711–720 of 966 posts
How do these devices connect to the Internet? Do they have a built-in SIM? I'm not sure what they piggyback off of technologically that gets around having to pay some small SIM subscription.
(+ privacy and encryption ofc)
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AirTags are anonymous to other end users . Obviously Apple is internally maintaining an association between the AirTag's permanent identifier, and its current temporary signal identifier. This isn't E2EE or anything.
"Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage." "Only you can see where your AirTag is.…
I’m curious what others are planning to use these for (or what they use Tiles, etc. for). I could see putting one on my keys, maybe a backpack. What else?
I'd install one in my grandma if it could be implanted :D
RIP Tile
It uses BT right ? So how can it be useful on luggages, like in their ad ? If someone steals it or the airport lose it, BT is of not use here, isnt it ? Someone help me undertand, it's a genuine question.
Did you read the linked page? "If AirTag is separated from its owner and out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network can help track it down. The Find My network is approaching a billion Apple devices and can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and relay the location back to its owner, all in the background, anonymously and privately." And before you fly off the handle about privacy: yes it is secure, yes it i…
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It's a good idea to turn off location services on all Apple devices systemwide. Having it on sends your location over the network to Apple (via visible Wi-Fi MAC address lists) all the time - it's not just passive GPS reception. Apple then shares this data with the US federal government without the requirement for a warrant, whenever they ask via a FISA request. No probable cause of criminal activity is required: it…
Do you have a source for this claim? Yes, all mobile manufacturers seed their AGPS databases from phones they control. Basically sending data that tells them what SSIDs are visible at certain locations. But I'm pretty sure Apple is actively not combining that data with your identity. They have zero reason to do that.
Whether Apple runs a join on this data in their databases or not is irrelevant.
I take it these don't function at all with devices earlier than iPhone 11?
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I'll be blunt: Neither of those use cases are very important in comparison, and neither come remotely close to justifying AirTags as unlimited tracking devices with zero restrictions. Just go buy some other tracker for your cat or whatever.
I care a fuck-ton more about finding my dog if lost than my bag. A bag can be replaced with an identical one. A dog cannot. Current GPS collars are absolutely trash (3 day battery life, bulky, etc), this would be about 10,000 times better if effective. But if it starts beeping randomly unprompted and scares the dog, it's a problem.
I wonder if they can be stolen off of cats walking around streets of I don't know say Palo Alto... and re-paired to a new iPhone. Can this pose a theft hazard to the cats?
Adding a $30 device to your cat doesn't make the cat markedly more at risk.