It's nice of Apple to have iPhones alert you in cases like this, but it's a major issue that there's no easy way for an Android user to get the same notification.
"The company also announced that it was working on an app for Android users that would send them alerts about unwanted tracking devices similar to those iPhone users receive. The Android app is set to launch later this year."
Apple may not hit the end of 2021, and they don't get full credit until they release the app, but they're aware of the issue and have stated they are working on a solution.
I'd rather they work with Google to get those notifications automatically, rather than requiring someone to be aware of AirTags, and download an app, in order to be notified. Perhaps they can work with carriers to get the app pre-loaded?
It's not like Apple are the only company in the world manufacturing tracking devices. In fact with most tracking systems their entire MO is to NOT alert the person you're tracking to their existence.
Hah. Imagine the reaction in this community if the parties were reversed: Google released a creepy device that can track an individual's location, and iPhone users had to install and continuously run a Google app just to defend themselves.
But to play devil's advocate, can't someone buy any cheap old iPhone (or any smartphone), activate it with a cheap prepaid plan, and use the phone itself as a tracking device instead of an airtag?
I guess the only thing special about the airtag is it's (slightly) cheaper than a cheap smartphone, longer battery life, and explicitly marketed for the purpose of tracking things. Even if a cheap prepaid smartphone can accomplish the same thing while going completed undetected.
When I was younger I had a friend who worked in a cellular phone store (back when most people went to a physical store to buy cell phones).
He very frequently got customers asking for another phone to do exactly this. It was a common problem for their commission structure because the cheap phones used for tracking people (usually spouses suspected of cheating) were often returned within 30 days and their data plan cancelled, which was a net negative for their sales stats and commission structure.
- An Android app will make the "AirTag network" even more pervasive, with even Android phones doing the tracking for Apple.
- What happens when there are such "tags" all around you? How many false alerts will it take before users start ignoring it?
GPS trackers cost like $50 and are smaller than a cell phone (thicker though because they usually have a big battery/lots of batteries). They're weather/waterproof for the most part and have strong magnets to attach to the underside of a car where no normal person would ever look. They usually come with hard-wire options as well so you can tie into a car's 12V system (depending on the car this is either trivial/fast with a vampire tap or a time consuming activity).
These devices can't be easily detected from a cell phone; it's easier to physically look for them than to try to capture their wireless emissions (unless you have special equipment). Some of them just record their locations over time and don't even emit anything at all but there's probably some that can communicate these logs via Bluetooth but I'm not sure how common that is.
Using an AirTag to track someone's car is basically ridiculously lazy and risky... Too easy for the target to notice IMHO.
For reference, most of the folks on HN could probably make their own GPS tracker with their microcontroller of choice and a ~$5 GPS breakout. Could even get super fancy to have it transmit coordinates via LoRa and whatnot. You could even 3D print an enclosure for it that precisely matches the contours of the underside of a (specific) car so that it wouldn't be found unless you were super duper familiar with what the underside of your car looked like.
Another evil reason to buy an iphone!
Does each manufacturer of those also owe you an Android app?
Yeah, probably.
Well, if you're a company that manufactures a product that can be used for spying on people, and you want to make clear that the intended use isn't for spying on people, then I guess you need to ask how badly you want to make clear that it's not a technology for spying on people.
In the case if your specific questions, if you don't have a phone with BTLE, then your phone probably can't detect it.
If you are an Android user, and I put an AirTag on you, your phone won't report the location on the tag.
But every apple product that gets close to you will report your location.
The solution is correct, inform a user that they’re being followed by an AirTag. But if the platform isn’t opened you risk having to install half a dusin app from different tracking devices, to be informed that you’re being followed.
Doesn’t it also beep?
How hard is it to snip the speaker leads, or damage the speaker in some other way so that it produces no sound?