Live data from Hacker News

Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

engadget.com

21–30 of 138 posts

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#22
post #12

My AirTags keep notifying me that I've left stuff behind and that it was last seen at my home address . Other times they notify me that something in the same room as me has been left behind 3 streets away.

> My AirTags keep notifying me that I've left stuff behind and that it was last seen at my home address.

After the 2nd or 3rd time this happened to me, the notification had an option to turn on like a "okay location" or however they phrased it. This stops that from happening when you lave it at a known/home address. That worked for me. You may have missed it?

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#23
post #10

A “Trust this AirTag” option, perhaps requiring the AirTag’s owner’s device to be involved as well, could solve this issue.

Why would the AirTag owner need to be involved? If I say that I trust a specific AirTag then it shouldn't matter what the owner thinks.

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#24
post #2

TLDR: Author has an airtag on their dog

It is a weirdly framed feature request. Sounds like they want some way to signal that this third party AirTag is actually "co-owned" or at least the user knows about it and silence (maybe even track).

Yes - it would make sense for them to be optionally, per-device, pooled in Family Sharing in my opinion.

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#25

> The problem is that the AirTag is registered to my partner’s device. That means that Apple doesn’t recognize my iPhone in connection with the AirTag, seeing the unknown tracker as a threat to my safety. > The notification provides an option to disable the AirTag, which would be helpful to stop an unwanted third-party from knowing your location. That feature renders the AirTag useless, though, so it would no longer…

The disable isn't a disable of notifications. It disables the airtag from reporting its status as an anti-stalking measure. So it wouldn't work for anyone.

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#26

Speaking of odd "Find My" notifications... Does this happen to anybody else: When I take a flight, I'll put my backpack with my M1 MBP into the overhead. Like clockwork, when I land, I get a notification that I left the laptop behind at the origin airport. This happens when I don't even touch the laptop inflight, so I could not have disabled BT or wifi. What metric is making Apple think the laptop was left behind?

At a guess: AirTags (and all Apple devices) get their location from nearby iPhones. If nearby passengers turn on Airplane Mode before departure, their phones stick to being located at the departure airport. When they land and turn off Airplane mode, there’s a short window where they broadcast their “current” location (the departure airport) before getting a new GPS signal. That’s what your M1 is picking up when you land.

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#27

Speaking of odd "Find My" notifications... Does this happen to anybody else: When I take a flight, I'll put my backpack with my M1 MBP into the overhead. Like clockwork, when I land, I get a notification that I left the laptop behind at the origin airport. This happens when I don't even touch the laptop inflight, so I could not have disabled BT or wifi. What metric is making Apple think the laptop was left behind?

[deleted]

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#28

> The problem is that the AirTag is registered to my partner’s device. That means that Apple doesn’t recognize my iPhone in connection with the AirTag, seeing the unknown tracker as a threat to my safety. > The notification provides an option to disable the AirTag, which would be helpful to stop an unwanted third-party from knowing your location. That feature renders the AirTag useless, though, so it would no longer…

The disable isn't a disable of notifications. It disables the airtag from reporting its status as an anti-stalking measure. So it wouldn't work for anyone.

> The disable isn't a disable of notifications. It disables the airtag from reporting its status as an anti-stalking measure. So it wouldn't work for anyone.

OHHHH okay, that makes more sense. That was the part of the puzzle that was confusing me. Thanks!

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#29
Is there any reason to believe that air tags actually enables or encourages otherwise non-stalkers into stalking? I'm not really inclined to believe so. Stalking isn't difficult or technically challenging thing to do. If you can get the chip on them then you can just follow them home and know where they live. Then you can stalk them whenever you want. The airtag maybe makes it more convenient but I don't think convenience is what dissuades non-stalkers. I can see more insecure people tracking their partner but there's already many other ways to do so. I don't really think this is an issue.

Re: Apple is convinced my dog is stalking me

#30
post #6

I recently bought a bunch of AirTags for my family: for our keys, our bike, our luggage. Annoyingly, every AirTag needs to be linked to a single iPhone. Even when everyone belongs to the same Family. AirTags also make annoying sounds every time I grab my keys to go out. They’re still the best UX on the market, but I wish Apple would improve the UX just a bit more. Maybe their policy folks are worried about news stori…

I switched back to tile because of this and haven’t regretted it.
Post reply on HN