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ach

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 13, 2012
56
11
Hi, I just found out that there is a magnet in the Airtag. It is magnetic on the plast side. It wiped out my hotel’s room card twice before I found out. I keep my Airtag in my wallet in the zipper pouch. I know it didn’t wipe out my all credit cards yet. I wonder how close it has to be to wipe it out? What happens if is attached to a key chains?

It is nice that it is magnet, I can stick it to a metal surface in my card without a holder. Is there a way to remove it by taking the battery cover off?
 

Lihp8270

macrumors 65816
Dec 31, 2016
1,145
1,621
Hi, I just found out that there is a magnet in the Airtag. It is magnetic on the plast side. It wiped out my hotel’s room card twice before I found out. I keep my Airtag in my wallet in the zipper pouch. I know it didn’t wipe out my all credit cards yet. I wonder how close it has to be to wipe it out? What happens if is attached to a key chains?

It is nice that it is magnet, I can stick it to a metal surface in my card without a holder. Is there a way to remove it by taking the battery cover off?
Reprogrammable cards like hotel cards or cheap stuff like transport tickets have much weaker magnetic strips than bank cards.

Magnets will wipe these temporary magnetic strips. But magnets in consumer devices will not wipe a credit card.
 
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ach

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 13, 2012
56
11
That must be the magnet for the speaker. So, there are plenty of YouTube's now on how to remove the speaker.
Duh, makes sense it is the speaker. Since I don’t have a newer iPhone, without the speaker, I won’t be able to find it in most areas. I have to find some way to block the field on the plastic side.

Lihp8270 -I guess I have to be careful what I put my wallet and face the plastic side away of the Airtag from the cards.

Thanks.
 

iMattPro

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2021
50
161
who's still using the mag strip on a card anymore? with chips, tap to pay, and of course Apple Pay, its got to be a real desperate situation to still need the mag strip.
 
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TiggrToo

macrumors 601
Aug 24, 2017
4,205
8,838
who's still using the mag strip on a card anymore? with chips, tap to pay, and of course Apple Pay, its got to be a real desperate situation to still need the mag strip.

Most pumps in gas stations in the USA seem to still want the mag strip.
 

seinman

macrumors 6502a
Jun 15, 2011
601
757
Philadelphia
who's still using the mag strip on a card anymore? with chips, tap to pay, and of course Apple Pay, its got to be a real desperate situation to still need the mag strip.
Hotel keys, my badge to clock in and out at work, nearly all gas pumps, many ATMs, small shops that use older hardware, parking lot/garage claim tickets, mass transit tickets and passes... do I need to keep going, or are those enough examples of widely used magnetic cards for you?
 

michaelb5000

macrumors regular
Sep 23, 2015
228
168
Hotel key cards have been demagnetizing themselves for years. Are we really sure this was the airtag? Seems like we would need a controlled trial with 25 cards each, one set exposed to a tag and the other in a wallet.
 
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ach

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 13, 2012
56
11
who's still using the mag strip on a card anymore? with chips, tap to pay, and of course Apple Pay, its got to be a real desperate situation to still need the mag strip.
Most transit system, worse, you loose all the remaining credit on it and it is not refundable.
 

fischersd

macrumors 603
Oct 23, 2014
5,380
1,942
Port Moody, BC, Canada
Hotel key cards have been demagnetizing themselves for years. Are we really sure this was the airtag? Seems like we would need a controlled trial with 25 cards each, one set exposed to a tag and the other in a wallet.
Even putting them in your wallet with your credit cards can nuke the charge, they're so weak.

Honestly, surprised any hotels are still using magnetic - they long should have switched over to RFID by now.

Oh, and for the OP - I'd just leave the AirTag, unmodified. You'll likely end up buggering it up and you'd void your warranty if you modify it at all.

Give it a few months - someone (Belkin?) will be coming out with something like Tile's thin card that works with the Find My network.
 

ach

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 13, 2012
56
11
I placed the card on the opposite side of where the credit cards were. There were also other things in between, including the Airtag. I specifically have placed hotel cards there in the past, but with no Airtag. The Airtag magnetic is fairly strong, I can place it on the refrigerator door and it will stay there. I don't need any velcro to stick it in the car if I can find a suitable metal surface.
 
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