Recently purchased a used car. Started receiving notification of an “unknown AirTag near me” but when playing the sound am unable to access the AirTag to disable it. Essentially someone is able to track where we live, work, etc.
To be clear, this is not our AirTag, and we’re very concerned on how to move forward.
ToddLev wrote:
Good Morning,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m not sure it’s viable to travel without a phone, which is the concern we have for our safety.
I totally agree. Did you purchase this car from a dealer or directly from an individual? You may want to speak with either to find out if they know anything about this AirTag being in the car.
Also, I’ve read that they can take a year for the battery to die so I don’t want to wait and let someone track my family and I for months and months.
Yes, that is true for both cases. These AirTag rely on the Apple's Find My Network, which consists of literally millions of iPhones to relay their information to Apple. As long as there is any iPhone within Bluetooth range when the tag transmits (approx. every 3-5 mins), and that iPhone has an active Internet connection, the phone will relay that info.
However, even if the tag's speaker was disabled, you should see its location with the Find My app on your iPhone. If you have a newer iPhone model, you can use Precision Tracking to try to locate it.
There’s no way Apple can find it and disable it? I could call and provide the exact location of the car for you.
No, Apple does not get involved. The information that is relayed to Apple is encrypted. Even Apple cannot access it. Regardless, it would only provide the iPhone's GPS location, not necessarily the tag's ... as the tag has no idea where it is. We are not Apple employees, even if we were, calling "us" would not help you in this situation.
I have an iPhone 14. I can see it (see picture below) but can’t do much else. I have been able to hear the sound, but it’s very hard to pinpoint and would require multiple pieces of paneling to come off.
Try looking for it in the Find My app on your iPhone. Since you have an iPhone 14 it should have Precision Finding to help you further to locate it.
Again, I would contact whomever you bought this car from for help. Otherwise, yes, you will be required to disassemble your car until you can find it. Sorry! There's nothing anyone here can do to help you with this. If it was me, I would return the car and demand a full refund if the seller doesn't know where the tag is.
ToddLev wrote:
Good Morning,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m not sure it’s viable to travel without a phone, which is the concern we have for our safety.
I totally agree. Did you purchase this car from a dealer or directly from an individual? You may want to speak with either to find out if they know anything about this AirTag being in the car.
Also, I’ve read that they can take a year for the battery to die so I don’t want to wait and let someone track my family and I for months and months.
Yes, that is true for both cases. These AirTag rely on the Apple's Find My Network, which consists of literally millions of iPhones to relay their information to Apple. As long as there is any iPhone within Bluetooth range when the tag transmits (approx. every 3-5 mins), and that iPhone has an active Internet connection, the phone will relay that info.
However, even if the tag's speaker was disabled, you should see its location with the Find My app on your iPhone. If you have a newer iPhone model, you can use Precision Tracking to try to locate it.
There’s no way Apple can find it and disable it? I could call and provide the exact location of the car for you.
No, Apple does not get involved. The information that is relayed to Apple is encrypted. Even Apple cannot access it. Regardless, it would only provide the iPhone's GPS location, not necessarily the tag's ... as the tag has no idea where it is. We are not Apple employees, even if we were, calling "us" would not help you in this situation.
I have an iPhone 14. I can see it (see picture below) but can’t do much else. I have been able to hear the sound, but it’s very hard to pinpoint and would require multiple pieces of paneling to come off.
Try looking for it in the Find My app on your iPhone. Since you have an iPhone 14 it should have Precision Finding to help you further to locate it.
Again, I would contact whomever you bought this car from for help. Otherwise, yes, you will be required to disassemble your car until you can find it. Sorry! There's nothing anyone here can do to help you with this. If it was me, I would return the car and demand a full refund if the seller doesn't know where the tag is.
It is very possible that the person that placed this AirTag in your car, also removed the tag's speaker. This would make it impossible to have it make a sound. Your only option is to go physically looking for it.
In order for them to "see" the location of this tag is if your iPhone is with you in the car. Until you can locate it, it may be best to keep your phone powered off.
The tag works by transmitting a Bluetooth signal with its ID information. Any iPhone within Bluetooth range can pick up this signal and relay both the tag's ID and the phone's GPS location, encrypted, to the Apple servers over an Internet connection. That connection can either be by a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. This is where the tag's owner would see the tag's location in the Find My app on their phone.
Even if you can't locate it, its battery will eventually get depleted and it will no longer be able to transmit that signal.
In addition to the notification, do you see the tag on the Find My app on your iPhone? If so, which exact model is your phone?
Good Morning,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m not sure it’s viable to travel without a phone, which is the concern we have for our safety. Also, I’ve read that they can take a year for the battery to die so I don’t want to wait and let someone track my family and I for months and months.
There’s no way Apple can find it and disable it? I could call and provide the exact location of the car for you.
I have an iPhone 14. I can see it (see picture below) but can’t do much else. I have been able to hear the sound, but it’s very hard to pinpoint and would require multiple pieces of paneling to come off.
Thank you,
AirTag in car, but unable to access it to disable!
