Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

apple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 508 posts

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#321

Post by gnicholas »

tshaddox wrote: post #136
gnicholas wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's nuts that there's no family sharing ability, which would moot this common issue.

Is there really no family sharing features? I see this complaint all the time, but I've never once had a warning despite my wife and I both having AirTags on our car keys ever since they were released. We've had our car complain when one pair of keys are left in it, but never a peep from the AirTags.

The issue is that it thinks you’re being tracked when someone else’s AirTag is near you for a period of time, but the owner isn’t. So if you’re with your wife and her keys, no problem. If you borrow her keys and leave the house without her, then it’s triggered.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#322

Post by bitcurious »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #240

> Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement. We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged. This makes me wonder, could Apple go fu…

Lose a pair of keys? With that system in place anyone who finds them can trivially find out what door they open.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#323

Post by Wowfunhappy »

w-ll wrote: post #243
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #240

> Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement. We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged. This makes me wonder, could Apple go fu…

> And, I don't think there's any technical reason Apple couldn't do it, right? Technical no; Adding a fraction of a penny to engrave the uuid on the tag is a non-starter.

Well, Apple could potentially make users download an app to read the UUID (hopefully not iOS-only), although obviously printing it would be better.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#325

Post by arsome »

concinds wrote: post #119

Android users are still vulnerable, and these announcements do nothing to reduce that. All a stalker needs to do, is remove the speaker. To detect a rogue AirTag, an Android owner needs to: 1) know AirTags exist (many obviously don't) 2) go out of their way to install Apple's Android AirTag scanner app (only 100k-500k worldwide have done so according to Google Play stats) 3) manually open the scanner app and scan, si…

People are actually selling AirTags with the speakers already disabled, this is a massive hole they're consistently overlooking.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#326

Post by oxplot »

arsome wrote: post #325
concinds wrote: post #119

Android users are still vulnerable, and these announcements do nothing to reduce that. All a stalker needs to do, is remove the speaker. To detect a rogue AirTag, an Android owner needs to: 1) know AirTags exist (many obviously don't) 2) go out of their way to install Apple's Android AirTag scanner app (only 100k-500k worldwide have done so according to Google Play stats) 3) manually open the scanner app and scan, si…

People are actually selling AirTags with the speakers already disabled, this is a massive hole they're consistently overlooking.

Addressed head-on in the press release:

> Display alert with sound: When AirTag automatically emits a sound to alert anyone nearby of its presence and is detected moving with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, we will also display an alert on your device that you can then take action on, like playing a sound or using Precision Finding, if available. This will help in cases where the AirTag may be in a location where it is hard to hear, or if the AirTag speaker has been tampered with.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#327

Post by bombcar »

matteotom wrote: post #319
mtlynch wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I was driving and we left without recognizing that a few hundred dollars of keys had been lost. What do you mean by "a few hundred dollars of keys?" Do hardware stores charge more than a few dollars per key in your area? Were these private keys to a crypto wallet?

If your car has a smart key, it can be over $100 to replace and another $100 to have a dealer or locksmith re-program it. Edit, more things that are expensive: - if you live in an apartment with nfc entry, they might charge an arm and a leg to replace it, even if the actual device is only a few dollars - IDK how much it costs to replace an apartment mailbox key, but I've been warned that if you lose one they need to…

And the AirTag is another $30!

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#328

Post by anormaluser »

oxplot wrote: post #318
concinds wrote: post #119

Android users are still vulnerable, and these announcements do nothing to reduce that. All a stalker needs to do, is remove the speaker. To detect a rogue AirTag, an Android owner needs to: 1) know AirTags exist (many obviously don't) 2) go out of their way to install Apple's Android AirTag scanner app (only 100k-500k worldwide have done so according to Google Play stats) 3) manually open the scanner app and scan, si…

Like sibling post mentioned, you don't seem to be the target audience. I know a lot of people, friends and family, who constantly leave stuff behind, in restaurants, other people's places, on the train, in shops, you name it. 99% of the time, no one's gonna steal it, but trying to figure out where the hell you left something, if you do leave stuff behind often, becomes increasingly difficult. With something like an A…

How expensive is your umbrella? Just curious.

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#329

Post by DenisM »

p1mrx wrote: post #234
DenisM wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Destroy the speaker and hide the device inside a tire, steerer tube, or other such place? I mean the thief will get notified, but what are they going to do? Dismount tires, disassemble steering assembly, remove the grips, undo the saddle, bottle mount, Garmin mount, bash guard, lights, etc? This all takes time and skill, it can’t be done on the spot and if they dragged the bike home or to a fence they have already di…

Would those locations actually work? A tire is a physically violent place, and a steering tube looks a lot like a faraday cage.

Only one way to find out!

Also this: https://www.amazon.com/EFEALL-Anti-Theft-Protection-Compatib...

And this: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/fork-cork-inspired-s...

Re: An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking

#330

Post by oxplot »

anormaluser wrote: post #328
oxplot wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like sibling post mentioned, you don't seem to be the target audience. I know a lot of people, friends and family, who constantly leave stuff behind, in restaurants, other people's places, on the train, in shops, you name it. 99% of the time, no one's gonna steal it, but trying to figure out where the hell you left something, if you do leave stuff behind often, becomes increasingly difficult. With something like an A…

How expensive is your umbrella? Just curious.

$50-ish — but that's not the point. I value my belongings because I spend great deal of time researching and finding products that I love using day in day out (unlike most people who constantly curse at stuff they have). I also modify things I buy to fine tune it to my needs. So even a $50 umbrella is more like $1000 in terms of time I've spent on it and I have no intention of doing it again. This particular umbrella was purchased 20 years ago in Spain.
Post reply on HN