Apple Airtag as Anti-theft Device

[Biggs]

I recently discovered Apple Airtags. They are about a dollar coin size and about 1/4” thick. You can hide the Airtag on theft prone valuables like a trailer, ATV, Tractor, AR-15, etc.
Anytime the item is stolen, the Airtag will auto ping anyone that has their “Find My” app on and send an accurate location to the owner.

Couple concerns I had is the speaker inside the Airtag puts off an alert when activated, so the thief could find it and disable it. Removing the Airtag speaker is very easy. The next concern was Apples Anti-stalking notification. Anytime an Airtag that’s not yours is following you for awhile, your phone will get a notification that you’re being tracked. So potentially the thief will be alerted to the Airtag after some time. I figure that will have to be the risk I take by using them. Hiding the Airtag very very well should help.

The Airtag battery lasts a year and is easily replaced, and it even notifies you when running low power. I went ahead and vacuum packed each one to further weatherproof it.

It’s not foolproof but Airtags might help.

[brokeno]

I have several of them in my atv, tractor, cattle trailer and tripod when public hunting.

[Maddox]

Thief has to have a iPhone to get notified. Not sure iPhones work on the Cricket network.

[Dmcgee]

Don’t these just work off of Bluetooth? If so you have a max range of 30ft


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[txhunter90]

Originally Posted by Maddox

Thief has to have a iPhone to get notified. Not sure iPhones work on the Cricket network.

Lol.... not sure if this was just a joke but I did laugh. But iPhone does work with Cricket as I have their service.


But I still have not figured them out quite yet to use them.

[kae006]

Originally Posted by Dmcgee

Don’t these just work off of Bluetooth? If so you have a max range of 30ft


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No

[HOOKNBULLET2]

OP, sounds like a great idea to me.

[WBT]

Criminals have used airtags to track cars they want to steal, women they're interested in, etc. Consequently, Apple updated the software and now airtags send an alert that you're being followed. So my understanding is that if someone steals my SxS with an airbag hidden in it, it'll send an alert to the criminal that he's being followed.

[Hunteraudit]

Is there a way an iPhone user can opt out of sharing the location info? If I was a thief, first thing I’d do.

[Biggs]

Originally Posted by WBT

Criminals have used airtags to track cars they want to steal, women they're interested in, etc. Consequently, Apple updated the software and now airtags send an alert that you're being followed. So my understanding is that if someone steals my SxS with an airbag hidden in it, it'll send an alert to the criminal that he's being followed.

Correct. After some time, it will notify them. That’s why hiding is extremely well is critical.

[Strummer]

Originally Posted by Hunteraudit

Is there a way an iPhone user can opt out of sharing the location info? If I was a thief, first thing I’d do.

Yeah turnoff location services on their phone .

[Texas Grown]

Are the Airtags android compatible? I know the Apple Air Pods are. But those are BT.

[Bill]

Read up on it. I read Bluetooth 5.0 is a max of 800 feet.

If I wanted to track a high value item, I’d get a Spot tracking device that transmits to satellites.


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[Biggs]

Originally Posted by Bill

Read up on it. I read Bluetooth 5.0 is a max of 800 feet.

If I wanted to track a high value item, I’d get a Spot tracking device that transmits to satellites.


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It is Bluetooth but it automatically pings off anyone’s phone that has the Find My app. Vast majority of people have it on.

[Bill]

So it relays/repeats thru other people’s iPhones?


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[Burnadell]

Originally Posted by Biggs

It is Bluetooth but it automatically pings off anyone’s phone that has the Find My app. Vast majority of people have it on.

Originally Posted by Bill

So it relays/repeats thru other people’s iPhones?


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I still don't understand how the AirTag can be picked up by someone else's iPhone. Does that mean that ANYONE who has an iPhone and walks close to the Tag will get an alert...including multiple people at the same time if they have their "Find My" apps turned on? Wouldn't it need to be synced or whatever?

