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Even if the tag couldn't be disabled by a thief they would just find it and dump it in the garbage somewhere.
Not if it was hidden in the bag... they might not find it until they get home... But now if they have an iPhone they will know before they get home they have been compromised...
 
Not what it’s for. Thief cannot use the tag. Plus, I am sure you can mark it as stolen, and if the thief ever puts in the battery again, it will then scream merry hell. (And report where it is). This is not an appealing thing for thieves.
I think he meant throw the tracks out not steal the tracker
 
I was going to get one for my dog but I do see her point. A dog may run off and hide away from people (while the items you've lost are more likely to be in an area with people nearby). This makes me wonder what the maximum range is between AirTag and Apple device - does anyone know?
 
I was going to get one for my dog but I do see her point. A dog may run off and hide away from people (while the items you've lost are more likely to be in an area with people nearby). This makes me wonder what the maximum range is between AirTag and Apple device - does anyone know?
About 20-30 feet according to early reviews.
 
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About 20-30 feet according to early reviews.
With an AirTag. It’s possible for a 3rd party device to get better distance using an antenna. But it’ll be bigger. For example, a 100% silicone dog collar can house the necessary chips and a flexible antenna can wrap the rest of the collar, giving greater range. But something like that won’t be Find My certified, so I won’t happen.
 
Thief steals item. Thief turns off tracker. Great idea.
That's personally why I'm waiting for things to have UWB rechargeable trackers built in. I see AirTags as an intermediary step to retrofit old things with smart tracking capabilities.

You know there will be things like backpacks, wallets, keychains, etc. that have a hidden rechargeable UWB strip that cannot have the battery removed and that cannot be removed without physically cutting it out.
 
That's personally why I'm waiting for things to have UWB rechargeable trackers built in. I see AirTags as an intermediary step to retrofit old things with smart tracking capabilities.

You know there will be things like backpacks, wallets, keychains, etc. that have a hidden rechargeable UWB strip that cannot have the battery removed and that cannot be removed without physically cutting it out.
Yep. That’s what the Find My part of the MFi program is for. Exactly products like those.
 
Airtags need to ping iDevices to work. They don't have any sort of Wifi or cellular radios in them, they connect locally to a device that's on Wifi or a cell network and that's how they get their message to the world.

If your pet runs into the woods, and no one is nearby with an iDevice, then the Airtag doesn't have a way of connecting to the internet and your pet would be lost. :(
Thanks, so that validates my other hypothesis, if I drop my wallet (with AirTag) in the woods while hiking, basically, it's gone.
If an Air Tag is lost in the woods, and there's no iDevice to ping it, does it really exist?
 
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Thanks, so that validates my other hypothesis, if I drop my wallet (with AirTag) in the woods while hiking, basically, it's gone.
If an Air Tag is lost in the woods, and there's no iDevice to ping it, does it really exist?
If your iphone was in your pocket when you dropped your wallet , it should have a last known location, even if it is currently out of range. Hopefully we will see a lot more testing of these sorts of scenarios soon.
 
Thanks, so that validates my other hypothesis, if I drop my wallet (with AirTag) in the woods while hiking, basically, it's gone.
If an Air Tag is lost in the woods, and there's no iDevice to ping it, does it really exist?
Well, to be fair, the only way around that would be to put a cell phone chip and radio in it and then sign up for a monthly data plan for each and every Airtag.

My guess is that this scenario is covered by an iDevice warning if your Airtag disconnects AND you are away from home. There will likely be a 'last location' option available in the Find My app which should help you narrow down when you last had the wallet.

We will see...
 
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I am sure there will be a time where u notify other strangers of your lost item, there will be one joker who will find it, disable it and steal it. It literally telling other people to steal your lost items as well.
 
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I am sure there will be a time where u notify other strangers of your lost item, there will be one joker who will find it, disable it and steal it. It literally telling other people to steal your lost items as well.
Be no point stealing the air tags it becomes useless once locked to your ID. Can’t be used by somebody else
 
I agree, you have a $600 bike that gets stolen, it costs a lot more than a Apple tag, or anything like a lawn mower, or snowmobile, or ATV, or boat it goes on and on! People dont realize how many of these things get stolen every year.
Especially bikes! This could have been perfect to stick under the saddle or in the bars. I have now had a couple of bikes stolen, at at 1000+ quid a pop, its frustrating....plus once you break on it its not nice to have to start over with a new bike.
 
I don’t buy this story that they don’t want people to secretly track someone by slipping a tag on them and that’s why they’ve added the ability to be notified and disable the tracker...

Because as they’ve pointed out, an Apple Watch does the same thing and is a similar size such that it could be hidden... so, it’s okay to secretly track people, but only if you’re rich?
 
Thanks, so that validates my other hypothesis, if I drop my wallet (with AirTag) in the woods while hiking, basically, it's gone.
If an Air Tag is lost in the woods, and there's no iDevice to ping it, does it really exist?
Will it pin for you the last known location or will it just say not found?
 
I don’t buy this story that they don’t want people to secretly track someone by slipping a tag on them and that’s why they’ve added the ability to be notified and disable the tracker...

Because as they’ve pointed out, an Apple Watch does the same thing and is a similar size such that it could be hidden... so, it’s okay to secretly track people, but only if you’re rich?
An Apple Watch lasts a day on a charge. Completely impractical for secretly tracking someone. AirTags last a year.
 
Not intended usage.
Who says theft is not the intended purpose? Apple certainly isn't saying that, at least not outloud and upfront. Show me where Apple says loud and clear "Not for tracking stolen items," and you will sway me to your point of view. But they do nothing to dispel this natural assumption. Meanwhile, millions of these units will be sold based on this assumption.

Unless the customer reads the privacy features, and entirely on their own inquisitively connects the dots and says, "Oh, I see. Privacy is afforded to thieves as well," they will assume that theft is a primary use-case for this item. And Apple is very careful about not saying it's not.

For example, Apple heavily features the "find your purse" scenario when marketing Airtags. Purses are routinely stolen, and those carrying purses are ever-aware of that. "I'm going to the bathroom. Watch my purse," says everyone. Apple really needs to say upfront when presenting this purse scenario, "An Airtag is not intended to help you recover a stolen purse. A thief will be made aware of the Airtag's presence in your purse."

Otherwise, the marketing is completely misleading. Most consumers don't read blogs like this one.
 
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