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Apple Introduces AirTag

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#401

Post by bobthepanda »

Zircom wrote: post #398
bobthepanda wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was definitely a time when they had no product that had replaceable batteries in their line. I swore Tile off when I found out the hard way that the battery gives out a year from time of sale, not from when you activate it.

Do you have a source for that? My partner got a me some Tiles for my birthday 9 months ago and I still haven't gotten around to actually putting them on anything, would hate to find out they're only good for 3 more months

Well, this is buried in their FAQ, emphasis mine: https://tileteam.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200550678-ReT...

> What if my battery dies early?

> We do not control the lifespan of your Tile; the battery is guaranteed to last a full year (or 3 years for Sticker and Slim) from your purchase date. Your Tiles are covered for 12 months by our worry-free warranty! If your Tile’s battery dies before a year has passed from the time of purchase, we’ll replace it free of charge. Our Customer Care team would be happy to help you!

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#402

Post by FateOfNations »

OkGoDoIt wrote: post #215
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 wonder how this works in practice? My main use for an AirTag would be to put on my cat’s collar. But if it starts beeping randomly that’s going to be a problem.

Apple's response would be that AirTag isn't designed for that use case, and that you should purchase a "Find My network enabled" collar for your cat from a third party (it's only a matter of time...)

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#403

Post by dharmab »

larrybud wrote: post #122
p49k wrote: post #59

I am so happy to finally rid myself of all Tile devices after this announcement. Tile has been one of the worst companies I’ve ever dealt with when it comes to dark patterns. Their app is one of the few I’d describe as having UI that’s actively hostile toward the customer.

In what way? I’m a tile user and can’t say that I’ve found their app to be hostile.

Mostly I find the app to be really pushy on sales.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#404

Post by cHaOs667 »

AirTag shows what Nokia tried to achieve with their Treasure Tag system back in 2014. Hopefully they work more reliable and that the Find My Network Accessory program will be implemented by more manufactures. Stuff like this can be useful for some people.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#405

Post by just-ok »

cute_boi wrote: post #190
matthew-wegner wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any iOS device will relay the AirTag’s beacons to iCloud—-not just your devices. If you lose a tracked device, you can see its location if a random person’s Internet-enabled iDevice hears any of its chirps. The stranger’s device doing the relaying is unable to decrypt the contents; it just forwards the data to Apple.

hmm I don't think I would like my device should send data for others property (AirTag) becons to cloud? Why should I spent my data cost to send beacons for someone else? I hope it can be disabled.

Yeah I’m surprised more people aren’t mentioning this: I’m really not a fan of being an involuntary participant in Apple’s mesh network.

I guess I could monitor my Bluetooth status more often, but the Control Center toggle (intentionally) doesn’t turn it off entirely...

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#406

Post by donclark »

DangerousPie wrote: post #400
donclark wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. The product could be much better for what it is/does. What I listed is probably the best case scenario. If it had 1 or more of the things I was looking for - I would consider it. I will add "one more thing"... recharges wirelessly so that if it is on my dog, and I have the charger near his bed... way cool.

If it could do my laundry I'd buy it!

Speaking of, why hasnt Apple produced a home robot?!? One that is capable of loading and unloading the diswasher, same with laundry, take out the trash, take bins to curb on trash day, etc.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#409

Post by gnicholas »

fshbbdssbbgdd wrote: post #355
gnicholas wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a good question. I wonder what the period of time is required before it notifies you about potential stalking. If it is more time than would typically take for someone to realize that the item is stolen, then perhaps it’s not such a big deal. But if it’s only 30 minutes or so, a thief could be notified that they’ve stolen a bicycle that’s being tracked before you come out of the grocery store, movie theater,…

30 minutes seems totally infeasible. People hang out for 30 minutes all the time.

The anti-stalking warning is only triggered if the airtag isn’t near the owner.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#410

Post by Closi »

Hadriel wrote: post #331
endisneigh wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Downvoted because this is literally addressed in the article: > AirTag is also designed with a set of proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking, an industry first. Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rotate frequently to prevent unwanted location tracking. iOS devices can also detect an AirTag that isn’t with its owner, and notify the user if an unknown AirTag is seen to be traveling with th…

just wrap the airtag in something that reduces sound and now u can track android users. no one is gonna head something on the bottom of their car.

Or, you know, just buy a cheap mobile phone and use any one of the number of existing android tracking apps.
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