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

[melevittfl]

Have Apple explicitly said that though? I think we're all, quite reasonably, inferring it given how bad at tracking stolen items these tags would be, but it's odd that one of the questions to Apple wasn't "so what about tracking stolen things?" so that we can hear their rationale in their own words.

From Apple's AirTag page:

AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking. If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s traveling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there.

Given it would be impossible for Apple to design a system that could distinguish between tracking an item that a thief doesn't know has a tag and tracking and item that an unsuspecting victim of stalking doesn't know that have, I think it's reasonable to conclude that Apple choose to prioritise preventing unwanted tracking over tracking a stolen item.

 

[Bonte]

Can I use it to track my luggage on a plane trip or anything that I don't carry around with me?
This is very confusing.

 

[Gasu E.]

What’s stoppign someone from walking around and turning off random airtags?

How would this random person even know about them?

 

[Gasu E.]

What if you travel next to a stranger on a greyhound bus? Should you have the ability to disable their poor AirTag?

You mean to mug them and search their belongings to find the airtag that's on the keychain in their pocket? First you'd have to figure out it was there.

 

[insomniac86]

So an Apple Watch would be more suitable for my cat? Great!

Well at least it will get its ass home in time for dinner

 

[gaximus]

Vets have been able to put tracking microchips in pets for some time. Wouldn't that be a better solution?

Those only work if someone takes the lost pet to the vet and have it scanned, Most people wouldn't do that, and you don't know if a dog is vicious or not so a lot of people scared of dogs won't go up to a lost dog to read the collar.

 

[1258186]

“Apple devices act as a crowdsourced monitoring network that helps keep track of ‌AirTags‌”.

I hope there is a way to switch this off if you decide not to participate. I’ve no desire to help anyone find their lost tag.

 

[azentropy]

The Apple Watch with Family Setup only needs a parent’s iPhone to work — you don’t need to buy a separate iPhone for your kid.

Right, but the basic watch is wifi only so it would need to be either cellular or use the cellular of their iPhone to communicate.

 

[GenesisST]

Can't use as a suppository, then!

 

[The Chosen One]

I say people should read the official page... instantly multiple people don't... Sigh.

And I've seen people now say close to ten different scenario's for when airtags start to ping.

 

[mazz0]

From Apple's AirTag page:


Given it would be impossible for Apple to design a system that could distinguish between tracking an item that a thief doesn't know has a tag and tracking and item that an unsuspecting victim of stalking doesn't know that have, I think it's reasonable to conclude that Apple choose to prioritise preventing unwanted tracking over tracking a stolen item.

I know, I specifically said such an inference was reasonable in the post you quoted. "Reasonably" was the very word I used.

 

[melevittfl]

I know, I specifically said such an inference was reasonable in the post you quoted. "Reasonably" was the very word I used.

You're right, you did. I imagine they want to avoid the entire discussion because they're primarily concerned (and/or they believe most people will be concerned) with privacy issues.

 

[TrulsZK]

To track items I use an old iPhone, with a SIM card

• This works over cellular in addition to other iPhones.
• If the item is stolen there are no notifications that there is a tracker/iPhone with them.

The only downslide is if the iPhone runs out of battery, there is no more tracking.
During my tests the battery lasts about 1-2 weeks with everything except Find My and Cellular turned on.

 

[seinman]

So if you work in a busy office and you have it on your key chain to track it. It is going to beep on everybody's phones around you?

Nobody ever reads anymore.

THREE DAYS. You have to be away from it for three full days before it starts beeping. If you leave your keys at your desk, or check your baggage on a flight, or loan your wife your car for a few hours, IT'S FINE NOTHING WEIRD WILL HAPPEN.

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

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...

www.macrumors.com

 

[mazz0]

You're right, you did. I imagine they want to avoid the entire discussion because they're primarily concerned (and/or they believe most people will be concerned) with privacy issues.

Yeah, I reckon so too, I'd just like to hear it in their own words.