[ClayW]

From my experience, the tags aren’t what they’re made out to be.

They only update their location if an iPhone is nearby. Pointless if something is truly lost. I would think they’d be worthless on a dog collar for example.

And for y’all saying it notifies of someone being followed….I don’t think this is the case. My daughter has one on her backpack (linked to my phone) and I’ve never had someone mention anything (wife, grandparents, bus driver, etc….)

[ClayW]

Originally Posted by Bill

So it relays/repeats thru other people’s iPhones?


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To my understanding, yes.

It uses the network to update its location.

[WItoTX]

I've heard several stories of criminals put these on cars they are looking to steal. I've talked with more than a few people who found these tags on their very theft prone cars kind of wild.

[Tmag]

Originally Posted by Bill

Read up on it. I read Bluetooth 5.0 is a max of 800 feet.

If I wanted to track a high value item, I’d get a Spot tracking device that transmits to satellites.


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I agree Bill.

[Fmjag64]

Originally Posted by WBT

Criminals have used airtags to track cars they want to steal, women they're interested in, etc. Consequently, Apple updated the software and now airtags send an alert that you're being followed. So my understanding is that if someone steals my SxS with an airbag hidden in it, it'll send an alert to the criminal that he's being followed.

Bingo!

[Rick]

here is a video that explains it pretty well, verdict, is it could help, but not guaranteed

https://youtu.be/JvGJ-SPbrDQ

[CrownKiller14]

When I first got my Airtags I tested them.

Placed one in my wifes car (her knowing), and 5 minutes down the road she got a notification that there said "Airtag detected near you".
It did this every time she got in her car, eventually she got annoyed with it and took it out.

If you're going to use AirTags as theft prevention, hide it very well and might help the police catch who ever has it before they remove the Airtag.

Airtags are great for urban areas, where it can ping of the thousands of iphones around you. But if you live in remote areas they aren't going to do a whole lot for you.

Also they need to do a family update where you can share you Tags with a family members. Right now they can only be linked to one iphone.

[stinkbelly]

My friend put one of these on her dog collar because her dog escapes a lot. About a month later the dog escaped. It was of no use finding the dog and the dog was running through a neighborhood with lots of people and houses.

[freerhunter16]

And for y’all saying it notifies of someone being followed….I don’t think this is the case. My daughter has one on her backpack (linked to my phone) and I’ve never had someone mention anything (wife, grandparents, bus driver, etc….)[/QUOTE]

I can assure you this happens. We are dealing with this right now. My wife received a notification that she was being followed on Thursday. Apparently, someone placed an airtag somewhere on her vehicle. We notified police, they came to the house and searched extensively. We took it to my mechanic and had him put it on the lift and spent several hours searching. We still have not been able to locate it.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by freerhunter16

I can assure you this happens. We are dealing with this right now. My wife received a notification that she was being followed on Thursday. Apparently, someone placed an airtag somewhere on her vehicle. We notified police, they came to the house and searched extensively. We took it to my mechanic and had him put it on the lift and spent several hours searching. We still have not been able to locate it.

Are you sure its not alerting off the tag in your daughters backpack by mistake? Or you dropped one on accident between the seats?

[CrownKiller14]

Originally Posted by freerhunter16

And for y’all saying it notifies of someone being followed….I don’t think this is the case. My daughter has one on her backpack (linked to my phone) and I’ve never had someone mention anything (wife, grandparents, bus driver, etc….)

I can assure you this happens. We are dealing with this right now. My wife received a notification that she was being followed on Thursday. Apparently, someone placed an airtag somewhere on her vehicle. We notified police, they came to the house and searched extensively. We took it to my mechanic and had him put it on the lift and spent several hours searching. We still have not been able to locate it.[/QUOTE]



I'm sure yall have already tried but on the notification it says you can "play sound" to help locate the tag.
Guess I'd be driving my wife's car until we located that tag...
Gas Tank? That's scary stuff thinking someone can track you wife anytime.

