5 ms·

Apple won't let you use "find my device" on airpods unless you have an iPhone either, iirc. Its shitty behavior, but sadly unsurprising.

ceejayoz 4y ago
I'm able to locate airpods via icloud.com using a web browser.
- parker_mountain 4y ago
  How did you enroll the airpods in find my network?
jdminhbg 4y ago
“Find My” depends on a custom chip iPhones have.
- luckylion 4y ago
  So you can only locate your airpods if they're with your iphone? Best make sure you lose them together then :)
  - ceejayoz 4y ago
    No. You can locate your airpods if they're near any iPhone, iPad, or Mac. All you need is a web browser. https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22711557/apple-lost-airpods-pro-max-find-my-network-now-available https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22711557/apple-lost-airpo...
  - deergomoo 4y ago
    I mean...AirPods don't have GPS or a way to upload their location, so yes. The location shown on the map is the last place one of your devices (or, in recent times, anyone's iOS device) last saw it. That's usually good enough to tell "I left them at home" vs "I left them in that café"
- deergomoo 4y ago
  That's just for the hyper-precise location that will lead you around your house to your couch cushions. A general map location doesn't require that chip (my phone has it but my AirPods are old and don't have the corresponding feature).
  - shagie 4y ago
    That's for the Secure Enclave to ensure that the private keys used to identify the device aren't leaked (which would allow a 3rd party to passively track someone).
slenk 4y ago
Can you use AirPods without an Apple device to begin with?
- ace2358 4y ago
  Yes they are standard Bluetooth devices and can pair normally. On Apple devices they get more features. I’ve used AirPods with my Sony PS Vita (made before AirPods) and my Nintendo switch (once they added Bluetooth headset support recently)
  - _rs 4y ago
    How well do they work / support bluetooth standards compared to other brands bluetooth headphones? I'd like to get these for a family member who wants new wireless earbuds, but not if it's as sub-par experience vs buying another brand for Android users
    - init2null 4y ago
      They are sub-par if they aren't embracing the ecosystem. You can't use most of the features, and the lack of multipoint Bluetooth becomes painfully apparent. Also, you tend to get broader codec support with Android-targeted headphones/earbuds. Consider Beats if you want better cross-platform support while maintaining the same audio characteristics.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  - slenk 4y ago
    TIL. I honestly assumed they were i* locked
parker_mountain 4y ago
They don't provide an android client for enrolling them in the find my network.
shagie 4y ago
The "Find my" is tied to the Apple ID account. That's part of how the end to end security works ( https://support.apple.com/guide/security/find-my-security-sec6cbc80fd0/web https://support.apple.com/guide/security/find-my-security-se... /// https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/the-clever-cryptography-behind-apples-find-my-feature/?comments=1&comments-page=1 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/the-c... /// https://web.archive.org/web/20190609003010/https://www.wired.com/story/apple-find-my-cryptography-bluetooth/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190609003010/https://www.wired... ) and yet allows the owner of the account to unlock the "where is it" pieces of information. It is through the iPhone that the AirPods are bound to the Apple ID and thus able to properly encrypt the "here I am" packets. From the Wired article: > In a background phone call with WIRED following its keynote, Apple broke down that privacy element, explaining how its "encrypted and anonymous" system avoids leaking your location data willy nilly, even as your devices broadcast a Bluetooth signal explicitly designed to let you track your device. The solution to that paradox, it turns out, is a trick that requires you to own at least two Apple devices. Each one emits a constantly changing key that nearby Apple devices use to encrypt and upload your geolocation data, such that only the other Apple device you own possesses the key to decrypt those locations. > ... > When you first set up Find My on your Apple devices—and Apple confirmed you do need at least two devices for this feature to work—it generates an unguessable private key that's shared on all those devices via end-to-end encrypted communication, so that only those machines possess the key. And from https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/find-my-wired/ https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/find-my-wired/ > The stronger privacy comes via end-to-end encryption, but rather than simply having a key that can be stolen, “Find My” requires a second Apple device to hold the decryption key. Owners who only have a single Apple device in their possession will have to settle for the older and less secure methods of verification. It is possible that AirPods don't support the older encryption method.
- jeroenhd 4y ago
  It's unfortunate that Apple can't figure out how to enable the algorithm they designed themselves on Android devices so the second device doesn't need to be an iPhone. I'm sure those smart engineers will figure out their own protocol choices some day if we just give them enough time.

