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Apple Introduces AirTag

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#261

Post by novok »

zxcvgm wrote: post #211
crazygringo wrote: post #71

I thought one of the big use cases for this was to track stolen items, like a backpack or maybe even a bicycle. But the "anti-stalking" feature will notify someone if an AirTag they don't own appears to be traveling with them. Does this render it useless for anti-theft, then? Since it will just notify a thief that the bike they just stole is being tracked, and they can look for the AirTag and throw it in the nearest…

I too, found the anti-stalking features might hinder the use of AirTags for locating intentionally stolen items: (1) it has a removable battery, and also (2) "someone can tap [the tag] with their iPhone or NFC-capable device and instructions will guide them to disable the unknown AirTag". The anti-stalking feature also seems to contradict its privacy features: > Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rota…

Its private from 3rd parties, but not private from apple and whoever subpoenas them.

Apply this principle to everything apple does and says about privacy and you see it everywhere in their products.

Even more cynically, you can say it's private from their competitors.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#262

Post by stef25 »

inasio wrote: post #126

A week ago my wife dropped her Iphone from a ski lift, and couldn't find it afterwards. I went to try and find it, from home she used Find my phone to get a picture of the location, and had it play sounds when I was nearby. I found it under a foot of snow, first try. This has been around for a while now but it was the first time I saw it first hand, I was blown away.

Only time I used it was when my phone fell out of my pocket in a friend's car when he dropped me at home. Find my phone clearly showed where it was, traveling through the city and amazingly I could still use WhatsApp desktop to message my friend to bring it back. Tech is awesome sometimes.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#263

Post by mercutio2 »

crazygringo wrote: post #246
zxcvgm wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too, found the anti-stalking features might hinder the use of AirTags for locating intentionally stolen items: (1) it has a removable battery, and also (2) "someone can tap [the tag] with their iPhone or NFC-capable device and instructions will guide them to disable the unknown AirTag". The anti-stalking feature also seems to contradict its privacy features: > Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rota…

AirTags are anonymous to other end users . Obviously Apple is internally maintaining an association between the AirTag's permanent identifier, and its current temporary signal identifier. This isn't E2EE or anything.

Huh? It certainly is E2EE.

"Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network1 and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption."

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#264

Post by moooo99 »

captn3m0 wrote: post #181
tchanglington wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s going to be real funny if non Apple users are basically fair game for AirTags tracking and you have to get an iPhone to protect yourself from AirStalking

Apparently they can be disabled with any NFC enabled device: https://apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airtag/ >[...] And even if users don’t have an iOS device, an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it. If a user detects an unknown AirTag, they can tap it with their iPhone or NFC-capable device and instructions will guide them to…

> I'd like this detection to come in stock Android, similar to how the Contact Tracing thing was shared b/w Apple/Google.

This would be an ideal scenario, even if it took longer to roll out for Android phones thanks to the OS fragmentation

Even if that's not happening, I think its not entirely unreasonable for some reliable third party app to pop up an make disabling the AirTags with an Android device almost as easy as an iPhone.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#265

Post by diebeforei485 »

jrochkind1 wrote: post #136

> If AirTag is separated from its owner and out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network can help track it down. The Find My network is approaching a billion Apple devices and can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and relay the location back to its owner, all in the background, anonymously and privately. I had no idea that's how "Find My Phone" worked. I guess I hadn't thought about it. I wonder what the pri…

Page 139-142 has information you might be interested in

https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1902/en_US/app...

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#266

Post by Toutouxc »

munk-a wrote: post #226
habibur wrote: post #16

> AirTag is designed for over a year’s worth of battery life with everyday use. The CR2032 battery is user-replaceable and widely available. Replacement batteries are sold separately. That's the piece of information I wanted to know first. Devices like this can be built, but those can't run on batteries for a reasonable time frame. Apple made it practical.

I'm actually rather disappointed that it isn't using a passive RFID chip and multiple base stations to triangulate item location - that would probably bring the price for the actual tags down to something stupidly cheap.

Is this actually doable? I always thought RFID is unusable at those distances.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#267

Post by JKCalhoun »

crazygringo wrote: post #71

I thought one of the big use cases for this was to track stolen items, like a backpack or maybe even a bicycle. But the "anti-stalking" feature will notify someone if an AirTag they don't own appears to be traveling with them. Does this render it useless for anti-theft, then? Since it will just notify a thief that the bike they just stole is being tracked, and they can look for the AirTag and throw it in the nearest…

Not all thieves are smart.

In fact I would hazard to say most are not.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#268

Post by ffggvv »

phlyingpenguin wrote: post #80
ffggvv wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah but they can’t use apples internal apis to track things. so apple gets to cheat unfairly on ios

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apples-find-my-networ...

lol so they can maybe catch up in a year when apple is releasing their product using those apis now

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#269

Post by avipars »

habibur wrote: post #16

> AirTag is designed for over a year’s worth of battery life with everyday use. The CR2032 battery is user-replaceable and widely available. Replacement batteries are sold separately. That's the piece of information I wanted to know first. Devices like this can be built, but those can't run on batteries for a reasonable time frame. Apple made it practical.

I'm happy that it's user-replaceable ...

$100 for 4 of them sets you back a good amount... especially if you would have otherwise had to toss them after their internal batteries died

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#270

Post by themaninthedark »

asdff wrote: post #238
DangerousPie wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect "an extended period of time" will not be an hour two.

How long is that, though? I wish Apple spoke in absolutes when discussing technical details. Some people shut their phone off to golf or do some other outdoor activity, like hiking. Some rounds take close to 6 hours on public courses depending on pace of play. Imagine your friend is trying to putt then your air tagged golf bag starts going off on the 18th green.

Or lend a backpack to a friend to go on a week long camping trip?
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