It's Possible to Drill a Hole Through an AirTag

[MrGimper]

It only does that if you have the stole app open and set up. If you don’t like that feature you can shut the app down, only ever open it when you’ve lost your keys! Simples.

Huh? I don't have the tile app open, and I only have location set for "when using the app".... I double click the button on the tile and if beeps and my phone rings. The card-sized tile in my wallet does the same too. Like I said, regularly happens to me.

I've literally just done it.

 

[jz0309]

Shocker!
Apple made a design choice. Look at watch accessories and how much that has taken off, both for Apple as well as 3rd party…
Personally, it’s ridiculous to have to spend and addl 10, 20, 30 or even more on a holder, but…

 

[cmaier]

Really? Do you live in a pineapple under the sea? How did you survive a few years ago before there was any sort of waterproofing on iPhones?

Before there was waterproofing on iphones, if you drilled a hole through your iphone you’d want to be worrying about water ingress too.

 

[cmaier]

Shocker!
Apple made a design choice. Look at watch accessories and how much that has taken off, both for Apple as well as 3rd party…
Personally, it’s ridiculous to have to spend and addl 10, 20, 30 or even more on a holder, but…

Nobody has to spend anything. I’m using a piece of gaffers tape to attach one to my bike saddle. Duct tape will work fine, too.

 

[subi257]

this is so illogical, you need to look for one thing to find another. just use the apple watch or homepod

Maybe, there are some people that will say that they need it to find their Apple watch too 😂

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

Woah! You can't drill your way to AirTag independence!

This article made my day. Who does this!? smythey does it, that's who!

 

[ridddder55]

To each their own here, I tried the competition, and the software was buggy, and not as elegant. The batteries were not replicable or if they were they would last about 4 months. There were other problems too, but it isn't important that I was not impressed. I don't see the holder being a deterrent, but if you are too cheap to buy one, just gorilla glue epoxy it to whatever you want. I like the inconspicuous nature of these tags. Places you want one, your wallet, your keys, keep one for hotel keys, tv remote, or laptop bag to just name a few of the things I constantly misplace. Definitely on my list of things to get, as my wife never knows what to buy me, now I have a response for Fathers Day.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Cool.. can’t believe that Apple’s design engineers did not think of this use case.

WHADYAMEAN? They left enough space to drill a hole through, didn’t they?

 

[anup.chavda]

I just 3D printed my own holders. Cost me less than 10cents and 10 mins.

 

[subi257]

It probably was to make more money on accessories to be honest. But I could also see them wanting to make sure that the stainless steel on the back gets as scratched as little as possible, so to put it in a case instead of getting scratched to pieces banging around with your keys in your pocket bare like that. Not like the matte plastic on Tiles.

That makes sense. If I am going to put it in my pocket, I don't want any buttons on it....like the fob for the car, when I bend over or kneel to much the can alarm goes off or the car locks and unlocks. I would like to find a cover for that fob to cover the buttons.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

New feature-- Airtags with iHole. Or would it be Airhole.

They could market the hole as an Apple Secure Surfa… nah, Surface is already taken. Rats…

 

[B4U]

Question: How do you make these types of animation? What software? Seems like you did it pretty fast etc.

Thanks

Wait, you mean @AngerDanger did not drill the darn thing? 🤣

 

[Yokon54]

Cool.. can’t believe that Apple’s design engineers did not think of this use case.

How do you know they didn’t think about it? It’s not a novel idea.

 

[JetLaw]

I think omitting the hole was a dumb idea. Minimalist design isn’t minimalist when you have to shove the thing into a giant holder just to attach it to something.

 

[_Spinn_]

I figured someone would try this. I wonder how likely it is that the plastic would crack due to the strain put on the hole? Not to mention this probably wrecks the IPX waterproof rating.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

It's a bit anti-consumer, I agree with you.

I can’t think of anything more pro-consumer than to provide more things for consumers to consume.

 

[jz0309]

Nobody has to spend anything. I’m using a piece of gaffers tape to attach one to my bike saddle. Duct tape will work fine, too.

Seems appropriate for a bike, and yes, no-one will be forced to spend on these accessories, but they will.
And I bet there are plenty prototypes at Apple that do have a hole in them ...

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I think omitting the hole was a dumb idea. Minimalist design isn’t minimalist when you have to shove the thing into a giant holder just to attach it to something.

I figure Apple knows their customer base. The folks complaining about the lack of a hole weren’t going to be buying them anyway, why make it larger just to placate folks that would never buy it?

 

[TehFalcon]

And now it’s not waterproof

 

[neuropsychguy]

I just 3D printed my own holders. Cost me less than 10cents and 10 mins.

Did you use TPU for the print?

 

[Xak444]

All it needs now is a button you can press to help you find your iPhone, it will be as useful as a Tile then.

Or you could just ping your phone from your watch.

 

[jlocker]

I aways have to love how people complain about a $12 holder for a airtag and they will spend $2000 on a MacBook M1 that will now only last a couple of years.

 

[anup.chavda]

Did you use TPU for the print?

This one was made in PLA, but I’m going to try a few in TPU. The PLA flexes very slightly for it to snap into place

 

[garylapointe]

I just 3D printed my own holders. Cost me less than 10cents and 10 mins.

I can't find a 3D printer for 10 cents. I looked for more than 10 minutes.

 

[Xak444]

This the dumbest product Apple has made in quite some time, why would I buy an accessory to a tag? That's just ridiculous. Tile beats Apple in design here.

Have you ever used a tile?