I get that this feature is there to protect against unwanted tracking, but is this feature going to reduce the usefulness of the air tag when an item is stolen? How long does it take before a thief is notified they are being tracked?
If the thief is aware they are being tracked they will probably remove and discard the air tag from the item they have stolen?
AirTag
You are absolutely right! The AirTag, in a number of cases, is not designed to help if an item of yours is stolen. IMHO, Apple had to make a compromise between usefulness vs. safety.
That's one reason, companies that offer discreet GPS trackers, like LoJack, are in business. GPS trackers, in almost all cases, do not notify thieves of their presence.
An AirTag, that relies on Bluetooth, and more importantly, the Apple Find My Network (which consists of millions of iPhones) makes it nearly impossible for it not to be detected. Even without an iPhone (or Android), when the tag is outside the Bluetooth range of the iPhone it paired with, it will start randomly beeping. Again, all of this was to prevent miscreants from staking their victims.
You are absolutely right! The AirTag, in a number of cases, is not designed to help if an item of yours is stolen. IMHO, Apple had to make a compromise between usefulness vs. safety.
That's one reason, companies that offer discreet GPS trackers, like LoJack, are in business. GPS trackers, in almost all cases, do not notify thieves of their presence.
An AirTag, that relies on Bluetooth, and more importantly, the Apple Find My Network (which consists of millions of iPhones) makes it nearly impossible for it not to be detected. Even without an iPhone (or Android), when the tag is outside the Bluetooth range of the iPhone it paired with, it will start randomly beeping. Again, all of this was to prevent miscreants from staking their victims.
jake_daniel wrote:
I get that this feature is there to protect against unwanted tracking, but is this feature going to reduce the usefulness of the air tag when an item is stolen? How long does it take before a thief is notified they are being tracked?
If the thief is aware they are being tracked they will probably remove and discard the air tag from the item they have stolen?
Apple specifically (in very big letters) markets AirTags as a way to help you stop losing stuff. They really don't make mention of AirTags being useful is something is stolen. And with good reason, I suspect. Apple probably doesn't want to be responsible for people going after their stolen belongings and getting hurt.
The AirTag is compact, and if discreetly concealed, you can track it. However, don't anticipate pinpoint accuracy; instead, expect an approximate location.
Bombay_Computers wrote:
The AirTag is compact, and if discreetly concealed, you can track it. However, don't anticipate pinpoint accuracy; instead, expect an approximate location.
While that it true, it's not actually an answer to the question.
Air Tag unwanted tracking feature - not useful when an item is stolen?