Personally I don't think it's the biggest issue. For one thing losing things is far more common, in my experience, than things being stolen. It'll be very handy to know which pub I left my bag in, thus avoiding the embarrassment of having to traipse round each one I was in last night. I also don't think encouraging vigilantism by letting people track stolen goods is necessarily a great idea, especially in the US.

That said, I do think people will buy these for that reason, so Apple have a responsibility to make sure they know it's no good for that. Not everyone reads this sort of stuff like we do, and even if they see the text about privacy they might not put 2 and 2 together. Staff in the Apple Stores to point this out to prospective customers, and it should be made clear in the online shop too (it shouldn't be something you have to extrapolate).

 

[fishkorp]

I mean who are apple to tell me this wouldn’t be an ideal attachment to my dogs collar. It seems like only a matter of time before someone designs a collar to hold a tag.

Sure. But it won’t be “certified” through Apple’s official program.

I had a prototype collar with the tech built into it. Was denied.

 

[mabhatter]

Vets have been able to put tracking microchips in pets for some time. Wouldn't that be a better solution?

The microchips in pets only work from a few inches away. So someone would have to take an unknown pet to the vet or pound to read the chip.

An AirTag would read from a dozen feet away, so if your pet was say, near their house, their iPhone would pick up the tag and update the location without them doing anythimg

 

[pmiles]

Funny, I picture this device being placed on one's glasses...

"Where in the hell are my glasses?"

No more do you need a snide remark from your significant other... "It's on your head."

Now your smart phone can bleep at you and point up.



Also, there is a cheaper alternative to an Apple Watch for your pet. Just get Fluffy arrested for cat burglary and they will provide an ankle bracelet for free.

 

[himanshumodi]

Any geniuses here want to suggest a solution that works to track stolen items AND ensures it is not used for stalking someone? Unless disabling or removing the air tag is in the “internals” of the item being stolen, so that removing or disabling the air tag would mean the item gets destroyed, you should just hope the thief has an android.

 

[Radeon85]

“Apple devices act as a crowdsourced monitoring network that helps keep track of ‌AirTags‌”.

I hope there is a way to switch this off if you decide not to participate. I’ve no desire to help anyone find their lost tag.

If you have find my on for your own devices then your automatically helping others, don't know why you'd want to disable it anyway, it's not tracking you or nor should you have to do anything. It's just relaying coordinates.

 

[mannyvel]

Any geniuses here want to suggest a solution that works to track stolen items AND ensures it is not used for stalking someone? Unless disabling or removing the air tag is in the “internals” of the item being stolen, so that removing or disabling the air tag would mean the item gets destroyed, you should just hope the thief has an android.

If the person the AirTag is with is in Find my Friends or in your Family, then the AirTag doesn't need to be in "stalker mode." That would take care of the problem.

If they're in FMF/Family you're already tracking their location, so stalker mode doesn't apply.

 

[melevittfl]

“Apple devices act as a crowdsourced monitoring network that helps keep track of ‌AirTags‌”.

I hope there is a way to switch this off if you decide not to participate. I’ve no desire to help anyone find their lost tag.

Settings -> [Your name] -> Find My -> Find My iPhone and turn off "Find My Network". Your device will stop participating in the find my network.

 

[serious.person]

What happens if the thief who stole my Air-tagged bicycle who are also an iPhone user? Can he/she disable my airtag for "tracking" them?

 

[serious.person]

Nobody ever reads anymore.

THREE DAYS. You have to be away from it for three full days before it starts beeping. If you leave your keys at your desk, or check your baggage on a flight, or loan your wife your car for a few hours, IT'S FINE NOTHING WEIRD WILL HAPPEN.

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

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...

www.macrumors.com

Does this mean I can still track a person within 3 days?

 

[artfossil]

Those only work if someone takes the lost pet to the vet and have it scanned, Most people wouldn't do that, and you don't know if a dog is vicious or not so a lot of people scared of dogs won't go up to a lost dog to read the collar.

Yep. The main utility of the microchip for me is that if my pet winds up captured by Animal Control/taken to a shelter or taken to a vet they will scan for the chip and notify me.