What will you track with AirTags?

[maflynn]

I dont get how people lose their keys. I guess some dont pay attention to what their doing. Id put these on my cat, dog, child, wife, inside daughters car

Its quite easy, I normally put keys down on spot A. However in my distracted state, I put them down on spot X clear across the house. Maybe I leave my keys in my pants, and when I change pants, I throw that pair on the bed, where the keys fallout of the pocket, in between the mattress and footboard.

Its quite easy (I guess at least for me) to misplace my keys and then struggle to find them - usually at the most inopportune time

 

[Wando64]

View attachment 1762790

I'm curious what kind of things others plan to track. Here's my list so far.

1. Keys (2)
2. Dogs (2)
3. Backpack
4. Camera gear bag
5. Sunglasses (not sure on this one; but I saw a case offered and I lose my glasses)

I am curious to understand what you are aiming to achieve by having one on your dogs.
They are not GPS equipped and at best they will help you locate a stationary item in the proximity of other iPhone users.
I am not trying to belittle your efforts, but just trying to understand your use case.
Thanks.

 

[randfee2]

sorry guys... I really don't see the point of these AirTags because of the 'privacy'/anti-tracking functionality. Seems useless to retrieve stolen property then. sad!

I would have attached it to

• my bike
• my camera bag
• my backpack
• wallet

mostly for the reason that somebody could steal these items. But if the thief has an iPhone, these tags will shut down and even give away their position? --> Useless to track stolen items then :-/
The only functionality remaining is finding my own stuff if I misplace it at home, work or other protected places where other people wouldn't move it.

It also seems to be missing a key feature which would be an immediate alarm if phone and key or wallet get separated for more than 5 meters (while outside of protected areas like home, work etc.

I'll likely look at the competition and write my own app for it if the API allows it. I've build a LoRa beacon/tracker a year ago... need to start looking into UWB. These indoor positioning systems are interesting.

 

[maflynn]

sorry guys... I really don't see the point of these AirTags because of the 'privacy'/anti-tracking functionality. Seems useless to retrieve stolen property then. sad!

Not sad, one size doesn't fit all. I get what you're saying and for your stated needs, its clear the air tags are not a good fit. That doesn't make them a bad product, it just means they're not a product that fir your needs, i.e., antitheft/stolen product tracking. These are for those people (like me) that misplaces stuff. Its not a product that you should rely on to keep your bike or camera bag safe from being stolen or getting it back.

Apple (to my knowledge) never marketed the air tags that way

 

[Wando64]

I dont get how people lose their keys. I guess some dont pay attention to what their doing. Id put these on my cat, dog, child, wife, inside daughters car

Nobody ever lose their keys... until the day when they do, and I promise you that on that day they will be in a great hurry to get somewhere.

I am in my mid 50 and it only happened once to me.
I did more swearing on that day than during the rest of my life.

 

[Wando64]

It also seems to be missing a key feature which would be an immediate alarm if phone and key or wallet get separated for more than 5 meters (while outside of protected areas like home, work etc.

Absolutely.
I can only imagine it is a matter of time before this gets implemented as an option.

 

[richardamp]

All this talk of losing car keys. My car key has Find My already built into the key itself. Definitely the way to go.

 

[bookcase]

I can think of two times in my 48 years that I've lost something: a digital watch when I was in grade school and a discman I put down at an ATM and forgot. So I don't really see the point in these. But that didn't stop me from ordering one for my keyring just to try it out. Engraving is I❤️NY along with a black Belkin keyring. I would've ordered the official Apple keyring -- I love the red -- but not at a cost higher than the tag itself.

 

[tgara]

Oh you know what would be a good idea? If they made an Airpods case with an insert for the Airtag. I can see an entire third party accessory marketplace come from this.

Yes I know you can already kinda track your airpods, but it’s not as good as airtag.

There's a seller on Amazon selling silicone AirTags holders that look like a keychain, and in one photo they show that keyring attached to an AirPods case that has a little tab with a hole in it. The metal ring of the keyring goes through the hole in the tab. Looks nice.

SMASAMDE Silicone Protective Cover for Air Tags, Cases for Air Tags, Scratch Resistant Cases for Air Tags, Sweat Resistant Case for Air Tags

SMASAMDE Silicone Protective Cover for Air Tags, Cases for Air Tags, Scratch Resistant Cases for Air Tags, Sweat Resistant Case for Air Tags

www.amazon.com

 

[tgara]

All this talk of losing car keys. My car key has Find My already built into the key itself. Definitely the way to go.

That's what I was thinking, brilliant! Which car if I may ask?

Since many transponders for new cars work on Bluetooth, it seems logical for the manufacturer to incorporate the FindMy protocol into the transponder itself, especially since Apple has made FindMy available publicly.

 

[lars666]

It also seems to be missing a key feature which would be an immediate alarm if phone and key or wallet get separated for more than 5 meters (while outside of protected areas like home, work etc.

Will be interesting what the distance choice is – real-world scenario could quickly become annoying. Visiting a friend / a café with your AirTag-ed backpack, going to the toilet / buying another coffee at the desk while leaving your backpack on your table / in the hallway etc. I really can imagine that a lot of real-world "false alarm" problems will reveal once those things are out there. (Already with the current fuctionality.)

That said I am hoping for such a feature, too.

