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I guess I don't get it. For the price of an AirTag, you can buy a more capable tracker with GPS and mobile data. And it won't be notifying the trackee that it

I guess I don't get it. For the price of an AirTag, you can buy a more capable tracker with GPS and mobile data. And it won't be notifying the trackee that it's there. The AirTag seems like a downgrade.

endisneigh 5y ago
It won’t last a year on a $1 battery nor will it be as small.
- bin_bash 5y ago
  A Tile will, so will SmartThings
  - endisneigh 5y ago
    A tile doesn’t use mobile data and have gps and is inferior to an AirTag anyway
    - bin_bash 5y ago
      I've been using Tile for years. It's inferior, yes, but it's definitely good enough for spying.
      - endisneigh 5y ago
        The parent comment is talking about using mobile data and gps - not sure why you even brought up the tile. Tile is inferior to an AirTag if you seriously want to stalk someone. The network is orders of magnitude smaller. Don’t know why anyone who owns an Apple device would bother with it at this point
  - rolobio 5y ago
    Tile does not have nearly the network that Apple does. I attached an AirTag to an electric scooter, which I ended up returning. I forgot to remove the AirTag; I've been able to track the scooter over hundreds of miles with quick updates (even driving down a freeway). I've been having a fun time checking in on the scooter for months now. I have a Tile attached to a generator at my house. Since I've disabled Tile on my phone in favor of AirTag, my generator hasn't been detected in over 31 days. Even with neighbors walking past my house constantly.
    - jdminhbg 5y ago
      > I attached an AirTag to an electric scooter, which I ended up returning. I forgot to remove the AirTag; I've been able to track the scooter over hundreds of miles with quick updates (even driving down a freeway). I've been having a fun time checking in on the scooter for months now. This describes how 99% of these "AirTags Used In Stalking Incident" stories come about.
      - rolobio 5y ago
        Honestly I was worried I would have a knock at my door from this. The AirTag will make it quite clear who owns it. But I expect someone familiar with returned items will say "Oh, someone forgot to remove their AirTag again. Throw it in the garbage." So hopefully no knocks at my door.
        quenix 5y ago
        As far as I know there is no way to determine the owner of an AirTag.
        blitzar 5y ago
        A law enforcement request to apple should tell you everything you need to know and more about the owner of an airtag.
        endisneigh 5y ago
        Source of Apple giving out AirTag info?
        blitzar 5y ago
        Source: Apple. https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelines-us.pdf https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelin... For government and law enforcement information requests, Apple complies with the laws pertaining to global entities that control our data and we provide details as legally required. L. AirTag and Find My Network Accessory Program To add AirTag or supported third-party products to the Items tab in the Find My app, customers must have an Apple ID, be signed into their iCloud account with Find My enabled, and register their AirTag or supported third-party products to their Apple ID. With a serial number, Apple may be able to provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or greater legal process.
andrepew 5y ago
What tracker is comparable in price? An AirTag is $30 with no other monthly costs. Genuinely asking, I would love to find a better solution.
- k8sToGo 5y ago
  You also need an Apple device.so it is not just $30
  - spike021 5y ago
    Your comment is akin to "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" I highly doubt there's (much of) a market looking to buy AirTags without already owning the pre-requisite Apple hardware.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      Except that many uses don't need a phone at all, and android hardware could give you an acceptable experience for most of the remaining uses, on par with many iphone models.
    - k8sToGo 5y ago
      Maybe. But if I buy a third party GPS thing for $50 that also works with my Android, PC etc. then it is cheaper than getting the apple devices plus airtag.
    - jfengel 5y ago
      I would. I own a Tile, and it's limited by the relatively smallish network, at least out in the burbs where I live. Having every iPhone in the vicinity conscripted into the network would be good for me... even though I don't particularly want an iPhone. Mind you, I only ever use it to locate my wayward cat, so perhaps my use case isn't the most common. I don't seem to find any other need for it, though perhaps I should attach one to my keys.
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  A quick search on Amazon for 'gps tracker' will yield at least one option on the first page for $29.99. GSM for communications. Not as small as an AirTag, but 1.5 inches by 0.9 by 0.6 inches isn't exactly huge either. A legitimate point is that the battery life isn't great. But that's not too hard to solve, if you tolerate a little more space for a bigger battery. I'm sure there are even better options out there, that's just what I could come up with in under a minute. For anybody with more than idle curiosity, I imagine there are some pretty clever solutions available.
nikanj 5y ago
But it won’t get you headlines. ”Apple devices used by sex-slave kidnapping killer clowns” gets plenty of clicks
paxys 5y ago
You absolutely can not. There are no GPS trackers for <$30 with an ~unlimited battery life and no subscription fees.
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  And there aren't any AirTags with the ability to track without notifying the target they are there. Trade-offs. The point is valid, though. AirTags do not enable something which wasn't already trivial to accomplish. At best it just makes it more visible to the general public, but stalkers have known how to use inexpensive GPS trackers for many years. What's dishonest is the media pretending that this is some new capability that didn't already exist.
  - privacyking 5y ago
    It only notifies the target if they own a iPhone, or have downloaded an app specifically to do this.
    - WheatM 5y ago
jcrawfordor 5y ago
GPS trackers anywhere near the size and cost of the AirTag are going to have a battery life of a few days at best. You can get into multi-year battery lives on cellular GPS trackers but you're going to need large batteries and aggressive use of deep-sleep mode, e.g. check-in only once per day.
TuringNYC 5y ago
Can you name some alternatives with a decent network? If the item has its own mobile network, i'm expecting an extra $20/mo for a phone plan (at which point, comparing to a fixed cost of an AirTag isnt valid.) If it doesnt have a mobile network and relies on the mesh, then, is there any mesh available? Apple's mesh is global and pervasive. And if it provides neither mobile support nor mesh, it isnt useful for anything except lost keys in a house.
- ribosometronome 5y ago
  Yeah, looking on Amazon now, the ones referenced that are $29.99 or lower all seem to require an additional subscription. Obviously, AirTags require an Apple device, but still function with phones as old as the 6s, which can be had for under $100. So even assuming you want an AirTag and need to acquire a phone, the AirTags come out considerably cheaper after just a few months.
  - TuringNYC 5y ago
    Well, i'm not counting the phone (pretty much ANY tracker requires a phone/computer to view results) which I assume is a given. I'm specifically speaking about the phone PLAN which is where the real money goes. A phone service plan will cost $20/mo in the US easily, so thats $250/yr forever. At this point, tracking luggage/bicycles isnt cost effective...the tracker starts to become more expensive than the tracked. The AirTags are awesome because ANY phone creates a mesh for them to broadcast. UPDATE: per sister comment, see https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data
- gruez 5y ago
  >i'm expecting an extra $20/mo for a phone plan I'm sure you can get prepaid/IOT plans for less, eg. https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data
  - TuringNYC 5y ago
    Thank you for sharing this, this looks fantastic! I wasnt aware of this and I rescind my previous comment!
stefan_ 5y ago
Yeah but they need, you know, GPS. Which is an incredibly faint signal that is hopelessly attenuated by just about any indoors space.
barkerja 5y ago
I recently replaced my dog's collar -- which had GPS with LTE-M -- with an AirTag simply because it saves me money, I get about a ~year battery life and I find it's just as reliable.
r00fus 5y ago
A downgrade for a stalker maybe. Honestly I use them and haven't had a single false positive ping.
- aldebran 5y ago
  Leave BT off for a few hours. :-)
  - r00fus 5y ago
    Hmm - I guess I simply don't do that (nor does any of my family). Any reason you need to turn off BT constantly?
GekkePrutser 5y ago
True but not with the same tiny size and battery life. GPS and mobile connectivity are big power drains.

