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Can someone let me know if airtag will actually let me know when I left things behind?

Y

yalag

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Nov 18, 2007
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I've now watched so many youtube videos and interviews with Apple Exec on the airtag product. But it doesn't actually tell me the most important feature.

I don't need the app to help me locate it when I have lost it. Honestly, if I have lost my backpack, the stuff inside is probably gone in a second (cameras, laptops etc).

I need the airtag to alert me (asap) if I left my backpack behind, like if I have walked out of a certain radius. Does it do that? I've even read the apple doc pages. Nothing.
 
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This is exactly what I want to know. Tile had/has geofencing for this but it was so unreliable I stopped using it.

Does FindMy have this functionality built in? If not, does it integrate with automations with geofencing so I can set an alert up myself?
 
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mazz0 said:
This is exactly what I want to know. Tile had/has geofencing for this but it was so unreliable I stopped using it.

Does FindMy have this functionality built in? If not, does it integrate with automations with geofencing so I can set an alert up myself?
Click to expand...
thats exactly my experience, I had Tile for this purposes but it doesnt work as advertised for this feature
 
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There are a couple of apps that do this with the watch and phone. So if the API is at all accessible to programmers, there may be apps that can offer this functionality. So connecting the airtag to the watch and/or phone and triggering an alert if they are separated. Why this isn't baked in to the core function of a watch is a long standing mystery, so I am not optimistic Apple adds this for the airtag. But I agree it would be useful.

In addition to separation, the other core feature I would like is an alert if the tag is moving (and is separated from me). That would be a key feature for say a bike.
 
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This is a very important (and more useful) feature to me. The fact that Apple didn't think about it is disappointing. The AirTag was delayed for so long, I was hoping it was a feature they were working on.

I can't stick these things on every item I own and I rarely lose things as it is, so the main feature I need doesn't seem to apply.
 
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I was wondering the same thing, but think there's a different side to this, which may be the reason its not a feature..
Lets say you throw it in your backpack and it sets off an alert when you get out of bluetooth range (~30') so you don't forget it. What happens if you work in an office building, put your bag down in your office and walk away.. bathroom, coffee break, socializing, etc.. Are you going to have to disable this each time you get up?
I guess it's possible to use a proximity zone to keep it from happening when you're home, but outside the house at common places like work/school/friends houses you would want it on, but those are the most common places you'd go.

I guess it's a double edge sword, because for that rare time it would help you, it could be an annoyance the rest of the time.

I want it specifically for my Airpods, it drives me nuts that it'll only tell you the last place they were used (or the case was open), that doesn't do me any good if I put them in my pocket and take them out somewhere else and put them down. But at the same time if I leave them in my coat pocket and go to the bathroom, I don't need it alerting me each time.
 
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Nothing stated to instant notify so far... but the beauty of this if implemented is that they could add a feature like this in the future or other app developers could use the tracking features to add this.
 
dmylrea said:
This is a very important (and more useful) feature to me. The fact that Apple didn't think about it is disappointing. The AirTag was delayed for so long, I was hoping it was a feature they were working on.

I can't stick these things on every item I own and I rarely lose things as it is, so the main feature I need doesn't seem to apply.
Click to expand...
Ha! Apple hasn't even brought this feature to the Apple Watch, where it makes the most sense.

A few years ago I left my iPhone in a Vegas casino and didn't even realize it until we were back in our hotel room. We spent almost an hour running around the casino looking in all the spots we'd stopped at. Fortunately, someone had turned it in to security so I was able to recover it.

All this could've easily been avoided had my Apple Watch alerted me the instant it unpaired from my iPhone. Luckily there's a third party app that does exactly this (Phone Buddy) and it works flawlessly.

So, no, I doubt the AirTag will be able to do this if Apple hasn't even brought this feature to the Apple Watch.
 
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Caliber26 said:
Luckily there's a third party app that does exactly this (Phone Buddy) and it works flawlessly.
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May I ask about Phone Buddy? How does it handle just being at home and being far enough from the phone that the AW loses BT connection? is there an option to disable Phone Buddy alerts if AW and iPhone are on the same WIFI network?

This would be a great solution for not forgetting my iPhone at a restaurant, but don't want to be nagged continually at home or work when I am far enough from my iPhone that BT connection to AW is lost.
 
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dmylrea said:
May I ask about Phone Buddy? How does it handle just being at home and being far enough from the phone that the AW loses BT connection? is there an option to disable Phone Buddy alerts if AW and iPhone are on the same WIFI network?

This would be a great solution for not forgetting my iPhone at a restaurant, but don't want to be nagged continually at home or work when I am far enough from my iPhone that BT connection to AW is lost.
Click to expand...
Yes, Phone Buddy has the option to not alert when devices are charging and or on the same Wifi network.
 
