I have hearing aids, connected by blue tooth to the tv sound adapter so I can crank the volume up without the wife having to hear at the same volume. I have an app on my phone that controls all the functions of the hearing aids, and one of the programs is "find my hearing aids" and not too long after I got the hearing aids and right after covid hit, I had to run to the store for groceries, wearing a mask and coming out of the store I took the mask off and didn't feel the one hearing aid slip off with the mask string. I got all the way home, about a mile, and after putting groceries away and sitting down to watch tv I realized I was missing the one hearing aid. I turned on my find my hearing aid program on my phone and it showed me on the map where the hearing aid was. I drove back to the store and found the hearing aid laying next to one of the cement pillars not far from the store entrance. if a small hearing aid can be located a mile away, why not an air tag?
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So I lost my keys...
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Simply put, your app on your phone noted the location of the hearing aid when it was separated from you. This isn't active tracking. If someone had picked up your hearing aid and taken it home with them, you would have no idea of where it is.
Within you're home, the app will be using bluetooth to locate your hearing aids. (bluetooth range is about 90 feet)
Now, that Apple has opened up the Find My network to 3rd parties means that your hearing aid company can make future versions of their products that actually would work with Apple's network.
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I guess I don't understand how the phone app can differentiate that the lost hearing aid is not on the ground where it fell, and be able to locate it there, or if someone picked it up and has it in their pocket, and not be able to locate it where they are?
Bluetooth range is fairly short. It'll allow you to find things in your home, unless the signal is too weak for the phone to be able to give any guidance - then you need to walk around until you get a signal. Then the phone tells you if you're closer based on signal strength.
When you dropped your hearing aid, the software on the phone made a note that the hearing aid was no longer with you (the manufacturer built that behaviour into their app - to bookmark the last known location that the signal strength was so strong that you had to be in close proximity).
Pockets have nothing to do with it. If someone had removed the hearing aid from that location, the hearing aid software on your phone would have no idea that the hearing aid would have moved. All it knows is the location that it was last seen.
Edit: You would have to get within bluetooth range of your lost hearing aid for the software to pick it up again and advise as to its location after being moved.
so if I was within bluetooth range when I lost it, say I noticed the hearing aid missing as soon as I got in my car at the store, and checked my phone at that time, and while I was checking my phone someone came out of the store, picked up my hearing aid and started walking towards their car, and as long as I stayed within bluetooth range I could track the hearing aid's movement. but as soon as that person and I were outside the bluetooth range, where they were at the time bluetooth connection was lost, that is where the phone app would say is the last known position?
IMO we need more like 99 positive experiences to balance out one failure. You don’t buy something because it does what it’s supposed to 66% of the time.
Airtags/tiles what ever you want to call them, literally rely on pinging off other Bluetooth devices with Internet functions(home equipment, cell phones) if you lose something in the middle of nowhere with no technology, considering them gone forever. it’s not apple’s faults, but at least tile offered up to a $1000 policy for items that can’t be recovered if the tile is set to lost.
33 ft is the magic number, always remember that
33 ft is the magic number, always remember that
We have no issues with the AirTags, they are impressive for traveling in my opinion.
We are presently on a remote Greek island for vacation in our 2nd home - it's an old house with 1.5 feet thick stone walls and the AirTags are still left inside the now empty luggage, we can track it with no issues. Also when in transit in Athens airport we could track the luggage from a distance of +20 miles even down to the gate.
We have lost luggage on this route in the past, so it's nice to know it's whereabouts
We are presently on a remote Greek island for vacation in our 2nd home - it's an old house with 1.5 feet thick stone walls and the AirTags are still left inside the now empty luggage, we can track it with no issues. Also when in transit in Athens airport we could track the luggage from a distance of +20 miles even down to the gate.
We have lost luggage on this route in the past, so it's nice to know it's whereabouts