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Apple Executive Says AirTags Designed to Track Items, Not Children or Pets

Theyayarealivin said:
I needed something to track my pets :(
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It doesn't look like Apple are against tracking pets with them, just that it will only work if the pet is near a device in the Find My network. So if your dog runs off and isn't in range of anything, the AirTag might not help and a GPS tracker would be better. I'd rather they fully supported pet tracking with these just with a big caveat but I can understand why they might not want to promise reliable pet tracking with a device that could appear to 'fail' when a user might need it the most (i.e. if a dog goes missing on a countryside walk).
 
Even if the tag couldn't be disabled by a thief they would just find it and dump it in the garbage somewhere.
 
BostonQuad said:
Do you think it could work as an anti-theft device if the thief couldn't turn off the tracker?
What's to keep a thief from removing the tracker and tossing it?
No device in this space (Tile, etc) is meant to be anti-theft.
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Even if the tracker were built into the device, they could still disable it with the "unwanted tracker" feature.
 
Doesn't it also beep if its moving without the owner? The would be annoying when used on kid's items or luggage at the airport.
 
Spanky Deluxe said:
It doesn't look like Apple are against tracking pets with them, just that it will only work if the pet is near a device in the Find My network. So if your dog runs off and isn't in range of anything, the AirTag might not help and a GPS tracker would be better. I'd rather they fully supported pet tracking with these just with a big caveat but I can understand why they might not want to promise reliable pet tracking with a device that could appear to 'fail' when a user might need it the most (i.e. if a dog goes missing on a countryside walk).
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I'd say it's fairly likely that a wandering pet would run into a person with an iPhone at some point.

Even if the tracking isn't enough, you could set off lost mode and the beeping would get the attention of people.
 
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Wowfunhappy said:
But is it really such a bad idea?

I mean despite what they said, I still kind of think it's a good idea, if you don't want to spend $$$ on an Apple Watch.
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For sure. It will do a good job.

umm.. no. Thinking about it. It’s kind of design for THINGS that don’t move when it’s not with you. Kids moves all the time so it will beep all the time?
 
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brennt said:
So iPhone users get notified if being stalked. However Android users, well I guess they are fair game!
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Actually, no. If the Tag is separated from its owner for a certain period of time and then starts moving, it will beep constantly. An Android user can then find it and ID it using NFC.
 
Captain Trips said:
Vets have been able to put tracking microchips in pets for some time. Wouldn't that be a better solution?
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Only if the pet is found and taken to a vet. If you use an Air Tag you have a way to track them should they come into contact with someone with an iPhone (which is 60% of the US smartphone market)
 
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Spanky Deluxe said:
It doesn't look like Apple are against tracking pets with them, just that it will only work if the pet is near a device in the Find My network. So if your dog runs off and isn't in range of anything, the AirTag might not help and a GPS tracker would be better. I'd rather they fully supported pet tracking with these just with a big caveat but I can understand why they might not want to promise reliable pet tracking with a device that could appear to 'fail' when a user might need it the most (i.e. if a dog goes missing on a countryside walk).
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No, they are 100% against tracking pets. Any manufacturer submitting a product aimed at pets will be denied. I have been, multiple times. The reason specifically states that you cannot use on people or pets.

as for “real” pet trackers, just get a cellular/gps model. We use Whistle for our dogs, but there are others.
 
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jlocker said:
Remember every Appletag will have a serial number, so if some finds it and try to use it again, it will show up on the network. Just like a bike lock it might not completely protect your bike but at least you can tell your insurance agent that you had security on it. Maybe insurance companies will start giving discounts for things protected and easier to find.
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You can’t use the tag that already registered to someone else.
 
DanTheMan827 said:
Even if the tracker were built into the device, they could still disable it with the "unwanted tracker" feature.
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Well I look at this way, A good bike costs $600 at the least, a $30 find device is a small price that maybe I could recover it. At least my insurance company would give my less hassle if I had a bike lock and a find device on it.
 
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If you folks want to waste your money trying to track your dog with a bluetooth connection then by all means go for it. If you really are concerned about losing your dog, then get a GPS tracker that will actually accomplish what you want.
 
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matrix07 said:
You can’t use the tag that already registered to someone else.
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That is true, but it shows just like you iPhone or iPad if someone trying to use it. How do you think they find stolen iPhones and iPads? When I worked at Target we got a glass case broken into and a bunch of iPads were stolen, they tracked down the pads to a house and got them all.
 
DanTheMan827 said:
I'd say it's fairly likely that a wandering pet would run into a person with an iPhone at some point.

Even if the tracking isn't enough, you could set off lost mode and the beeping would get the attention of people.
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Yeah, the bigger problem seems to be that you can only have an AirTag set up with one person. So if you have a shared pet, only one person will ever be able to track them. Also applies to shared keys or luggage etc. Real bummer.
 
I'll be using it for my pets, I'd rather use the AirTag than the majority of devices intended for pets because they are either crap or just really bulky, the AirTag is just the perfect device and there is way more of a chance that a cat/dog will be found quicker as they are more than likely going to come into range of an Apple device pretty quickly.
 
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klunernet said:
It raises a question about use in a plane. with KLM I could chug it in my carry-on camera bag. (Cargo hold not allowed, you’re not allowed to put anything with a battery in there). Will a quarter or half the 777 then get a “a tag is traveling with you” message? :) Bluetooth 5.0 does have a range to make that funny or annoying.
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Presumably, if anyone on the plane is within BT range then you are too, so the Tag won’t send any alerts. Also, I’m sure there’s a relatively lengthy period of time the Tag needs to be separated from its owner before it will send an alert.

And since when can’t you have devices with batteries in checked luggage? You can’t check spare Li-ion batteries, but you can still check a laptop, iPad, camera, etc. with one installed.
 
Well my only use case for this was hiding it in my car or inside my bike frame. So guess I’m out.
alerts thief within 2 minutes of driving off. Wonderful. I never lose my keys.
 
MacHiavelli said:
I have never lost anything that I cared about getting back. Have had bags stolen. If the tracker can’t track, it is just junk. For me.
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So what are you going to do about the fact that your car is now in a chopshop in east LA , or your bag in an apartment building in a very bad area.

1) you call the cops ,and they send a police car to you and together you go track your item , seems very unlikely , most likely scenario -> please file a complaint and we will investigate -> do nothing , police is not interested in tracking bag thieves , at least where i live , they need warrants and stuff to get into ppl homes , i have a hard time believing you can just convince them to break down a door of someone because your iphone indicates your bag is there.

2) You go and get your stuff yourself , this , by the tone of your posts will probably be the end of you , i would avoid trying to transform your keyboard warrior persona into a batman fighting the criminals , it only works in the movies.
 
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CalMin said:
It’s to help you find something you lost. Not something that was stolen.
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OK, then what does this mean: "“If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the Find My network” so its location can be tracked."
If your tag is in/on an item, let's say your wallet, which fell out of your pocket somewhere, if it isn't within range of a device in the Find My network, it's unrecoverable? What good is it?
BTW, I'm not trying to be argumentative, I truly don't understand.
 
DanTheMan827 said:
Even if the tag couldn't be disabled by a thief they would just find it and dump it in the garbage somewhere.
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Of course. Though I wouldn't leave a tracker where it is easy to find. Thing is, if you lose a valuable item, in most (not all) cases someone will walk off with it. And in such an event, you want to be able to track the item for as long as possible, not have Apple telling the person the tracker is in the item and helping them to find and bin it.

Great if people like it as sold. For me, it's junk.

And if I wanted to track someone, I'd be smarter than use one of these.
 
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