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Apple Introduces AirTag

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#371
post #326

Can somebody please help me parse the last sentence in the "Privacy" paragraph here? I'm honestly confused by the "or location of any device that helped find it". All I want to know is if a LEA could subpoena Apple for the location of any/all of my AirTags, and I can't tell if this is talking about the tags themselves or about the device that initiates a Find action for a Tag: "AirTag is designed from the ground up t…

> All I want to know is if a LEA could subpoena Apple for the location of any/all of my AirTags

No, they can't. Only your device can decrypt the beacon info, and Apple doesn't store location data.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#372
post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, replaceable batteries in laptops and phones also used to be the status quo and Apple successfully changed that. Just because it’s the status quo wouldn’t prevent Apple from “thinking different”.

They are replaceable just not user replaceable though user's can change it if they buy $10 worth of tools. Just like my car's battery isn't user replaceable unless i buy tools to be able pull the battery out of the battery compartment.

Standard tools or specialty tools?

I suppose if you can't lift 80lbs out of an awkward spot, it's also not user replaceable? The line has to be drawn somewhere.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#373
post #364
post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tile has been complaining for some time that their products are flaky because new iOS privacy measures prevent them from accessing location data while running in the background, even if the user sets the app permission to "always allow." https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/02/apple-breaking-promises/

Yeah it used to be more reliable until a few OS updates ago, so I definitely believe tile on this front.

Used to be more reliable, but also consumed ~10% of my battery on any given day. It's a trade-off

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#374
I’ve been waiting for this! I decided to not get the Tile etc because I did not want to give my information to a third party, but I’m already deep in the apple ecosystem.

Find my is a great app that I use even to locate my devices in my own house.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#375

Very cool though I hope they make it clear that it's not worth going after items, even expensive items yourself if they were stolen rather than misplaced. Even if the police won't do anything about it and you know where the items are. In the bay area, they won't for instance. Just please don't go after it yourself. It will get people killed.

> In the bay area, they won't for instance.

Depends where in the Bay Area - it's a big place with a diverse grouping of cities. My local PD would definitely retrieve a stolen item if it were airtagged, but I imagine Oakland and San Jose would be a very different case.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#376

> provides a private and secure way to easily locate the items that matter most I am sorry but I couldn't stop laughing. How exactly is this private and secure? Only you know and a trillion dollar company :-) I would buy something like this if I could self host the server and it could operate on virtual LAN. But letting foreign company with questionable ethics know where is the stuff that I love?

Have you looked into this at all? Apple doesn't know the location of any of these things - ever. It's all spelled out in their very detailed white papers, but in short the location data is e2e encrypted and only available to your phone.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#379

I’m thinking about placing it inside my car

I was thinking the same thing. Can AirTag help me find my car if I forgot where I parked?

Your iPhone can do that on it's own if you connect it to a bluetooth or CarPlay headset when you're in the car... It will remember where you are when you disconnect from it and tag it on the map for you.

[1]https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/find-your-parked-car-...

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#380
It seems you can add the AirTag technology to a 3rd party product via MFi program.

Would it be possible to send a custom payload? E.g. with a status report (battery percentage, etc.)

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