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How to Factory Reset an AirTag So Someone Else Can Use It
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it is locked to your account unless you unlink it from the find my app.
Oh I see what you’re saying now, apologies. But I’m not sure how often this will happen. I can’t even really think of a scenario where someone will want to reset someone else’s airtag. A thief wouldn’t have reason to since it will be useless to them either way (also at only $30 brand new, I don’t think they will be hot in the black market). The only scenario I can think of is someone who finds an airtag and wants to return it (if they happen to know whose it is or if they want to drop it off at a business near where they found it) or give it to the police as evidence—but the person wants be absolutely certain they can’t be tracked in the meantime. Otherwise, there is the slight chance some other person could come along and pop a battery back in and allow it to resume tracking. Uncommon scenario but that’s all I can think of. So I don’t know if that’s intended behavior, but only because Apple tends to be very overly cautious, I would guess so.
How are they encouraged to steal them? This article is about why people can’t use stolen airtags.
If that is the case, why is “Bike” a default name option? Do they think I could just lose my bike? It’s a pretty big thing to misplace!
It sounds like you haven’t ever cycled to a train station with lots of cycle parking, or one of the large cycle parks they have in Amsterdam. It’s very easy to ‘lose’ your locked bike in either scenario.
No problem. I was able to re-pair it to a device with the original Apple ID without having to remove it first. It winds up figuring out (probably through serial number) it’s the same one as before.
The Netherlands, at Train stations.
Nowadays though most have guarded cycle parking places like the one below.
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You could leave it somewhere. You could lock it up and forget which spot you locked it to.
I mean they can do what they want, just don’t expect something to be something it’s not. I don’t expect my 2 wheel drive suv to climb rocks and ford rivers. AirTag owners shouldn’t expect them to provide CSI level perp tracking capabilities.
From reading this forum, it certainly looks like people want to go Hardy Boys and find the thieves. I love the crowdsourcing of ideas, but don’t complain, not that I think YOU are, that it doesn’t protect against things that Apple never said it would.
See that’s why the Dutch are so much healthier than we fat Americans.
People always are so eager to comment about articles they don’t really read, how fascinating!
People always are so eager to comment about articles they don’t really read, how fascinating!
People always are so eager to comment about articles they don’t really read, how fascinating!
Even worse, people are SO eager to comment that they only have time to read every sentence in half, how fascinating!
I just got a new AirTag (via Amazon ... not a pawn shop) and the "Connect" dialgue refers to a(nother) Apple ID. I reset the battery and confirmed (the correct, the only) Apple ID on iPhone (and MacBook Pro). "Find My" set-up window confirms Apple ID (does show telephone number ... ) Totally stymied. Solution? Suggestion(s)?
Call Amazon and let them know this doesn’t work, ask for a replacement. Good luck! 👍🏻