endisneigh 5y ago

It won’t last a year on a $1 battery nor will it be as small.

bin_bash 5y ago
A Tile will, so will SmartThings
- endisneigh 5y ago
  A tile doesn’t use mobile data and have gps and is inferior to an AirTag anyway
  - bin_bash 5y ago
    I've been using Tile for years. It's inferior, yes, but it's definitely good enough for spying.
    - endisneigh 5y ago
      The parent comment is talking about using mobile data and gps - not sure why you even brought up the tile. Tile is inferior to an AirTag if you seriously want to stalk someone. The network is orders of magnitude smaller. Don’t know why anyone who owns an Apple device would bother with it at this point
- rolobio 5y ago
  Tile does not have nearly the network that Apple does. I attached an AirTag to an electric scooter, which I ended up returning. I forgot to remove the AirTag; I've been able to track the scooter over hundreds of miles with quick updates (even driving down a freeway). I've been having a fun time checking in on the scooter for months now. I have a Tile attached to a generator at my house. Since I've disabled Tile on my phone in favor of AirTag, my generator hasn't been detected in over 31 days. Even with neighbors walking past my house constantly.
  - jdminhbg 5y ago
    > I attached an AirTag to an electric scooter, which I ended up returning. I forgot to remove the AirTag; I've been able to track the scooter over hundreds of miles with quick updates (even driving down a freeway). I've been having a fun time checking in on the scooter for months now. This describes how 99% of these "AirTags Used In Stalking Incident" stories come about.
    - rolobio 5y ago
      Honestly I was worried I would have a knock at my door from this. The AirTag will make it quite clear who owns it. But I expect someone familiar with returned items will say "Oh, someone forgot to remove their AirTag again. Throw it in the garbage." So hopefully no knocks at my door.
      - quenix 5y ago
        As far as I know there is no way to determine the owner of an AirTag.
        blitzar 5y ago
        A law enforcement request to apple should tell you everything you need to know and more about the owner of an airtag.
        endisneigh 5y ago
        Source of Apple giving out AirTag info?
        blitzar 5y ago
        Source: Apple. https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelines-us.pdf https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelin... For government and law enforcement information requests, Apple complies with the laws pertaining to global entities that control our data and we provide details as legally required. L. AirTag and Find My Network Accessory Program To add AirTag or supported third-party products to the Items tab in the Find My app, customers must have an Apple ID, be signed into their iCloud account with Find My enabled, and register their AirTag or supported third-party products to their Apple ID. With a serial number, Apple may be able to provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or greater legal process.

