What am I doing wrong??

[Gix1k]

I connected a tag to my wife’s keys. Had kid hide it in the house. It was taken upstairs. First thing, it didn’t do what I saw demo of. It just kept saying 15ft or so, counting up and down as I walked. However, it was on a totally different floor. I’m certain I saw iJustine get something that said it was on another level. Anyways, since I knew it was upstairs, I went up and it directed me to it, but again not up or down. Then I put it in lost mode, entered phone number and took the tag outside and tossed on lawn. Took my iPhone, walked over to it and clicked “identify found item”. Nothing ever popped up on my phone, kept saying searching. Her phone said it was in lost mode for roughly 10 mins.

 

[coolbreeze2]

Maybe because the found item is registered to the phone that found the item nothing popped up?

 

[Gix1k]

No, it’s registered to her phone. She was upstairs using it and placed in lost mode. I took the keys outside and found with my phone. It did nothing. Held next to my phone for over 5 mins. Just “searching”.

 

[ZeChild]

First test, it might be a downside but I don’t think the tracking works in a 3 dimensional environment, it can tell you forward, back, left or right but not up or down, if I kept getting the signal 15 ft away I might think look upstairs or downstairs.

Second test, well that sounds like a pretty big bug, assuming 2 things, it was linked to her phone and 2 you used your own phone, if so that needs fixed!

 

[robotica]

I think with lost mode it can take some time to for that request to filter through the network of phones. At that point you are waiting for a third party iPhone to detect it, and then pass that info on. Some vids I saw had updates on location after 10-15min after they put it in lost mode. It was not instant. These tests were done far outside a back garden where the “owner phone” is probably nearby and still in range.

 

[Phil77354]

I connected a tag to my wife’s keys. Had kid hide it in the house. It was taken upstairs. First thing, it didn’t do what I saw demo of. It just kept saying 15ft or so, counting up and down as I walked. However, it was on a totally different floor. I’m certain I saw iJustine get something that said it was on another level. Anyways, since I knew it was upstairs, I went up and it directed me to it, but again not up or down. Then I put it in lost mode, entered phone number and took the tag outside and tossed on lawn. Took my iPhone, walked over to it and clicked “identify found item”. Nothing ever popped up on my phone, kept saying searching. Her phone said it was in lost mode for roughly 10 mins.

I tried to follow your explanation, but you lost me . . .

 

[Gix1k]

I tried to follow your explanation, but you lost me . . .

Let’s go with the most important part. Tag connected to her phone, she placed in lost mode. I tossed tag on lawn. I walked up to it with MY phone, opened Find My app, clicked “identify found item”. Nothing happened. My phone never found it. Her phone stayed in “lost mode” when I just gave up and turned mode off to post this.

 

[Gix1k]

I think with lost mode it can take some time to for that request to filter through the network of phones. At that point you are waiting for a third party iPhone to detect it, and then pass that info on. Some vids I saw had updates on location after 10-15min after they put it in lost mode. It was not instant. These tests were done far outside a back garden where the “owner phone” is probably nearby and still in range.

I think this is the answer. If a person hits “lost mode”. There’s a time period it takes before the tag is able to be “found”. It’s certainly not immediate. I need to find this time. Will text again shortly.

 

[Phil77354]

Let’s go with the most important part. Tag connected to her phone, she placed in lost mode. I tossed tag on lawn. I walked up to it with MY phone, opened Find My app, clicked “identify found item”. Nothing happened. My phone never found it. Her phone stayed in “lost mode” when I just gave up and turned mode off to post this.

Sorry, I was trying to be funny (oh well) . . .

 

[Gix1k]

Ha! I thought I really did lose you with my explanation.

 

[JayGranos]

Are your apple ids linked using family sharing? I believe the tag will register with all accounts associated with the family. (May be wrong just throwing it out there 😅)

 

[Gix1k]

So here’s what I found, the tag can be marked lost, BUT if it’s within Bluetooth range, another phone cannot “find” it. I took her key and drove away from the house and hit the “identify found item” and it came right up with the information she entered when marking it lost. However , I wasn’t able to gather what happens on her end….of course on the phone and offered no details. Will try again with my tag when it arrives.

 

[AppleSmurf]

Let’s go with the most important part. Tag connected to her phone, she placed in lost mode. I tossed tag on lawn. I walked up to it with MY phone, opened Find My app, clicked “identify found item”. Nothing happened. My phone never found it. Her phone stayed in “lost mode” when I just gave up and turned mode off to post this.

What I’m getting from this is the fact that you’re trying to find something that isn’t lost…if you enter lost mode right next to the tag, your phone is going to get confused as it was last seen next to you. Go throw it in the yard, then take her phone inside and enter lost mode. See if that changes the outcome.

 

[Marli]

Remember that the tag only looks for the network every 15 minutes or so. If it cant find a device to help it out, it just waits another 15 minutes and tries again.. Between tries 3 people might have walked past with phones, but the Tag wasnt looking, it was waiting..

Also you have to get the tag really close to the top of the iPhone for the NFC antennas to pick it up. You dont have to click the “Identify item”, if you put it close at any time the NFC antenna will pick it up and you will be directed to a website.

These are not a real time tracker.. every seems to be expecting they are.. They aren’t..

 

[KeithJenner]

What I’m getting from this is the fact that you’re trying to find something that isn’t lost…if you enter lost mode right next to the tag, your phone is going to get confused as it was last seen next to you. Go throw it in the yard, then take her phone inside and enter lost mode. See if that changes the outcome.

Throwing it into the yard (or in his words, tossed it on the lawn) is exactly what the OP did.

Seems that wasn’t enough though, he had to drive away with it for it to work.

 

[Gix1k]

Throwing it into the yard (or in his words, tossed it on the lawn) is exactly what the OP did.

Seems that wasn’t enough though, he had to drive away with it for it to work.

Correct, that is what I did. I believe the problem was her phone was still within Bluetooth or WiFi range, whichever it uses, SO even though she entered lost mode, her phone was still technically connected to it. It wasn’t until I drove (I went about 1 mile away) that my phone was able to get the notification that I found a lost tag.
So in a way, I was finding something that wasn’t really lost within our home/yard.

 

[AppleSmurf]

Throwing it into the yard (or in his words, tossed it on the lawn) is exactly what the OP did.

Seems that wasn’t enough though, he had to drive away with it for it to work.

Op selected lost, then tossed it in the lawn. My point was “lose” it first, then select lost in find my