 

[Jamesk811]

To track my wife and know all her movements

 

[dbassy]

People keep saying track their cars..
1. Won’t cars with Apple CarPlay have a U1 chip in them?
2. Are people regularly getting their cars stolen?
3. Apple maps already tracks your cars location if it is connected to Bluetooth. And remembers where you turned it off and where you parked it...
4. Do we think new AirPods will have the same built in tech soon to track them properly? The current way of finding them now doesn’t really work

 

[dbassy]

I ordered 8 AirTags so far:

1. Keys (6)
2. Backpack (1)
3. Sunglasses (saw Nomad case as well, it is tempting, just not sure if I want to have to take AirTags out for pool/lake days)

---

Considering for next purchase (will have to make a separate Apple ID):

1. Dogs (2)
2. Chickens (14) - will engrave with "??"
3. Cars (4)
4. AppleTV Remote (2)
5. Luggage (6-7)

Where are your chickens going?

maybe find an air tag in a cat or dogs stomach...

 

[riverfreak]

Why do people think that this is a real time tracker with GPS and cellular? It’s a precision tracking device without networking capability nor GPS which broadcasts a Bluetooth and then UWB signal for tracking items in relative proximity. The bonus is that if another iOS device running iOS 13 or above is in proximity, it will also record the location of your lost item but it’s still not a real time GPS tracker.

I bought a pack of 4 and I’m giving one or two to my family members. I may put one in the car and see if it helps locate the car in a busy car park, another … I’m not sure, since I don’t bring keys now having changed to digital locks at home.

Exactly.

AirTags are for locating misplaced items. They rely on the kindness of strangers to help you locate something misplaced — passively through the FindMy network, or actively by scanning the NFC component of the tag.

For AirTags to work as a stolen item tracker, you have to hope that the privacy protections built into the system fail.

I have to say, I am deeply, deeply skeptical that AirTag privacy protections will work flawlessly and as expected. When privacy protections work as expected, individuals will only be able to be tracked for a short time and thieves will have a small window to find and discard the device. When they fail — and they will — we’ll see reports of individuals tracked by stalkers and of stolen items recovered by owners.

 

[TVreporter]

Still rocking non-U1 devices - really want to see how well it works with Bluetooth alone before purchasing.

Definitely want one for my puppy, kids school bags and figure out to add to an Apple TV remote - so dumb they never added U1 to the new version.

 

[maflynn]

Still rocking non-U1 devices - really want to see how well it works with Bluetooth alone before purchasing.

I believe just like a tile. It will make a sound as you get closer

 

[MisterSavage]

There's some confusion about the capabilities of the AirTags. They are NOT trackers. You cannot put it in a kid and track him. Not work like that. This thing has not GPS, not cellular. If you want to track your kid, give him an Apple Watch.
You can only see the "real time" location if the AirTag is up to 30 ft of distance with your iPhone/iPad...

If you lost something that has an AirTag, you can put it in "Lost Mode".
Apple has sold 1Billion devices but not every device is capable of run iOS13.5 that's required to send information to "Find My" network. And they need to have internet connection, so iPhones and iPads with cellular. Lot but no a billion.
If one of the capable devices comes nearby of your AirTag in "lost mode" you will get a notification: Last seen near 1234 Street. That's all. You need to go there and and try to put yourself at 30ft or less of the AirTag. It could be inside a building too...

A dog/cat lost in the suburbs will likely not come nearby any iPhone. Probably the most interesting feature of the AirTags is that you can scan it to contact the owner. But dogs and cats has tags and chips normally. Maybe useful if you miss-place you backpack...

I don't know about that. This game of hide and seek was pretty impressive. And iOS usually has a very quick/high adoption rate. It's not real time tracking but it's better than nothing.

Hello club member. I have a tray where i put car key, wallet and work badge.

I use this exact system and I keep telling my dad he won't lose his car keys any more if he does it. He won't do it and keeps losing his keys.

How are people losing their backpacks/bags enough that they need a tracking tag?
I honestly can’t think of one time in my life where I lost my computer bag, messenger bag or backpack, so what am I doing differently and how can I make money off my foolproof system?

I was using a urinal at an airport and when I turned around my bag was gone. The person claimed it was an honest mistake (even though they had a different color bag) and I got it back. They didn't leave the airport and this would have been worth its weight in gold.

I am curious to understand what you are aiming to achieve by having one on your dogs.
They are not GPS equipped and at best they will help you locate a stationary item in the proximity of other iPhone users.
I am not trying to belittle your efforts, but just trying to understand your use case.
Thanks.

I'd rather have "My lost dog was detected near this street one day ago" than "I have no idea where my dog is."

 

[satinsilverem2]

I ordered one so far with a saddle brown keychain. If they work out well I plan on getting a few more for my main backpack and camera bag.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’ll only buy one to begin with for my car keys. I am always looking for them.

 

[rle737ng]

Ordered four pack. 2 dogs, 2 TBD.

 

[chouseworth]

My wife. She will use a pair of them as earrings. Engraved of course.

 

[kreasonos]

Car, bike, keys, phone, briefcase, and I don’t know why nobody has mentioned this yet, but put one in your kids back pack for safety, or sew it into their clothes. You can also use it if you’re a hiker.

Remember if you put one in your purse or bag to prevent theft you have to conceal it otherwise a criminal will just cut it off lol

 

[TheOldChevy]

Absolutely.
I can only imagine it is a matter of time before this gets implemented as an option.

This would drain the battery

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Backpack, AirPods Pro and Max, Mercedes keys and one in my wallet