[Bill]

It’s trying to use it for a purpose I don’t think it was intended. If it ‘warns’ somebody they’re being tracked, it would alert the thief or if (God forbid) somebody abducted a child. My 2 cents.

The Spor Trace is more expensive, but would be what I’d use for a high value item or a child’s backpack.

I know local law enforcement use them in operations. I use a Spot Gen3 to 1-way communicate with my wife when hunting here in Montana and in non cell service areas in the mountains. It works well.

Here’s the Trace.

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/pro...ces/spot-trace



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[Burnadell]

Originally Posted by CrownKiller14

I can assure you this happens. We are dealing with this right now. My wife received a notification that she was being followed on Thursday. Apparently, someone placed an airtag somewhere on her vehicle. We notified police, they came to the house and searched extensively. We took it to my mechanic and had him put it on the lift and spent several hours searching. We still have not been able to locate it.

Was this a text message, voice message, or what?

My question is...does EVERY iPhone within a prescribed distance from the AirTag receive a notification? If there were 20 people in a crowd, standing near the vehicle with the tag, do they ALL receive a notification??? This makes no sense to me.

Can someone, who actually knows, explain who gets the notification?


[Quote=Crownkiller14;16048594]I'm sure yall have already tried but on the notification it says you can "play sound" to help locate the tag.
Guess I'd be driving my wife's car until we located that tag...
Gas Tank? That's scary stuff thinking someone can track you wife anytime. [/QUOTE

So, your wife was NOT ABLE to "play sound" to locate it?

[freerhunter16]

It is not one of ours. We have never owned an AirTag. The notification was an alert that took her to her maps and showed her the exact route she had been. It had an option to disable the AirTag, but when you click that option it gives an error message. We have driven the car and received the notification three different times. We can not make it play a sound.

We contacted Apple to determine if another device could be causing this notification (air pods, iPad, etc.) and were told no.. that it is definitely an AirTag. Not sure what our next move is at this point but I can tell you we are armed and on full alert at all times. Scary stuff.

[freerhunter16]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Are you sure its not alerting off the tag in your daughters backpack by mistake? Or you dropped one on accident between the seats?

My daughter doesn’t have one. I was quoting another response in my post above. We have never owned an AirTag.

[Etxbuckman]

So if the AirTag isn't a good option for this kind of thing, does anyone have any ideas what would be?

[BlackoutRam2500]

Originally Posted by freerhunter16

I can assure you this happens. We are dealing with this right now. My wife received a notification that she was being followed on Thursday. Apparently, someone placed an airtag somewhere on her vehicle. We notified police, they came to the house and searched extensively. We took it to my mechanic and had him put it on the lift and spent several hours searching. We still have not been able to locate it.

That's some scary stuff man. My wife's car would be at the dealership today getting traded in on a new ride.

And where is Apple in this? My thoughts are once they are contacted by law enforcement informing them of the situation they should be able to deactivate that device.... otherwise be held liable if anything happens.

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[Bill]

Originally Posted by Etxbuckman

So if the AirTag isn't a good option for this kind of thing, does anyone have any ideas what would be?

See my posts above about the Spot tracker.


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[kry226]

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army...oving-company/

[alien_scones]

Originally Posted by Texas Grown

Are the Airtags android compatible? I know the Apple Air Pods are. But those are BT.

There is an Android app available in the Play Store ( from Apple ) that you can use to detect Air Tags.


Other than that Air Tags don't use Android.


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[Texas Grown]

Originally Posted by alien_scones

There is an Android app available in the Play Store ( from Apple ) that you can use to detect Air Tags.


Other than that Air Tags don't use Android.


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Thank you sir! I'll check into it.

