Live data from Hacker News

Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

apple.com

511–520 of 778 posts

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#511
post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought one for my cat, never did help with finding him, just the general area. They're not great for tracking things that move on their own, or things that avoid people.

we have them for our cats, they're great. Sometimes they're hiding in bushes and we don't realize they're 10 ft away. Other times they're down by the neighbor's house. It's not perfect but it tells us which direction more or less. And definitely more peace of mind if they ever got lost. They They make breakaway collars so if they get caught on something it won't trap them.

Can't compete with a Tractive, though.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#512

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I don't think this is true. It's probably true that there's a pervasive belief that a hungry person probably shouldn't be punished for stealing food. Other kinds of property crime? The costs of enforcement are high compared to the losses caused by individual cases, prioritization is understandably a difficult problem to solve.

It's not a hard problem to solve, you scale the punishment for the cases you prosecute so high that it makes the expected value of stealing a suitcase negative

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#513

The new AirTag requires a compatible iPhone with iOS 26 or later, or iPad with iPadOS 26 or later. Oh come the fuck ON . I'm not installing your silly fuzzy UI, Apple. Get over it.

Actually, I feel the same! The new UI is so absolutely terrible that I’ve decided to sit this version of iOS out. So I also will not buy the new AirTags for the same reason!

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#514
post #318

Unfortunately the anti-stalking features have made Airtag mostly useless for theft prevention. You have less than an hour to retrieve your item before the tag alerts the thief they are being tracked. I've seen it trigger as quickly as 30 minutes.

I developed a device that turns an Airtag on and off at specific intervals (roughly 80% off 20% on). While the AirTag is off, it can’t be detected, and when it turns on again, you can locate it and with it your stolen item: https://undetectag.com I'm about to order the new version to check whether it works on it too

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#515
post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering theft is a property crime and stalking is often a prelude to much worse, I think they made the right choice.

Hard disagree. I am not and would not use an AirTag for stalking, and yet I am being punished for others doing it. It’s not fair to me.

I'm sorry, but that's silly. The argument is the other way around: would you like to be stalked by an airtag?

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if they're regular citizens. Somehow masked federal thugs don't get shot; somehow the 2nd Amendment gun-humpers who so opposed federal tyranny have disappeared.

We haven't disappeared. Look at Rep. Massie. Quite the contrary. Events such as these reveal who really believe in a sovereign, free, people and who is just cosplaying. For example, Pritti and Rittenhouse were completely within their rights to be armed at a protest. Rittenhouse defended himself against a mob that started attacking him unprovoked; Pritti was executed by federal agents.

What an absolute crock. Rittenhouse traveled across state lines to shoot people, not protest; and he was not "attacked by a mob." He was attacked by a couple of people AFTER he murdered others.

And gee... he's notably absent from Minneapolis. Why is he not "defending" people from tyranny now? Because he's a coward who only goes on field trips to shoot unarmed people.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#517
post #318

Unfortunately the anti-stalking features have made Airtag mostly useless for theft prevention. You have less than an hour to retrieve your item before the tag alerts the thief they are being tracked. I've seen it trigger as quickly as 30 minutes.

Can it alert of my item being moved? Because it seems quite useless for the bicycle example in their screenshot. My Samsung SmartTag gives me a notification if the bike changes position and I'm not nearby. Actually giving me a chance to track it down.

Not that I’ve found. Seems pretty reasonable trade off to me if it notified both parties rather than just the person with the tag

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#518
post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do these tags need to be configured on both networks to support both protocols? If I own an Android device and configure it there, will Apple devices still find the tag? How does that work?

The Chipolos that I have purchased appear on my phone when first presented, then do not offer to pair to other users' Find Hubs unless I deregister. I imagine that Airtag functionality is disabled when Find Hub configures these tags. I have heard in the commentary here that Chipolo is now making dual-network devices, but only one can be active at a time. Apple has a larger and more sensitive network, so uses requirin…

Thank you.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#519
post #443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not your fault for leaving your property in your car. Wild to say that.

It 100% is if you live in or operate in a high crime area known for vehicle break-ins. Like OP of the comment.

Sure but in a less broken society thieves would be apprehended and theft risk would be low. Instead the police do nothing and honest people live like a school of fish trying not to stick out for fear of the nearly-authorized property theft rampant in SF.

In many parts of the world, including major cities, it would be okay to leave your belongings in a locked car.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#520
post #311
post #308

So they made it impossible to remove speaker, destroying its usability as a theft tracking device. One could add an airtag with a removed speaker on a bike/scooter/car and then localize it in case of theft. With the new airtag any thief will be quickly notified they are tracked.

There's an inherent conflict between use as a theft tracking device, and use as a stalking device. Both situations are pretty indistinguishable. Apple is prioritizing reducing the AirTag's utility to stalkers.

There are ways to use AirTags that are true stalking methods and these aren't currently mitigated by Apple. If anything this is a false sense of security. Nerfing their product seems more like corporate CYA than concern for public safety.
Post reply on HN