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For those wanting a geofencing alert system that works way better than Tile, try Chipolo. They make key fobs and a slim wallet tracker called Chipolo Card. The card had saved my butt many times because it alerts me as I’m waking away from my wallet. Left my wallet in a few places before - was able to walk right back and get it. This system is ideal for me because I don’t want to wait until I’ve lost something before I start searching for it.

Also, no subscription is required to use geofencing alerts, unlike Tile.

If Apple has not implemented this feature on Airtags it would be baffling as to why not.
 
nsquared71 said:
For those wanting a geofencing alert system that works way better than Tile, try Chipolo. They make key fobs and a slim wallet tracker called Chipolo Card. The card had saved my butt many times because it alerts me as I’m waking away from my wallet. Left my wallet in a few places before - was able to walk right back and get it. This system is ideal for me because I don’t want to wait until I’ve lost something before I start searching for it.

If Apple has not implemented this feature on Airtags it would be baffling as to why not.
Click to expand...
Did you get alerted through the brand app?
 
Hls811 said:
I was wondering the same thing, but think there's a different side to this, which may be the reason its not a feature..
Lets say you throw it in your backpack and it sets off an alert when you get out of bluetooth range (~30') so you don't forget it. What happens if you work in an office building, put your bag down in your office and walk away.. bathroom, coffee break, socializing, etc.. Are you going to have to disable this each time you get up?
I guess it's possible to use a proximity zone to keep it from happening when you're home, but outside the house at common places like work/school/friends houses you would want it on, but those are the most common places you'd go.

I guess it's a double edge sword, because for that rare time it would help you, it could be an annoyance the rest of the time.

I want it specifically for my Airpods, it drives me nuts that it'll only tell you the last place they were used (or the case was open), that doesn't do me any good if I put them in my pocket and take them out somewhere else and put them down. But at the same time if I leave them in my coat pocket and go to the bathroom, I don't need it alerting me each time.
Click to expand...
I think that would be a non-issue. So I go to the loo and my watch buzzes to say I’ve left my bag behind. Fine, I’ll tap dismiss. I’ll happily live with that negligible inconvenience in exchange for actually getting this alert when I need it.
 
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mazz0 said:
I think that would be a non-issue. So I go to the loo and my watch buzzes to say I’ve left my bag behind. Fine, I’ll tap dismiss. I’ll happily live with that negligible inconvenience in exchange for actually getting this alert when I need it.
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Yes it’s a non-issue on Chipolo. You can set geofenced “ignore zones” - you can set up your office as a zone, for example, and it will not constantly remind you that you’ve walked off.

Attached is what an alert looks like.
 

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Hls811 said:
I was wondering the same thing, but think there's a different side to this, which may be the reason its not a feature..
Lets say you throw it in your backpack and it sets off an alert when you get out of bluetooth range (~30') so you don't forget it. What happens if you work in an office building, put your bag down in your office and walk away.. bathroom, coffee break, socializing, etc.. Are you going to have to disable this each time you get up?
I guess it's possible to use a proximity zone to keep it from happening when you're home, but outside the house at common places like work/school/friends houses you would want it on, but those are the most common places you'd go.

I guess it's a double edge sword, because for that rare time it would help you, it could be an annoyance the rest of the time.

I want it specifically for my Airpods, it drives me nuts that it'll only tell you the last place they were used (or the case was open), that doesn't do me any good if I put them in my pocket and take them out somewhere else and put them down. But at the same time if I leave them in my coat pocket and go to the bathroom, I don't need it alerting me each time.
Click to expand...
I actually use this feature actively with my Chipolo pebbles… no sound when I get out of radius: just a notification on my phone that I’ve left them behind, which is fine to me, even of i just go to the toilet 😉
 
Apple_Robert said:
As far as I am aware, there will be no separation alert (like happens with the Phone Buddy app). Hopefully, Apple will add the functionamity.
Click to expand...
And I do love phone buddy. It works just as you'd expect and has reminded me I've left my phone on a restaurant table many times. I would love if you could opt in for this kind service on AirTags on a case by case and time per time basis.
 
The chipolo is looking very attractive to mr for the left behind feature and also make your phone ring. If Apple don't add "left behind" I think I might go for these as well. Much better to not lose something than be able to find it after it's been lost.
 
I think Apple should be baking the logic of the U1 into all of their chips going forward, so everything that they make can be trackable on the Find My network (and give us the flexibility to create geo-fencing and leash rules for all of our Apple devices).

It will also mean people will never steal any Apple devices again. :) (Apple could also give law enforcement a portal) :)

Oh, crap, all of the tinfoil-hatted government conspiracy nuts will lose their s**t over the law enforcement portal idea. :) We would have to have control over that - like the "lawful access" legislation - once a device has been reported stolen by the owner, then law enforcement could use the Apple portal to find its location (Apple would have to enable that).

Mind you, how many police forces care about stolen phones? :)
 
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