Apple Air Tag as a tracker

[Wighty]

Saw a news story earlier today that mentioned an Air Tag , never heard of it before . They are about £25-30 and can be used like a find my phone thingy .
They are button sized with a long life battery and can be attached to keys and other small items .
Has anyone used them as backup car security?
I was thinking it might be handy on holiday for the car .

 

[LostKiwi]

Looks like the apple version of the Tile.

I have a Tile on all my keys and it's been brilliant. Battery lasts over a year and it's helped me find my keys or Roses keys numerous times.

The issue with using these things for anywhere outside the home is they rely on Bluetooth or other short range radio to connect to another phone that's running the app and that phone then reporting where it is. As a result your very dependent on the uptake of the device and it's application software.

 

[s5tuart]

Can't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[AnthonyUK]

I use Tile. I had one bike stolen from the train station I used when commuting.
I bought a new bike and hid a Tile on it. That also was stolen, or most of it at least and a week later I got a notification that it was in a property close to the station.
I called the police and my bike was recovered along with my other one and around a dozen more.

I bought Tiles for most of the family. AirTags should be just as effective as a basic tile but maybe not the range the pro one I have on the bike has.

Edit - one thing I would want to check is whether the Apple devices would be able to be detected by someone else if they stole the car as there is a feature to prevent unwanted surveillance

What to do if you receive an alert that an AirTag, set of AirPods, Find My network accessory or compatible Bluetooth location-tracking device is with you – Apple Support (UK)

AirTag lets you easily track things such as your keys, wallet, purse, backpack, luggage and more. Simply set it up with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and attach it to your item, and your AirTag will appear in the Items tab in the Find My app.

support.apple.com

 

[Manc Rick]

I have one hidden in my car, as an additional layer of security. My previous car was stolen via burglary back in April so since then I have put several things in place; the air tag is just another layer.

 

[Rotorhead500]

I use Tile. I had one bike stolen from the train station I used when commuting.
I bought a new bike and hid a Tile on it. That also was stolen, or most of it at least and a week later I got a notification that it was in a property close to the station.
I called the police and my bike was recovered along with my other one and around a dozen more.

I bought Tiles for most of the family. AirTags should be just as effective as a basic tile but maybe not the range the pro one I have on the bike has.

Edit - one thing I would want to check is whether the Apple devices would be able to be detected by someone else if they stole the car as there is a feature to prevent unwanted surveillance

What to do if you receive an alert that an AirTag, set of AirPods, Find My network accessory or compatible Bluetooth location-tracking device is with you – Apple Support (UK)

AirTag lets you easily track things such as your keys, wallet, purse, backpack, luggage and more. Simply set it up with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and attach it to your item, and your AirTag will appear in the Items tab in the Find My app.

support.apple.com

Had they been stolen too???

 

[Wighty]

Had they been stolen too???

Of course not your honor , I’m just an avid collector

 

[Wighty]

Tile does look interesting as well , especially as it’s Android . I better up my game , all this new fangled tech is alien to the occupants of chez Wighty

 

[AnthonyUK]

Had they been stolen too???

They only use them for finding their keys.

 

[Chrishazle]

The original story was about an American model who had one slipped into her coat pocket (hung over the back of her chair while she was out at the loo) by a stalker who then followed her back to her home - she found it when she checked her iPhone and it reported an unknown device. Scary, especially for her. Today's Telegraph, possibly others reported the story.