Recently, yet another problem has arisen. It also won't work if the stalker only needs to track you for a few hours before getting the information they're interested in, such as the location of your home. This may work well in some situations, but it won't work in the case of intimate partner abuse, in which the victim is in regular contact with their abuser. For one, the sound isn't that loud, and could easily be muffled if it were buried inside a bag, or completely inaudible if it were somewhere on the exterior of a car and you didn't happen to be there when the alert sounded.Īnother problem is that this only works when the AirTag has been away from its owner for at least 8 hours. Unfortunately, there are a couple problems with this. After much criticism about this being far too long an interval, Apple shortened it to between 8 and 24 hours (the exact time is apparently random).
#APPLE AIR TAGS ANDROID#
If you don't have an iPhone or the Android app, AirTags were, at the time of release, designed to start playing a sound periodically after they'd been separated from their owner for 3 days. Apple did recently release an Android appthat can be used to help find unknown AirTags moving with you, but that requires you to take action proactively, and many probably will not do so. (It's unclear exactly how long it takes for this message to appear.) This is a reasonable measure, but there's one major flaw: not everyone has an iPhone. Unfortunately, these measures are not 100% effective.įirst, if you have an iPhone and an unknown AirTag is detected moving along with you for some period of time, your iPhone will notify you. Sounds terrifying! How can I avoid being tracked?Īpple has taken some measures to prevent AirTags from being used for stalking. Keep in mind, these are all folks who don't actually own the AirTag in question! An AirTag shown in my hand for scale. There have been stories of people finding AirTags in their bags, various places on the exterior of their cars, hidden inside the frame of their bicycles, and more. They're easily hidden in a bag, a vehicle, or anything else you might carry with you.
#APPLE AIR TAGS MAC#
Long-time Mac expert and writer Kirk McElhearn sent an AirTagthrough the mail, as a test, and was able to follow its progress quite successfully.ĪirTags are also rather small. iPhones form a massive tracking network for AirTags that can be quite difficult to get away from. The number of iPhones out there moving around in the world is substantially higher than the number of phones with a Tile app open and active. However, an AirTag's location can be tracked any time it comes into proximity of any iPhone. If the Tile app can detect the Tile, it can report the location and the owner of the Tile can see where it is. A Tile that isn't near you can only be tracked if it comes into proximity of someone with the Tile app open and active on their phone. Why are AirTags so good for stalking?Īlthough they are conceptually similar to a Tile, AirTags have far more stalking potential. Unfortunately, there's a dark side to AirTags: stalking. It's not hard to find news stories of people using things like Find My iPhone to follow their stolen property directly into danger, being shot at when they approached the thief they'd tracked down.) Sounds great, right? Everyone who has ever had something stolen-a laptop bag, for example-has fantasized about being able to track it down and get their property back. It can be put into lost mode, enabling someone who finds it to tap it with their phone and get information you supply, such as a phone number to call. You can see its location on a map, and if you're close to it, you can get a directional signal on newer iPhones. You can track an AirTag with your iPhone in some powerful ways, enabling you to locate a set of keys that has fallen down between the cushions of a couch, for example.
The circular, coin-like product is designed to be attached to or placed in objects that are commonly lost, such as keychains, wallets, purses, backpacks, etc. In April of 2021, Apple introduced AirTagsto the world, making the small tracking devices-similar to a Tile- available for purchase at the end of that month.
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