Comment by pnw
5 days ago
Yes, within about 30 minutes. They are basically useless for theft prevention as a result. Apple nerfed the functionality after someone used it for stalking. You'll notice there is no mention of theft prevention in the marketing materials anymore.
Apple even provide a handy Android app for locating them.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.trac...
There never was mention of theft prevention. The release day marketing was about losing your keys in the couch. Day one ios would alert you if a tag was tracking you but it took a while for them to collaborate with Android on it.
The societal harm from allowing cheap silent tracking of people is greater than the benefit of recovering stolen bags.
Apple skirt around the issue now, but what is the one of primary scenarios for "lost luggage, keys, bicycles, bags" if not theft?
They have also done videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJwdhWM9d0Y where they show Find My as a tool for theft prevention, although in that case it's a Macbook not an Airtag.
It's also kinda weird to use it for anti-theft when you think about how AirTags work. They aren't GPS, rather all these Apple devices are seeing it with Bluetooth and snitching on the location.
maybe they could set something up where local pd handles the tracking if/when necessary
That sounds like yet another reason not to use AirTags, since they now give location access to the authorities...
No, I do not want the solution to this problem to be adding AirTags to the government panopticon.
> Apple even provide a handy Android app for locating them.
Took them half a year and public pressure to develop something. 3 years for a joint standard (DULT) with google after google developed something by themselves.
There is always pressure required for those things...
It's hilarious that it didn't notify Android phones for a while
> after someone used it for stalking.
Many, many people used them for stalking. I personally know somebody whose estranged husband did. I try to keep myself pretty ignorant of Apple products, and it was the first time I got a detailed explanation of how they worked.
Android 6 and up has in unbuilt support, per that app