andrepew 5y ago

What tracker is comparable in price? An AirTag is $30 with no other monthly costs. Genuinely asking, I would love to find a better solution.

k8sToGo 5y ago
You also need an Apple device.so it is not just $30
- spike021 5y ago
  Your comment is akin to "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" I highly doubt there's (much of) a market looking to buy AirTags without already owning the pre-requisite Apple hardware.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    Except that many uses don't need a phone at all, and android hardware could give you an acceptable experience for most of the remaining uses, on par with many iphone models.
  - k8sToGo 5y ago
    Maybe. But if I buy a third party GPS thing for $50 that also works with my Android, PC etc. then it is cheaper than getting the apple devices plus airtag.
  - jfengel 5y ago
    I would. I own a Tile, and it's limited by the relatively smallish network, at least out in the burbs where I live. Having every iPhone in the vicinity conscripted into the network would be good for me... even though I don't particularly want an iPhone. Mind you, I only ever use it to locate my wayward cat, so perhaps my use case isn't the most common. I don't seem to find any other need for it, though perhaps I should attach one to my keys.
rootusrootus 5y ago
A quick search on Amazon for 'gps tracker' will yield at least one option on the first page for $29.99. GSM for communications. Not as small as an AirTag, but 1.5 inches by 0.9 by 0.6 inches isn't exactly huge either. A legitimate point is that the battery life isn't great. But that's not too hard to solve, if you tolerate a little more space for a bigger battery. I'm sure there are even better options out there, that's just what I could come up with in under a minute. For anybody with more than idle curiosity, I imagine there are some pretty clever solutions available.

nikanj 5y ago

But it won’t get you headlines. ”Apple devices used by sex-slave kidnapping killer clowns” gets plenty of clicks

paxys 5y ago

You absolutely can not. There are no GPS trackers for <$30 with an ~unlimited battery life and no subscription fees.

rootusrootus 5y ago
And there aren't any AirTags with the ability to track without notifying the target they are there. Trade-offs. The point is valid, though. AirTags do not enable something which wasn't already trivial to accomplish. At best it just makes it more visible to the general public, but stalkers have known how to use inexpensive GPS trackers for many years. What's dishonest is the media pretending that this is some new capability that didn't already exist.
- privacyking 5y ago
  It only notifies the target if they own a iPhone, or have downloaded an app specifically to do this.
  - WheatM 5y ago

jcrawfordor 5y ago

GPS trackers anywhere near the size and cost of the AirTag are going to have a battery life of a few days at best. You can get into multi-year battery lives on cellular GPS trackers but you're going to need large batteries and aggressive use of deep-sleep mode, e.g. check-in only once per day.

TuringNYC 5y ago

Can you name some alternatives with a decent network? If the item has its own mobile network, i'm expecting an extra $20/mo for a phone plan (at which point, comparing to a fixed cost of an AirTag isnt valid.) If it doesnt have a mobile network and relies on the mesh, then, is there any mesh available? Apple's mesh is global and pervasive. And if it provides neither mobile support nor mesh, it isnt useful for anything except lost keys in a house.

ribosometronome 5y ago
Yeah, looking on Amazon now, the ones referenced that are $29.99 or lower all seem to require an additional subscription. Obviously, AirTags require an Apple device, but still function with phones as old as the 6s, which can be had for under $100. So even assuming you want an AirTag and need to acquire a phone, the AirTags come out considerably cheaper after just a few months.
- TuringNYC 5y ago
  Well, i'm not counting the phone (pretty much ANY tracker requires a phone/computer to view results) which I assume is a given. I'm specifically speaking about the phone PLAN which is where the real money goes. A phone service plan will cost $20/mo in the US easily, so thats $250/yr forever. At this point, tracking luggage/bicycles isnt cost effective...the tracker starts to become more expensive than the tracked. The AirTags are awesome because ANY phone creates a mesh for them to broadcast. UPDATE: per sister comment, see https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data
gruez 5y ago
>i'm expecting an extra $20/mo for a phone plan I'm sure you can get prepaid/IOT plans for less, eg. https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data https://www.hologram.io/pricing/flexible-data
- TuringNYC 5y ago
  Thank you for sharing this, this looks fantastic! I wasnt aware of this and I rescind my previous comment!

stefan_ 5y ago

Yeah but they need, you know, GPS. Which is an incredibly faint signal that is hopelessly attenuated by just about any indoors space.

barkerja 5y ago

I recently replaced my dog's collar -- which had GPS with LTE-M -- with an AirTag simply because it saves me money, I get about a ~year battery life and I find it's just as reliable.

r00fus 5y ago

A downgrade for a stalker maybe. Honestly I use them and haven't had a single false positive ping.

aldebran 5y ago
Leave BT off for a few hours. :-)
- r00fus 5y ago
  Hmm - I guess I simply don't do that (nor does any of my family). Any reason you need to turn off BT constantly?

GekkePrutser 5y ago

True but not with the same tiny size and battery life. GPS and mobile connectivity are big power drains.