family sharing, take off the band, and you now have a cellular enabled "airtag" with more granular tracking that isn't much bigger or heavier than an airtag. It would be just as easy and unnoticeable to slip an apple watch (sans band) into someone's possession as it would be to use an airtag.

Well, you also have to convince your stalking victim to charge that ‘tracker’ they are not supposed to know about every day or two.

 

[knigma]

I’m very unhappy at the idea my AirTags may start beeping after only 8 hours. This may be highly intrusive and I presume will drain my battery. Apple need to reconsider.

Examples:

1. I leave my coat at home for the day, or in the office overnight, now my coat beeps which is weird and unnecessary.
2. I leave my suitcase in my hotel, now it beeps. Again weird and diminishing the value.
3. I have multiple AirTags on different items (presumably the whole idea of the 4-pack). I *don’t* carry all of my tagged items with me ever day and I’m regularly away for more than eight hours.

 

[knigma]

I honestly think the "stalker" angle of the Airtags is WAY overblown. Apple introduced the idea of anti-stalking in their marketing for airtags, and some click-bait publications ran with it and amplified the issue. Not saying stalking doesn't happen, but I think 8 hours for the device to start beeping on its own is an overreaction.

If I was a motivated stalker, who happens to be in the apple ecosystem, I'd just buy an apple watch.

Amazon is selling the apple watch SE cellular 40mm for $279. Set it up with family sharing, take off the band, and you now have a cellular enabled "airtag" with more granular tracking that isn't much bigger or heavier than an airtag. It would be just as easy and unnoticeable to slip an apple watch (sans band) into someone's possession as it would be to use an airtag.

Except that the battery would be flat within 48 hours…?

 

[Khedron]

That would be silly.

Why? If someone’s phone is repeatedly following your iPhone and taking photos in your proximity don’t you deserve a notification? And if required the police can approach Apple to turn that notification into an identity for prosecution.

Do Apple care about the issue or just about the marketing for its new product?

Apple already has a starting code base with COVID notifications so it would only take a day to make iOS devices completely unwelcome for stalkers.

 

[citysnaps]

Why? If someone’s phone is repeatedly following your iPhone and taking photos in your proximity don’t you deserve a notification? And if required the police can approach Apple to turn that notification into an identity for prosecution.

Do Apple care about the issue or just about the marketing for its new product?

Apple already has a starting code base with COVID notifications so it would only take a day to make iOS devices completely unwelcome for stalkers.

Does that happen often? Would be interesting to see that play out where there are huge crowds of people with phone cameras, say at Disneyland and other places.

In the end, AirTags are Apple's product and they get to make the rules. Don't like how they work and need to track another person? No worries, simply purchase a different product that allows you to do that. Easy.

 

[Khedron]

Apple has talked about privacy for many years and not in direct relationship to a particular product. And protection against stalking is another form of protecting your privacy in a particularly important manner.

And there is always a balance to be struck, your suggestion is simply not realistic. The measures announced for AirTags won’t preclude a decent number of uses (if it would preclude too many, very few people would buy the product). The point of surveillance is normally to not get noticed by whoever you are surveilling. That is difficult if you only have what amounts to a de facto wide angle and/or normal camera lens (and not real tele lenses).

What about more vulnerable people like children or blind people. Just their fault for not noticing someone following them?

The balance here seems way off. To me it seems that for a normal person who isn’t constantly losing stuff then the probability your AirTag will annoy you with false alarm is significantly greater than the probability that you lose something and the AirTag helps recover it. The convenience is negative for the average user.