I agree that Apple could help with stolen items, but there are lots of knee jerk reactions in this thread. As quoted, Apple is likely not showing any device near you. Let’s wait and see.
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iOS 15.2 Adds Option to Scan for Nearby AirTags and Find My-Enabled Items
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Lost != stolen.
Folk are complaining the airtags won’t handle stolen items because they’ll alert the thief to their presense.
That’s not what they’re designed for. It’s 100% possible to “loose” something without it being stolen & it happens ALL the time.
Stolen items are not lost items by default. Stolen items are stolen items. They not lost - they are - well - stolen. Period. And no amount of you attempting to redefine a word to mean something else will change that.
Sure, someone can steal a previously lost item. However in that case, the item was lost first and foremost. THEN it became stolen.
Disappointing. Yeah yeah I know, everyone is echoing the same talking point, "it's not designed to be an anti-theft device". We know that. But it WAS still very useful as one, whether that was the original intent. Now it's not. It's completely lost that functionality. Plus, lost items often BECOME stolen items when someone else finds them. The AirTag used to be very useful for locating lost items that someone else found. Now it won't be. So it's utterly useless as an anti-theft device now, AND it is less useful as a device for finding lost items.
What's more, this change won't stop anyone with bad intent from tracking someone without their knowledge - they'll just choose one of any number of other available tracking devices out there. All that has been accomplished here is making the AirTag into a less useful, less functional device.
What's more, this change won't stop anyone with bad intent from tracking someone without their knowledge - they'll just choose one of any number of other available tracking devices out there. All that has been accomplished here is making the AirTag into a less useful, less functional device.
If you really wanted to stalk someone, you'd get a GPS tracker. There are tons of them out there, and a lot of them explicitly advertise themselves for stalking purposes. One I just now found in an Amazon search has this in the description: "Attaches to vehicle | Fits in small pockets | Discretely hide in a backpack, case or purse". It's a $30 device (and yeah it requires a small subscription fee, but that's not going to stop any stalker)
ok so it's actually not as convenient or cheap and probably a lot harder to cover up when found
It’s more convenient and much more effective (gps tracking works always, not just when someone with an iPhone is near you), and yeah it’s slightly more expensive. Anyone who really wanted to stalk someone effectively would use something like this, not an airtag.
even if we grant that argument that gps is more effective there are indeed still advantages to using airtags and it's absolutely a worthwhile concern to address at the cost of replaceable property
It was already addressed by having the airtags chirp and send alerts after a number of hours. That already renders them pretty ineffective as stalking devices, while still allowing at least some functionality as an anti-theft device in the few hours after something is lost. That was a good balance between functionality and safety concerns. This change makes the AirTag *completely* useless for tracking lost property that someone has picked up, now they can just disable your tracking instantly. And indeed, the new functionality as described may *help* thieves to locate where valuable property is being stored (ie it’s better to swipe the bag with an AirTag in it, as that’s the bag that’s more likely to have something worth stealing). I guess I can still use my AirTag to track my tv remote in my house or whatever, but from now on I’m certainly not taking it out into the world to advertise to thieves that I have something worth stealing.
i mean i would imagine most people arent thieves and wouldn't intentionally deactivate an airtag they likely know is in the lost item they just found
thieves would just find the airtag and throw it away so is it really much different?
I sure hope that includes an increase in performance in reacting to NFC tags. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is pretty slow at times when I scan tags around the house.
I will wait to see what tracking precision Apple offer thieves and stalkers before casting judgement, but I would be very concerned if a stalker could use this and UWB direction arrows to turn the tables and track a young adult with their keys in their handbags from the train to home.
Nonsense. Tracking tags of all sorts have been around for years and will continue to be. If someone wants to stalk you, this won’t stop it. For that matter, show me one case of somebody using Airtags for stalking. This is a non problem.
On the other hand, theft is a huge problem and but for Apple’s pointless paranoia about stalking, Airtags are the perfect anti theft device.
Doesn’t matter if that’s what they were “designed” for, they were a fantastic anti theft device as originally designed. Theft is a very real and very serious problem. Use of Airtags as a stalking device is an imaginary non-problem. Until this hyped up paranoia about Airtags, there has been no rash of stalking incidents using the various Bluetooth tracking tags that have been on the market for years without this disabling feature.
Apple introduces AirTag
Apple today introduced AirTag, an accessory that works with iPhone and other Apple devices to track and find important belongings.www.apple.com
Zero mentions of the word "Stolen"
So for everyone thinking that they can use the Air Tags to find stolen items, just remember, that's NOT what they were designed for.
You wanna use them for that then go right ahead, but quit whining that these 15.2 features make such a purpose less useful.
This is so stupid that the only rational explanation is that this stalking paranoia is a red herring ginned up by Tile to trick Apple into crippling their own product so the Tile will still be able to find a market for their products.
This new functionality lets a thief know the airtag is there. In a backpack or briefcase or purse etc, it’s pretty easy to hide an airtag in a way that makes it hard to physically locate. Now the thief doesn’t even have to bother searching the bag to see if the airtag is there - they can just scan and deactivate.
Very good. Helps to identify lost Airtags and also to protect oneself
So, will there also be an effective process to action abusive deactivation of someone else's airtags?
I mean, just what constitutes "nearby"?
Can someone just walk into some hip Café, and disable any AirTags carried by other customers?
Or maybe they're bored on their commute and see if there are any AirTags in the same subway car.
What about waiting for luggage to arrive at the Baggage Claim at the airport?
You know this stuff will happen almost immediately.
What's more - this is a feature that thefts will definitely use. I cannot imagine any "normal" user to make repeated scans everyday to check if they are being tracked or not. Does Apple really assume that I will enter FindMy app now and then to check that?
Yes, indeed. And it is why it would be better to live in a society where one has the right to privacy than a society where you have the right to track whatever you want. Erring on the side of caution is central to the legal system. It is the age old question of whether it is better for 1 innocent person to be punished or 1 guilty person to go free.
Say Im in an Apple store with several hundred of my best friends. Guy next to me decides to scan for AirTags "nearby" and "finds" the AirTag on MY keys in MY pocket. He decides to "disable the device so that it can no longer be used for tracking purposes."
So, dear Apple, now MY AirTag on MY keys is DISABLED.
What are you good for???
So, dear Apple, now MY AirTag on MY keys is DISABLED.
What are you good for???
Yes, this can be used to stop stalking. It can also be used to stop legitimate tracking. Lets say you are in a strip bar and decide to slip an AirTag into a dancer's purse, so you can follow her home and put notes on her car or her refrigerator and stuff. How can you do normal stuff like that now?