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AM2354

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2020
122
74
So, in years past the only way you knew you left your iPhone behind was by a visual appearance on your Apple Watch. I am now getting mixed signals, meaning, I was told that the new Apple Watch with the latest OS will now emit an audible sound if the iphone is left behind. Then I was told it is with the purchase of the air tags? So, which is it, and if it can be done without the tags how do I set that up? Thank you.
 
On your iPhone go to the Find My app, go to Devices, tap your phone, and turn on the Notify When Left Behind option.
 
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Thank you, but it doesn’t work. I left my iPhone in the car when I went to go into the store and nothing happened. Is this happening to others as well?
 
WiFi is on both, but when I went into the store, it didn’t connect to any WiFi. Are you saying it doesn’t matter, you need both to be off in order to work?
 
How far was the store from the car? I think you have to be a few blocks away in order to get an alert.
 
WiFi is on both, but when I went into the store, it didn’t connect to any WiFi. Are you saying it doesn’t matter, you need both to be off in order to work?
Mine worked as I visited family over the holiday...don't know the distance required but there is also an option to 'note ' a place as 'ok' (don't remember the exact wording). Maybe that option is turned on? Actually, now I recall that it notified me within about 1/2 a mile I'd say. CORRECTION: It notified me that my iPad was left behind.
 
FWIW in a test today… My AW7 Cellular notified me that I had left my iPhone behind when I got roughly 900’ away as the crow flies (based on Google Earth’s ruler).

GetRealBro
 
Mine worked as I visited family over the holiday...don't know the distance required but there is also an option to 'note ' a place as 'ok' (don't remember the exact wording). Maybe that option is turned on? Actually, now I recall that it notified me within about 1/2 a mile I'd say. CORRECTION: It notified me that my iPad was left behind.

Lol I always thought that mine didn't work. Lo and behold, I had it set to not notify if I left it at home :)
 
There’s always PhoneBuddy. It’s a third party app that blows Apple’s implementation away.
Except for a bug in the WIFI option that keeps alerting me that i've left my iPhone behind while I am at home, on WIFI, but at the other end of the house. Worked with Phone Buddy people, tested beta builds but could not get it to work. Could be due to mesh WIFI in my house and their app can't cross to a different AP? Who knows. I uninstalled it.

On the other hand, Apple's "left behind" doesn't seem to work at all. I turned this on a month ago and my AW never notifies me when I walk away from my house (and "home" is NOT set as an exception). I don't think it's ever notified me. If it has, it's pretty lame then as the "alert" was too quiet to be noticed, thereby being worthless.

On thing I liked about Phone Buddy was the alarm was a real alarm sound (Siren). It gets your attention. Apple's LEFT BEHIND notification is yet another "ding" notification that I already get too many of every day. Brilliant, Apple...
 
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Except for a bug in the WIFI option that keeps alerting me that i've left my iPhone behind while I am at home, on WIFI, but at the other end of the house. Worked with Phone Buddy people, tested beta builds but could not get it to work. Could be due to mesh WIFI in my house and their app can't cross to a different AP? Who knows. I uninstalled it.

On the other hand, Apple's "left behind" doesn't seem to work at all. I turned this on a month ago and my AW never notifies me when I walk away from my house (and "home" is NOT set as an exception). I don't think it's ever notified me. If it has, it's pretty lame then as the "alert" was too quiet to be noticed, thereby being worthless.

On thing I liked about Phone Buddy was the alarm was a real alarm sound (Siren). It gets your attention. Apple's LEFT BEHIND notification is yet another "ding" notification that I already get too many of every day. Brilliant, Apple...
I was a long time beta tester for Phone Buddy as well. The Wi-Fi issue has always been a challenge for the Dev and I know it did work for me on occasion. I have a mesh system too. I don’t know what’s involved in getting that to work properly, coding wise, but I can imagine it’s no easy feat. Seems Apple uses a distance away algorithm rather than a connection. Regardless of that feature, the disconnect and left behind is rock solid in Phone Buddy and like you said Apple’s implementation is very bland and not attention grabbing.
 
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