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Comment by eatbitseveryday | Hacker News Reader

This seems to notify you of nearby tags but does not disable them in some way.

Think about what you just suggested. If I could arbitrarily disable airtags around me, I could go around in public and disable everyones' airtags.

How would an app on device A disable device B?

Airtags do allow non-owner devices to disable some functionality such as turning off the alarm. I doubt they let you turn off the tracking since that would completely defeat the anti-theft aspect of Airtags.

> I doubt they let you turn off the tracking

I'm not sure how they would even do that in the first place, since the AirTag doesn't track anything.

I meant it could let you turn the device 'off'? Sure the AirTag isn't the device doing the tracking but if it isn't broadcasting itself then other devices can track it.

Although, if you find one, it's trivial to remove the battery or smash it with a hammer.

Removing the battery is the official way of turning them off. If the anti stalker mode activates on your iPhone. It shows an animation of how to twist and remove the battery.

A moving AirTag will start chirping was little as a few hours after not being near it’s paired device - which alerts the thief, unfortunately.

But, AirTags use a proper speaker rather than a piezo one - so it is possible to remove the permanent magnet and make them silent. (See YouTube for details)

If you were worried about a high value item (eg a motorcycle) you could hide two - a sacrificial regular one, and a better hidden silenced tag that should remain undetected for at least a few days.

Constant buzzing would presumably make the batteries run out.

You need a separate app for that, I think I've heard it called "Ball-peen Hammer"

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