ceejayoz 4y ago

I'm able to locate airpods via icloud.com using a web browser.

parker_mountain 4y ago
How did you enroll the airpods in find my network?

jdminhbg 4y ago

“Find My” depends on a custom chip iPhones have.

luckylion 4y ago
So you can only locate your airpods if they're with your iphone? Best make sure you lose them together then :)
- ceejayoz 4y ago
  No. You can locate your airpods if they're near any iPhone, iPad, or Mac. All you need is a web browser. https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22711557/apple-lost-airpods-pro-max-find-my-network-now-available https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22711557/apple-lost-airpo...
- deergomoo 4y ago
  I mean...AirPods don't have GPS or a way to upload their location, so yes. The location shown on the map is the last place one of your devices (or, in recent times, anyone's iOS device) last saw it. That's usually good enough to tell "I left them at home" vs "I left them in that café"
deergomoo 4y ago
That's just for the hyper-precise location that will lead you around your house to your couch cushions. A general map location doesn't require that chip (my phone has it but my AirPods are old and don't have the corresponding feature).
- shagie 4y ago
  That's for the Secure Enclave to ensure that the private keys used to identify the device aren't leaked (which would allow a 3rd party to passively track someone).

slenk 4y ago

Can you use AirPods without an Apple device to begin with?

ace2358 4y ago
Yes they are standard Bluetooth devices and can pair normally. On Apple devices they get more features. I’ve used AirPods with my Sony PS Vita (made before AirPods) and my Nintendo switch (once they added Bluetooth headset support recently)
- _rs 4y ago
  How well do they work / support bluetooth standards compared to other brands bluetooth headphones? I'd like to get these for a family member who wants new wireless earbuds, but not if it's as sub-par experience vs buying another brand for Android users
  - init2null 4y ago
    They are sub-par if they aren't embracing the ecosystem. You can't use most of the features, and the lack of multipoint Bluetooth becomes painfully apparent. Also, you tend to get broader codec support with Android-targeted headphones/earbuds. Consider Beats if you want better cross-platform support while maintaining the same audio characteristics.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- slenk 4y ago
  TIL. I honestly assumed they were i* locked

parker_mountain 4y ago

They don't provide an android client for enrolling them in the find my network.

shagie 4y ago

The "Find my" is tied to the Apple ID account. That's part of how the end to end security works ( https://support.apple.com/guide/security/find-my-security-sec6cbc80fd0/web https://support.apple.com/guide/security/find-my-security-se... /// https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/the-clever-cryptography-behind-apples-find-my-feature/?comments=1&comments-page=1 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/the-c... /// https://web.archive.org/web/20190609003010/https://www.wired.com/story/apple-find-my-cryptography-bluetooth/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190609003010/https://www.wired... ) and yet allows the owner of the account to unlock the "where is it" pieces of information. It is through the iPhone that the AirPods are bound to the Apple ID and thus able to properly encrypt the "here I am" packets. From the Wired article: > In a background phone call with WIRED following its keynote, Apple broke down that privacy element, explaining how its "encrypted and anonymous" system avoids leaking your location data willy nilly, even as your devices broadcast a Bluetooth signal explicitly designed to let you track your device. The solution to that paradox, it turns out, is a trick that requires you to own at least two Apple devices. Each one emits a constantly changing key that nearby Apple devices use to encrypt and upload your geolocation data, such that only the other Apple device you own possesses the key to decrypt those locations. > ... > When you first set up Find My on your Apple devices—and Apple confirmed you do need at least two devices for this feature to work—it generates an unguessable private key that's shared on all those devices via end-to-end encrypted communication, so that only those machines possess the key. And from https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/find-my-wired/ https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/find-my-wired/ > The stronger privacy comes via end-to-end encryption, but rather than simply having a key that can be stolen, “Find My” requires a second Apple device to hold the decryption key. Owners who only have a single Apple device in their possession will have to settle for the older and less secure methods of verification. It is possible that AirPods don't support the older encryption method.

jeroenhd 4y ago
It's unfortunate that Apple can't figure out how to enable the algorithm they designed themselves on Android devices so the second device doesn't need to be an iPhone. I'm sure those smart engineers will figure out their own protocol choices some day if we just give them enough time.