Will an AirTag work in this situation?

[Eric Idle]

Hello,

I am soon to host a 10th grade foreign exchange student in my house. She is coming from overseas and uses an Android phone. I have full parental rights for the entire school year when she will be living in my house. I have a daughter the same age and grade as her. My daughter uses an iPhone and that is how I track her when she is out and about in the city. This new exchange student uses an Android phone which is not trackable.

I was thinking of giving her a keychain for her house key with an AirTag built into it and track her that way. Is this a suitable replacement or will the Airtag beep all the time as a stalking warning? Maybe my plan is to use the AirTag beyond the scope of its design.

If my idea is not good, is there any way I can track my hosted student's location? I am responsible for her and need to be able to act as her parent.

Thank you for your help.

 

[fischersd]

You better run any tracking scenario by her actual parents before doing so. If they're not in agreement, it's hands off (and very creepy!)
You also didn't mention how old the girls are? Do you have any friends that are lawyers? Don't want to be risking a scenario that could get you into legal trouble.

To the technical question: Yes - she will get notifications that an AirTag is travelling with her (if she gets the app for FindMy for Android). If she taps the AirTag with the NFC element in her phone, she'll also get a dialog box with the information on the AirTag. She WILL eventually find out what it is and what you're using it for - so you can expect an awkward conversation in your future.

 

[Eric Idle]

You better run any tracking scenario by her actual parents before doing so. If they're not in agreement, it's hands off (and very creepy!)
You also didn't mention how old the girls are? Do you have any friends that are lawyers? Don't want to be risking a scenario that could get you into legal trouble.

To the technical question: Yes - she will get notifications that an AirTag is travelling with her (if she gets the app for FindMy for Android). If she taps the AirTag with the NFC element in her phone, she'll also get a dialog box with the information on the AirTag. She WILL eventually find out what it is and what you're using it for - so you can expect an awkward conversation in your future.

Her parents are 8,000 miles away and WANT me to track her at all times. I am legally her guardian while in the US. Of course she will know what I am doing. I'll demonstrate it on my phone and show how I am able to see my own daughter through her iPhone. I am responsible for this young child's safety and knowing where she is a basic part of that. Both her and my daughter are 15 years old.

If necessary I'll buy her an iPhone but I dont want to spend that kind of money if a $30 Airtag will get the job done.

 

[iStorm]

It'll "work" but I don't think it'd be as reliable as your daughter's iPhone. Other iPhones or iDevices would need to be around her for the AirTag's location to be reported. So if she's at a place with nothing around, you wouldn't see the location...or perhaps even the wrong location. (Just as an example, I wasn't able to track my checked luggage after I dropped it off at the airport. It showed up again when it was time to board the plane, but it looked like it was at the next gate over...probably 50-100 yards away.)

Few other thoughts... It'd be easy for her to remove the battery without inconveniencing her if she didn't want to be tracked for awhile. (With an iPhone, she wouldn't be able to use it if she turned the phone off, and you could turn on parental controls to prevent her from disabling it from within the app.) If she hangs out with friends that have iPhones, they could potentially get the "AirTag Found Moving With You" notification and creep them out. Plus, it would probably start beeping when it's away from you for long periods of time.

By the way, Android users are able to share their real-time location using Google Maps.

Manage your Location Sharing settings - Android - Google Account Help

Google Location Sharing is an Android setting. It lets you share your real-time location from devices with people you choose in Google apps or services such as Maps, Family Link, or Personal Safe

support.google.com

 

[KaliYoni]

I was thinking of giving her a keychain for her house key with an AirTag built into it and track her that way.

Here is a head-to-head test of your idea:
"I decided to examine both claims by planting three AirTags, three Tiles, and a GPS tracker on my husband and his belongings to see how precisely they revealed his movements and which ones he discovered."

I Used Apple AirTags, Tiles and a GPS Tracker to Watch My Husband’s Every Move

A vast location-tracking network is being built around us so we don’t lose our keys: One couple’s adventures in the consumer tech surveillance state.

www.nytimes.com

 

[deeddawg]

Airtag isn't really the tool for the job.

Better to either identify an Android compatible tracking application or see if the cell phone carrier has a service offering location tracking of her phone.

(and how did we ever survive as parents in the days before constant gps tracking of our kids?)

 

[Eric Idle]

Airtag isn't really the tool for the job.

Better to either identify an Android compatible tracking application or see if the cell phone carrier has a service offering location tracking of her phone.

(and how did we ever survive as parents in the days before constant gps tracking of our kids?)

For sure, I am amazed at how my parents tolerated risk from back in the day. I would be gone all day long, with them having no idea where I was or when I would be home. Today's a different world and I take very seriously the responsibility of hosting a foreign student.

I know nothing about Android phones and it appears from other replies in this thread that there are ways I can track my new family member even with an Android phone.

 

[Eric Idle]

It'll "work" but I don't think it'd be as reliable as your daughter's iPhone. Other iPhones or iDevices would need to be around her for the AirTag's location to be reported. So if she's at a place with nothing around, you wouldn't see the location...or perhaps even the wrong location. (Just as an example, I wasn't able to track my checked luggage after I dropped it off at the airport. It showed up again when it was time to board the plane, but it looked like it was at the next gate over...probably 50-100 yards away.)

Few other thoughts... It'd be easy for her to remove the battery without inconveniencing her if she didn't want to be tracked for awhile. (With an iPhone, she wouldn't be able to use it if she turned the phone off, and you could turn on parental controls to prevent her from disabling it from within the app.) If she hangs out with friends that have iPhones, they could potentially get the "AirTag Found Moving With You" notification and creep them out. Plus, it would probably start beeping when it's away from you for long periods of time.

By the way, Android users are able to share their real-time location using Google Maps.

Manage your Location Sharing settings - Android - Google Account Help

Google Location Sharing is an Android setting. It lets you share your real-time location from devices with people you choose in Google apps or services such as Maps, Family Link, or Personal Safe

support.google.com

Thank you for your reply. VERY helpful!

 

[Coffee50]

As a backup option, there is also the Tile trackers that work across iOS & Android, you'd just have to download the Tile app. That being said, I don't believe there as many Tile users as AirTags, but it is an option.