Apple AirTag

[Kabowest]

Mine works from at least a few miles away- haven't tested it beyond that. I have an iPhone 8.

My elderly mother lives 15 miles away. She has one on her keys that I track. I was in Nova Scotia last week (live outside of Boston) and successfully checked her location a number of times when away.

Keep in mind, AirTags rely on communicating their location via Bluetooth through nearby Apple devices.

 

[FIYes]

Chase Sapphire Preferred rewards points are worth 25% more this month on Apple products including AirTag. I just checked and using points AirTags can be purchased for around 7900 points for a 4 pack.

I don’t use an iPhone but I do use an iPad. Not sure how useful these would be without an iPhone.

 

[audreyh1]

Keep in mind, AirTags rely on communicating their location via Bluetooth through nearby Apple devices.

Yes, I noticed that with the luggage tracking.

 

[explanade]

Chase Sapphire Preferred rewards points are worth 25% more this month on Apple products including AirTag. I just checked and using points AirTags can be purchased for around 7900 points for a 4 pack.

I don’t use an iPhone but I do use an iPad. Not sure how useful these would be without an iPhone.

I'm sure they could be paired to iPads by BT.

But my AirTags paired automatically to my iPhone but don't pop up on my iPad like my AirPods do.


The other factor is that when you're honing in on the AirTag location, the Find My app uses the Lidar on your iPhone (late models) to provide "precision location" on the AirTag.

I use it on my checked luggage and it doesn't show the location constantly but it lets me know it arrived at the same airport as my flights, like it didn't get left behind at the last airport.

Also have one for my Fitbit and some keys.

 

[street]

So, a question was asked today by a friend if an air tag is placed in a sealed container will it still work? Anyone have any experience or know if it will work in a airtight container if it will work?

Thank You.

 

[braumeister]

So, a question was asked today by a friend if an air tag is placed in a sealed container will it still work? Anyone have any experience or know if it will work in a airtight container if it will work?

Thank You.

Depends on the container. A shoebox? Sure. A lead-lined vault? Not a chance. Something in between? Maybe.

Bluetooth frequencies are very high, up in the gigahertz range, and not high power, just a few milliwatts.

 

[street]

Depends on the container. A shoebox? Sure. A lead-lined vault? Not a chance. Something in between? Maybe.

Bluetooth frequencies are very high, up in the gigahertz range, and not high power, just a few milliwatts.

Thanks Braumeister and that makes complete sense. The guy wants to install one in a piece of wood which was a screwed-on cap. So, that would be a maybe or not.

 

[explanade]

I put my AirTag in a suitcase, not a hard or metallic suitcase, a soft shell one.

It has a speaker so if it beeped, it might get noticed.

 

[audreyh1]

Worked buried in suitcase just fine.

 

[Chuckanut]

The May 9 edition of Security Now revealed that we will see a standard proposed that will help keep people safe from being tracked by location devices they have not OK’d, or do not know it is tracking them. It’s multi platform so, for example, an Android user can find out if an Apple Air Tag device is following them around. And visa-versa.

As usual there are privacy issues that need to be worked through to implement this standard.

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve been warned that DH’s AirTag is following me.

 

[street]

One more question about air tags. So, my question is if I'm 100 miles away from the air tag. The iPhones that are in close vicinity of air tag do those phones need to have their location setting turned to ON? Or will they give you a signal even with their iPhones setting in location is turned OFF.

 

[Sunset]

The May 9 edition of Security Now revealed that we will see a standard proposed that will help keep people safe from being tracked by location devices they have not OK’d, or do not know it is tracking them. It’s multi platform so, for example, an Android user can find out if an Apple Air Tag device is following them around. And visa-versa.

As usual there are privacy issues that need to be worked through to implement this standard.

So this will of course remove the use of having an airtag in something that can be stolen, as it will alert the thief who stole the car/luggage/pet/bike.. etc of the airtag.

 

[Philliefan33]

So this will of course remove the use of having an airtag in something that can be stolen, as it will alert the thief who stole the car/luggage/pet/bike.. etc of the airtag.

iPhones already have this security function (your iPhone notifies you that you are being followed by an AirTag).

I don’t know if that necessarily lessens the utility of using an AirTag on something that might be stolen. If a thief is notified, he/she will either dump the item or look for the AirTag and remove it from the item. If the item is dumped, the AirTag will make it easier to find. If the AirTag is removed, you are no worse off than if you didn’t use an AirTag and you will at least have a lead as to where the stolen item was at some point.

I have an AirTag on my key ring and hidden on two of my bikes.

 

[street]

One more question about air tags. So, my question is if I'm 100 miles away from the air tag. The iPhones that are in close vicinity of air tag do those phones need to have their location setting turned to ON? Or will they give you a signal even with their iPhones setting in location is turned OFF.

