Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
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Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#2I wonder if this modification could at least be made harder by having some kind of heartbeat. Build in a microphone whose sole purpose is to receive inaudible, high frequency impulses (maybe a hash signal?) from the speaker every once in a while. If the signal does not arrive in time, the AirTag shuts off.
Of course, no measure can beat physical access to the device but you could at least make the tampering about as expensive as building your own device from scratch.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#3I wonder if this modification could at least be made harder by having some kind of heartbeat. Build in a microphone whose sole purpose is to receive inaudible, high frequency impulses (maybe a hash signal?) from the speaker every once in a while. If the signal does not arrive in time, the AirTag shuts off. Of course, no measure can beat physical access to the device but you could at least make the tampering about as…
It wouldn't be hard to make a silent container for an airtag that'd let the audible signal reach the mic but not the alarm. Personally I think they'll eventually have to link every Airtag to a real identity so anyone detecting one knows who it really belongs to.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#4Taping them together tightly silences it. Airtags have to be the most nerfed product I've bought. Day one, they were fantastic. Then they lowered the beeping and rogue alerts to a threshold my wife gets them from my keys or wallet all the time. Then they just beep randomly. I regret buying them to be honest. Tile never really got harped on for stalking. The samsung trackers work just as well as Apple and don't have anti-stalking features.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#5Taping them together tightly silences it. Airtags have to be the most nerfed product I've bought. Day one, they were fantastic. Then they lowered the beeping and rogue alerts to a threshold my wife gets them from my keys or wallet all the time. Then they just beep randomly. I regret buying them to be honest. Tile never really got harped on for stalking. The samsung trackers work just as well as Apple and don't have a…
Samsung trackers do not work nearly as well imo. Or tile for that matter. I’ve tried most of them and AirTags are clearly on another level for better or worse
I do think AirTags should have a button like the Samsung ones, tho.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#6Not hard for a non-technical person to remove the speaker. Housing pops right open with a small flathead screwdriver. Then you just remove the speaker's magnet, no desoldering or anything like that required. Took 5 minutes.
I did it to one of mine to use it to track my bicycle if it ever gets stolen.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#7> To make it harder for stalkers to abuse them, Apple included (and has since upgraded) several safety features that will alert someone to the presence of a nearby AirTag that’s not their own, including an audible beep.
Is this saying that Apple is relying on the unknown tag to announce itself by emitting a beep, and is that true?
I think you want your management device (e.g. phone) to alert you to the presence of such a thing, not that thing itself.
(Of course, you still need to find it.)
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#8I guess I don't get it. For the price of an AirTag, you can buy a more capable tracker with GPS and mobile data. And it won't be notifying the trackee that it's there. The AirTag seems like a downgrade.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#9I wonder if this modification could at least be made harder by having some kind of heartbeat. Build in a microphone whose sole purpose is to receive inaudible, high frequency impulses (maybe a hash signal?) from the speaker every once in a while. If the signal does not arrive in time, the AirTag shuts off. Of course, no measure can beat physical access to the device but you could at least make the tampering about as…
It wouldn't be hard to make a silent container for an airtag that'd let the audible signal reach the mic but not the alarm. Personally I think they'll eventually have to link every Airtag to a real identity so anyone detecting one knows who it really belongs to.
> have to link every Airtag to a real identity
Isn't it already linked to your Apple account? Take the AirTag to the cops, they ask Apple who it belongs to.
Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online
#10I guess I don't get it. For the price of an AirTag, you can buy a more capable tracker with GPS and mobile data. And it won't be notifying the trackee that it's there. The AirTag seems like a downgrade.
It won’t last a year on a $1 battery nor will it be as small.