I’m glad to know that what apple should and should not make is based off people you know /s
On the flip I and many ppl I know use them. Go figure.
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Google to Launch Android Find My Network After Apple Adds Third-Party Tracker Alerts to iPhone
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On the flip I and many ppl I know use them. Go figure.
The article suggests this is a some kind of standard spec that Apple and/or Google published...
If so, I presume all tracked and tracking devices can use the same spec, allowing you to:
1. Use any pair of tracked and tracking device (track an AirTag from an Android, track a SmartTag from an iPhone, etc...)
2. Detect any trackers that aren't yours but are following you around.
This is really an all around enormous win for everyone, if I'm not reading too much into this. Hopefully I can start (consensually) tracking my Android using friends via the Find My app soon and vice versa.
That's not what the article is saying at all. It's specifically only to address unwanted tracking.
I love how everyone assumes it’s Apple that is the delay. Just because Google says so. Google may not have rolled it out yet because it was not ready.
I think people are "assuming" it because that is what the article an the articles linked within it have stated. Of course anyone can argue that they are incorrect articles, but then your statement should likely read "why is everyone believing what the articles are saying" rather than implying that they are making conjecture out of thin air.
Most people do agree, the single disliked was from a profile with the name iLuddite .... so you do the math 🤣
There are 2 types of people:
1. People that are bad at keeping track of stuff
2. People that are married to people that are bad at keeping track of stuff.
Air tags are amazing.
It was convenient to use it at the airport when I handed over my luggage, when I flew from Chicago to Hawai'i.
Good for you! Doesn't change the fact that a lot of people, both in my life and not, the overwhelming majority of whom being women, are victims to being tracked with them and this wasn't an issue to such extent before these got put out. It was not a ready product, no matter how you look at it. Apple wanted Android users to download an app to check whether an Airtag is following them.
Even from an engineering standpoint, they should've been engineered so that if the speaker is ripped out, the whole thing stops working, which I'm sure is easy. Apple is the king of disabling devices over non-authorized repairs. The speaker is an essential safety feature especially for Android users, but people can mod them.
Glad they are making progress about this, but they could have thought about all of this before doxxing the homes of people.
Thank you. My understanding was that it is only used for tracking of Airtags on Android phones. Now I read it again and I see that iOS owners would be warned against any 3rd party tracker.
But I am unsure about your 1. point. I don't read it this way.
Well, there are some "stuff" that run away. I am tracking our cats with Smarttags because they sometimes get trapped somewhere and I can't hear them meowing.
Or take my wife. Please. LOL It’s always like she’s late, can’t find her phone. Before find my I had to call her phone. Now that I got her to share her location, it’s one of those married routines. I find her phone and ring it or at least locate it under the usual clutter. It has also found my own phone and (with tags) luggage maybe 10 times? I also double down with Tiles for luggage. It’s an interesting issue if besides just tags, all my devices can be located. We will stay tuned about that.
Once watched my lost phone track across the city. I killed it. Cool. Whew. Many tracker devices now (not necessarily Apple) offer find my compatibility so there is choice and options. I like the system and we have never had an alert about an unrecognized tracker following us. So good.
Once watched my lost phone track across the city. I killed it. Cool. Whew. Many tracker devices now (not necessarily Apple) offer find my compatibility so there is choice and options. I like the system and we have never had an alert about an unrecognized tracker following us. So good.
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Apple’s not doxing anyone. Don’t use them. Problem solved?
You do realize why tech can be exploited and used incorrectly. Women being exploited is an extreme
So what's the plan if someone steals an item that the owner has an AirTag hidden in, and when they are alerted to it traveling with them, they disable it?
Google today began letting Android customers know that it will soon launch a promised Android-based Find My Device network, reports 9to5Google. Google announced the upcoming Find My feature last year, but it has not yet debuted because Apple and Google were working to develop a cross-platform solution for unwanted tracking alerts.
Code in iOS 17.5 suggests that Apple is adding support for discovering nearby third-party item trackers and alerting iPhone owners when one has been located. "You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item," reads some of the code.
With Apple likely planning to add alerts for third-party trackers in iOS 17.5, Google is clear to launch its new Find My Device network, which will allow Android smartphones to be used to locate lost phones, Bluetooth trackers, headphones, and other accessories.
Apple and Google first announced plans for an industry tracker specification in May 2023, with the aim of putting an end to the misuse of Bluetooth item trackers for tracking individuals. Both companies have been working to implement AirTag-style tracking alerts so people will know when a tracker of any kind is nearby.
After Apple launched the Find My network alongside AirTags, there were countless news stories and reports of criminals using AirTags for stalking purposes, leading Apple to make several changes to unwanted tracker alerts. iPhones were initially able to identify nearby AirTags and alert customers if they were being used for stalking purposes, but Android devices could not. Apple remedied this with a Tracker Detect app for Android, but the partnership with Google will allow for a more permanent and reliable solution that will work regardless of device.
Google says that the Find My Device network will let Android users find their devices even when offline, and it will work with compatible Fast Pair accessories as well as Android-based electronics. Google plans to launch the network early next week.
Article Link: Google to Launch Android Find My Network After Apple Adds Third-Party Tracker Alerts to iPhone
Are Apple & Google going to keep track of the user who disables these devices in case the device was stolen?
Biggest thing is the size of the respective networks for updating tag location. Samsung network is a lot smaller and chances are not to the critical mass to always be updating.
In the USA nearly 50% of the people have an iPhone. Plus you have iPads Mac’s that can and will also update a random tag.
It is about the critical mass needed keep everything updated on those tags. Apple’s network just makes all others seem tiny.
Apple has a history of that type of behavior hence why that assumption.
Apple is the one causing the doxing.
It doesn’t matter if I don’t use them it is more about a random stalker using them and planting the trackers on someone. Apple’s network is just to good and make it way to easy to track someone with some poor safety features. It needs some massive changes as air tags were never meant to protect stolen items.
Disabled speaker should mean auto device shut down. I should be at any moment see how many trackers my phone sees and big time if I suspect being followed and be able to disable them.
Alerts are good to avoid being tracked but bad because thieves will know where to look for you stuff : camera, wallet, car keys etc
Some are. Personally, I am somewhere in the middle. I have an AirTag on the wallet MagSafe’d to the back of my iPhone (I use a bumper style case so it is recessed and makes carrying both in my pocket more compact).
This is mostly for peace of mind but I admit to having “lost” my wallet just the other day & used Find My to determine it was left in my car in the driveway. Saved me a ton of time.
It is not a necessity. I have decades of experience carrying a wallet without actually losing it.
Also per another post there is the theft prevention or mitigation angle. I hid an AirTag in one of our cars and shared it with my wife so we can always know where it is. I made sure it’s difficult to get to but people pass by frequently enough and it updates so it’s still effective.
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No, they are useless for that. The tags alert the thief and he finds and removes the Airtag. Only the most casual and ignorant thief would not know about Airtags.
It is the anti-tracking feature that makes them useless as an anti-theft device.
Yes, especially when you have kids. I'm confident I don't need to illustrate the scenario for you!