4 ms·

Wouldn't the notification that an AirTag is located somewhere in the vehicle they're thinking of stealing deter them from stealing it?

jljljl 3y ago
Not if it helps them find and remove the AirTag. It might have a deterring effect if the Airtag was somewhere hard to remove
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
bhaney 3y ago
The notification doesn't fire until you've been moving along with the tag for a while, so the vehicle has already been stolen by the time the thieves are aware there's an AirTag present. I guess it might encourage them to dump the vehicle somewhere and abandon it, and you can then go pick it up using the AirTag's last known location. Doesn't really prevent the initial theft, but improves your chances for recovering the vehicle.
- senkora 3y ago
  In my experience they just rip the AirTag off once it notifies them and then continue on their merry way.
  - jandrese 3y ago
    Seems like you would want to install it somewhere that is difficult to reach. Behind the dashboard for example, something that requires some work to access. Maybe wrapped in a bit of sound deadening material to make it harder to locate.
- CamperBob2 3y ago
  How many car thieves carry iPhones? That Venn diagram will have an overlapping area, but I'll bet it's not that big.
  - rdtsc 3y ago
    They’d get one if they do it regularly. We catch the stupid ones but not all of them are stupid. I imagine most are aware of AirTags and could get the cheapest iPhone to detect them.
  - sgtnoodle 3y ago
    Why wouldn't most car thieves have iPhones?
    - CamperBob2 3y ago
      Because most people who aren't car thieves don't.
      - sgtnoodle 3y ago
        Globally, sure. In the US, it looks like iOS is about 57% market share. I suspect it's even higher in New York City. It's pure speculation, but I wonder if the average car thief is more likely to own an iPhone as a form of status symbol? Or, is the average car thief more likely to be using burner phones from Walmart?
c0llision 3y ago
I don't have an AirTag, but I think if you get the notification you can make the tag play noise to help find it.

jljljl 3y ago

Not if it helps them find and remove the AirTag. It might have a deterring effect if the Airtag was somewhere hard to remove

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

bhaney 3y ago

The notification doesn't fire until you've been moving along with the tag for a while, so the vehicle has already been stolen by the time the thieves are aware there's an AirTag present. I guess it might encourage them to dump the vehicle somewhere and abandon it, and you can then go pick it up using the AirTag's last known location. Doesn't really prevent the initial theft, but improves your chances for recovering the vehicle.

senkora 3y ago
In my experience they just rip the AirTag off once it notifies them and then continue on their merry way.
- jandrese 3y ago
  Seems like you would want to install it somewhere that is difficult to reach. Behind the dashboard for example, something that requires some work to access. Maybe wrapped in a bit of sound deadening material to make it harder to locate.
CamperBob2 3y ago
How many car thieves carry iPhones? That Venn diagram will have an overlapping area, but I'll bet it's not that big.
- rdtsc 3y ago
  They’d get one if they do it regularly. We catch the stupid ones but not all of them are stupid. I imagine most are aware of AirTags and could get the cheapest iPhone to detect them.
- sgtnoodle 3y ago
  Why wouldn't most car thieves have iPhones?
  - CamperBob2 3y ago
    Because most people who aren't car thieves don't.
    - sgtnoodle 3y ago
      Globally, sure. In the US, it looks like iOS is about 57% market share. I suspect it's even higher in New York City. It's pure speculation, but I wonder if the average car thief is more likely to own an iPhone as a form of status symbol? Or, is the average car thief more likely to be using burner phones from Walmart?

c0llision 3y ago

I don't have an AirTag, but I think if you get the notification you can make the tag play noise to help find it.