The fish are biting, and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

[TA_Fab]

Originally Posted by freerhunter16

It is not one of ours. We have never owned an AirTag. The notification was an alert that took her to her maps and showed her the exact route she had been. It had an option to disable the AirTag, but when you click that option it gives an error message. We have driven the car and received the notification three different times. We can not make it play a sound.

We contacted Apple to determine if another device could be causing this notification (air pods, iPad, etc.) and were told no.. that it is definitely an AirTag. Not sure what our next move is at this point but I can tell you we are armed and on full alert at all times. Scary stuff.

Man that’s scary, just another thing to worry about. I hope y’all get it resolved!


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[tvc184]

Originally Posted by Burnadell

Was this a text message, voice message, or what?

My question is...does EVERY iPhone within a prescribed distance from the AirTag receive a notification? If there were 20 people in a crowd, standing near the vehicle with the tag, do they ALL receive a notification??? This makes no sense to me.

Can someone, who actually knows, explain who gets the notification?

So, your wife was NOT ABLE to "play sound" to locate it?

When I saw this thread yesterday, I went to the Apple site and started reading up on it.

I was kind of a geeky tech person about 20 years ago and would not only build computers but would overclock them for a better speed and such. Now I know almost nothing about techy stuff but if I understand what I read correctly……

The Apple tag runs off of Bluetooth which does not have that much range. If I understood it correctly, it would be able to be picked up by a cell phone a few hundred feet away at the most. Obviously if you lost something it might be a lot farther away than that. The way it notifies you is that if anyone using an iPhone, iPad or MacBook using Bluetooth walks within range, the signal will basically piggyback off of their device and ping a cell tower which will broadcast to you. Again if I understood it correctly, the person whose device pinged it, will not know. It will only be a signal the person who owns the tag and it will not make a noise on that piggyback person’s device or the tag. It only uses that person’s device as a means to ping a tower for a second. Once it locks in that position, it will send it to you only.

Meaning… any one of us using an Apple device with Bluetooth activated might have help recover a personal property and never known it.

The tag App also has an arrow pointing device so when you get within a few feet of it, it will point to where it is located.

Clear as mud?

[Etxbuckman]

Originally Posted by Bill

See my posts above about the Spot tracker.


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Totally missed that. Thanks.

[Burnadell]

Originally Posted by tvc184

When I saw this thread yesterday, I went to the Apple site and started reading up on it.

I was kind of a geeky tech person about 20 years ago and would not only build computers but would overclock them for a better speed and such. Now I know almost nothing about techy stuff but if I understand what I read correctly……

The Apple tag runs off of Bluetooth which does not have that much range. If I understood it correctly, it would be able to be picked up by a cell phone a few hundred feet away at the most. Obviously if you lost something it might be a lot farther away than that. The way it notifies you is that if anyone using an iPhone, iPad or MacBook using Bluetooth walks within range, the signal will basically piggyback off of their device and ping a cell tower which will broadcast to you. Again if I understood it correctly, the person whose device pinged it, will not know. It will only be a signal the person who owns the tag and it will not make a noise on that piggyback person’s device or the tag. It only uses that person’s device as a means to ping a tower for a second. Once it locks in that position, it will send it to you only.

Meaning… any one of us using an Apple device with Bluetooth activated might have help recover a personal property and never known it.

The tag App also has an arrow pointing device so when you get within a few feet of it, it will point to where it is located.

Clear as mud?

Thanks, TVC! That helps this technophobe!

[Duane]

I bought several for my son going to school at A&M, along with a key ring holder and other attachments. He keeps one on his key ring, one in his backpack, one in the car and for Christmas he was given a money clip type wallet that has a holder for one. He’s found them to be pretty useful around the house and on campus. Not necessarily a foolproof anti-theft device, but handy enough for an absent minded college kid.

[helibow]

I installed Trak4 on all mine - worth the investment. I pay $9 for hourly updates on location. If they move, it tells me.. and I can switch it to real time tracking if I need.