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Apple Reveals New AirTag Features Added in Latest Firmware Updates
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Yeah this is what’s holding me back too. Would love to put a few on shared stuff but it’s way less appealing without family sharing support.
Apple markets AirTags as "keep track of your items"… Clearly, this has been run past their legal team who probably came up with this phrase and this covers you personally losing something or having someone steal it. So the argument that they don't market airtags as "anti-theft" is nebulous at best.
The one update I keep hoping for around airtags is family sharing, why oh why oh why is this not a thing?!?
I have them on my various sets of keys, backpack, wallet, etc. not so much anti theft as anti-“where the hell did I put that thing”. Also keep one in my luggage when I travel, it’s been helpful more than once there.
There should be an option to register an AirTag. And basically every time a registered AirTag believes it is used for stalking purposes (which could also be a case of theft), the owner of the AirTag is asked to either run anti-stalking mechanisms or anti-theft mechanisms, which includes notifying authorities.
On a phone go to "Find My" app. Then go to Items and select the air tag you want to check. Then when it brings up the info page for it, tap again on the words "With you" and you can see the serial number and firmware version.
they’re pushing everyone towards third party trackers with these updates. At this point the only reason to mayyybe buy AirTags over say, chipolo or eufy trackers is AR spatial positioning and maybe build quality. And having the thing beep works just fine; the spacial positioning is pretty much just a gimmick. So stupid.
Agree software updates are gradually killing the value proposition. But while I am not as familiar with competing products, my understanding is that the other options aren’t nearly as good as the AirTag as Apple can rely on a dense network of iOS devices all equipped with GPS and internet connections to pinpoint the location of each AirTag (only Google could compete with this).
Am I missing something here?
I think the reason of the article is that Apple hadn’t clearly listed what had been changed in the last few firmware updates and only published an updated change log for those last week.
As consumers...we speak loudest with our wallets. We (that is, the segment of consumers that no longer find this product useful) need to let Apple know that we will no longer buy these until they implement Family Sharing.
Maybe, if there are enough of us...we can make motivate Apple to do the right thing.
Maybe, if there are enough of us...we can make motivate Apple to do the right thing.
and, you know, the fact that I don't need to share the location of things like my keys and wallet with third parties
Or any family member - my wife gets annoyed any time she grabs my wallet (so quite often).
As a good husband I don‘t want to stand in her way.
I think, there is zero chance for that - for Apple the potential reputation damage from stalking is much bigger than anything they can earn with theft tracking.
You can get anti-theft stuff from smaller companies (e.g. gps based bike-tracking) but they can‘t use the network of Apple devices for triangulation
I'm afraid the law in pretty much every developed country is going against you. A general use "thief tracking device" is, in every practical way, identical to a "stalking" device. The only difference is in the internal workings of the mind of the person being tracked; the determination of which is beyond the capabilities of a $25 general use device in 2022. The fact that you are using it for a purpose that is being targeted by most governments is not a great argument for a refund.
If you want to dissect their marketing slogans, I'm afraid there really isn't much there. "Keep track of" isn't identical to "locate". Even with this new "feature", Airtags will help you distinguish between whether your stuff was stolen or whether you simply misplaced it.
The Airtags will still tell you whether the luggage was left behind or stolen. The difference is that it will be much harder to locate it if it was stolen with this update. However, if it was stolen during baggage handling, you will have stronger case for making a claim, since you will know whether it was stolen by a handler or at the baggage claim area. You can also report it stolen much quicker, and identify the point at which it was stolen. You won't be able to pinpoint the current location. But, you weren't going to actually going to hunt down your stolen bags yourself, were you?
They have been boasting privacy, anti-stalking etc features since day 1. Can't see how anyone is surprised.
Still a superior product to Tile - exchangeable battery (not the case with all Tile models) and no sub requires for community based tracking or "left tbehind" alerts.
Still a superior product to Tile - exchangeable battery (not the case with all Tile models) and no sub requires for community based tracking or "left tbehind" alerts.
With all said it is still possible to use an AirTag for theft tracking purposes on a car. A thief will only get a notification they are being tracked if they have an iPhone. On Android you actually have to download an app and manually check. Also depending on the situation there is a time buffer between when a thief would get tracking notification or an airtag starts making sound. A small window of opportunity to track is better than none at all.
Even if they do realize they are being tracked there are endless places to hide one that would take time for a thief to find. Hiding one in an engine bay, inside a bumper cover, take apart dash, take apart rear seat, inside trunk under the liner or in spare tire well etc. Hiding an AirTag good enough to the point where disassembly of parts of the vehicle may buy enough time for it to be located after being stolen.
If you make the AirTag frustrating to find and get to the thief may also just get spooked enough to abandon the car. In that case them knowing they are being tracked might be a good thing.
Anyhow my vehicle already has built in GPS tracking from the factory. I keep an AirTag hidden in the car for extra peace of mind.
Even if they do realize they are being tracked there are endless places to hide one that would take time for a thief to find. Hiding one in an engine bay, inside a bumper cover, take apart dash, take apart rear seat, inside trunk under the liner or in spare tire well etc. Hiding an AirTag good enough to the point where disassembly of parts of the vehicle may buy enough time for it to be located after being stolen.
If you make the AirTag frustrating to find and get to the thief may also just get spooked enough to abandon the car. In that case them knowing they are being tracked might be a good thing.
Anyhow my vehicle already has built in GPS tracking from the factory. I keep an AirTag hidden in the car for extra peace of mind.