 

[mpeirce]

AirTag’s use the Apple’s “Find My Network” which is basically almost all iPhones out there. People can turn off their participation in the Find My network in settings, but it’s on by default.

The Find My network is a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that use Bluetooth wireless technology to detect missing devices or items nearby, and report their approximate location back to the owner. The entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one else, not even Apple or the third-party manufacturer, can view a device’s location or information.

 

[braumeister]

AirTag’s use the Apple’s “Find My Network” which is basically almost all iPhones out there. People can turn off their participation in the Find My network in settings, but it’s on by default.

That's right. Safe to assume that nearly all of them will be utilizing the Find My network. I know people who have been able to track their AirTags clear across the world.

 

[audreyh1]

It was interestingly tracking our checked luggage - there would be long periods of no info when I assume the bags were stored and then the bag would suddenly appear on the plane and vice versa. Maybe once people got on the plane.

The United app luggage tracking was as up to date.

Most handy of course when your bag is left behind.

 

[Sunset]

iPhones already have this security function (your iPhone notifies you that you are being followed by an AirTag).

I don’t know if that necessarily lessens the utility of using an AirTag on something that might be stolen. If a thief is notified, he/she will either dump the item or look for the AirTag and remove it from the item. If the item is dumped, the AirTag will make it easier to find. If the AirTag is removed, you are no worse off than if you didn’t use an AirTag and you will at least have a lead as to where the stolen item was at some point.

I have an AirTag on my key ring and hidden on two of my bikes.

In rare circumstances, where a thief is watching for a while to get the opportunity to steal, the alert they get from the airtag, may discourage them from stealing.

I don't know the range of an airtag, so maybe it's just a thought for a movie.

 

[mpeirce]

I don't know the range of an airta

AirTags use Bluetooth, so their range is about 30 feet.

 

[6miths]

In rare circumstances, where a thief is watching for a while to get the opportunity to steal, the alert they get from the airtag, may discourage them from stealing.

I don't know the range of an airtag, so maybe it's just a thought for a movie.

I agree that even if everyone gets notified of the AirTag that it is still a deterent. It's like having 'The Club' on one's steering wheel. It won't prevent the car from being stolen just makes it less appealing. Potential thief looks for easier target.

AirTags can be fun. We shipped a container cross country and put one on it. Was useful to see where it was from hour to hour.

 

[Chuckanut]

Hopefully, this will save another person some valuable time.And maybe keep them from tossing a perfectly fine Air Tag.

The Law of Unexpected Complications struck again today when I tried to replace my Air Tag's low battery. What should have been at worst a 15 minute task turned into a 1 1/2 hour hour task that involved an unplanned trip to the hardware store. It seems that not all 2032 batteries will work in an Air Tag.

My iPhone had been warning me for several days that the battery in my Air Tag was running low. I have a lot of gadgets that use #2032 batteries, so a while back I bought a nine pack at Costco for a very good price. I removed the aging battery from the Air Tag, but upon replacing it with a never used, expires in 2032 battery from the nine pack, the Air Tag did not give its reassuring chirp that all was well. I took it out, wiped it with a clean cloth, reinserted it and still no chirp. I tried two other batteries from the nine pack and and still no chirp. I inserted the batteries into another device and it worked properly.

So was my Air Tag bad?

Using my hi-tech internet skills I found out that some 2032 batteries have a bitter coating applied to them so small children will spit them out and not swallow them. The batteries I had bought from Costco mentioned that plainly. Another skillful search turned up Apple's support instructions for replacing Air Tag batteries which mentioned they may not work with batteries that have the bitter coating. A trip to the store and I found some Energizer batteries that did not mention a bitter taste. Upon inserting the Energizer battery into the Air Tag, it gave that familiar chirp. I tested it further by asking the phone to cause the Air Tag to chirp and it worked. Problem solved.

Note: The Costco battery packaging did say on the front that they had a bitter taste. But, at that time who would have thought it might cause some devices to not function?

 

[audreyh1]

Note: The Costco battery packaging did say on the front that they had a bitter taste.

Had no idea. Thanks!

Turns out DH knows this already and avoids the coated ones when buying.

 

[Chuckanut]

It turns out that Apple put out a warning about the bitter 2032 batteries over two years ago. But, back then I had neither an Air Tag or any battery eating children in my life.

 

[Sunset]

....
...... Apple's support instructions for replacing Air Tag batteries which mentioned they may not work with batteries that have the bitter coating. ....

Good to know, I bet there are some other devices where this is a "feature"..

The internet says you can use alcohol and even water to wipe away the bitter coating.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/so-i-learned-the-hard-way-what-bitterant-is-now-i-leave-you-with-a-tip.2371068/

"Then I realized, its most likely water soluble, right? You need to the bitterant to dissolve on the tongue to be effective. Sure enough, if you take a damp paper towel and rub the negative side for 15 seconds or so, it comes right off. Popped them into the airtags and they worked perfectly."