Apple Airtags

[Sprucegoose]

Hilton Chelsea in London

The GM is Anthony Barrett, I am obtaining his contact details. PM me your details and we will sort this.

 

[Ric]

Looks like Google is getting into the game.

Google plans AirTag clone, will track devices with 3 billion Android phones

Google recently made the world's largest device-tracking network; now it has a tag.

arstechnica.com

 

[MattA]

Have caved and joined the AirTag club. First outing on a recent domestic trip.

I recall some commentary somewhere (maybe in this thread?) about whether you could track bags while they are actually in the hold. Interestingly I turned my phone back on right after the “if your handheld device is in reach you can now use it with flight mode disabled” announcement just after landing but before the plane had made it to the stand. Sure enough, the location of the bags had updated to just outside MEL. So the luggage hold on a 737 at least is apparently within Bluetooth range of the cabin.

Also given how these things work and the times they were last detected I guess this means someone on the plane (not me) had an i-device not in flight mode during the descent?

 

[RealtimeY]

someone on the plane (not me) had an i-device

Correct. If it is your own device connecting to it, it will show "With you" instead of the distance.

 

[BAM1748]

Have caved and joined the AirTag club. First outing on a recent domestic trip.

I recall some commentary somewhere (maybe in this thread?) about whether you could track bags while they are actually in the hold. Interestingly I turned my phone back on right after the “if your handheld device is in reach you can now use it with flight mode disabled” announcement just after landing but before the plane had made it to the stand. Sure enough, the location of the bags had updated to just outside MEL. So the luggage hold on a 737 at least is apparently within Bluetooth range of the cabin.

Also given how these things work and the times they were last detected I guess this means someone on the plane (not me) had an i-device not in flight mode during the descent?

View attachment 315343

Plane might have wifi for passenger devices.

 

[MattA]

Plane might have wifi for passenger devices.

I was flying VA. No wifi on this flight (apart from the entertainment system).

 

[jb747]

Also given how these things work and the times they were last detected I guess this means someone on the plane (not me) had an i-device not in flight mode during the descent?

I'd expect quite a few.

 

[Brissy1]

Correct. If it is your own device connecting to it, it will show "With you" instead of the distance.

So is the reported device location, actually the location of the interrogating iPhone? Or from triangulation of multiple interrogating iphones?

 

[RealtimeY]

I would suspect it's the location of the interrogating iPhone, as that in itself is already a triangulation

 

[Port Power]

I would suspect it's the location of the interrogating iPhone, as that in itself is already a triangulation

No, that's not correct. The Air Tag's location is shown through its connection to one or multiple iPhones. You are not tracking other people's phones! Remember the baggage handlers on the ground probably have mobile phones in their pockets, as well as all those other ground personnel.

 

[SYD]

I’ve never been able to get my iPhone nor iPad to fix a location purely on inflight wifi. But if you could, we’d all be able to see our bags in tight formation!

Has anyone seen that? Bags mid flight in the correct location?

 

[MattA]

I’ve never been able to get my iPhone nor iPad to fix a location purely on inflight wifi. But if you could, we’d all be able to see our bags in tight formation!

Has anyone seen that? Bags mid flight in the correct location?

My experience of inflight wifi has typically been that my phone thinks it's still at the origin airport up until flight mode goes off after landing. I believe the location stuff is more accurate with the cellular connection on but I don't know how well that would work at 30,000 feet (correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that the phones use a combination of GPS, cellular towers, wifi networks etc etc). Not sure how/if all of that would work up in the air (I mean obviously the GPS satellites are still accessible, but the towers below less so). In the example above we would have been well into the descent when my AirTags were pinged (and as a dutiful rule obeyer *my* phone was airplaned for the rest of the flight and there was no wifi to connect to so I have no idea if the tags were tracked at cruising altitude).

Some airlines e.g., SQ officially let you have your phone off flight mode for most (all?) of the journey but I've always been too scared to do it for fear of racking up some horrific roaming charges as I believe that goes through an onboard cellular connection rather than the towers below you.

I'll certainly be looking next time I'm onboard something with wifi though.

 

[drron]

I've taken SQ at their word and on it's first flight to LHR the air tag told us it was with us even though a little lower.

 

[flyingfan]

A non-scientific glance around cabins make me concur multiple phones are active (not on flight mode) on flights, through wilful disobedience of instructions as well as forgetfulness. Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a couple of dozen each time.

 

[vetrade]

Is this 21st century karma?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1642451364750999552

 

[theblank]

I got the missus some Airtags, ( i dont have iphone) and i chucked one in my golf bag when i went on a trip to interstate.
While i was away, the last tracking event of the airtag was at home. well i thought maybe the airtag is not detectable when its inside bag.
But as soon as i arrived home, her iphone picks the airtag, despite it being inside my golfbag, and inside my travel case in another room.

its impossible that passing through 2 airports and returning, train rides, hotels and golf everday that i didnt pass by a single iphone user, i have no idea what gives.

possibly its a good thing she cant track me - but that wasnt the purpose of the test run!

 

[jb747]

I got the missus some Airtags, ( i dont have iphone) and i chucked one in my golf bag when i went on a trip to interstate.
While i was away, the last tracking event of the airtag was at home. well i thought maybe the airtag is not detectable when its inside bag.
But as soon as i arrived home, her iphone picks the airtag, despite it being inside my golfbag, and inside my travel case in another room.

its impossible that passing through 2 airports and returning, train rides, hotels and golf everday that i didnt pass by a single iphone user, i have no idea what gives.

When you look for it, it shows the last place that it pinged. In your example, that happened to be at home. It doesn't generally give a record of where it has been, though it may do so if you appear to be being tracked by one that isn't yours.

 

[Scarlett]

Indonesian press reporting two Australian ladies claimed to have had an AirTag placed into their bag on arrival at DPS.
They found the tag sometime after leaving the airport. (they didn’t put it there) They believe it happened at DPS as the battery of the device had ‘Made in Indonesia’ on it.

For those in the know, can someone surreptitiously slip an AirTag on or into something and track a person in this sort of way? Also, how much does an AirTag cost, as if it’s expensive enough I guess you’d want to be getting back at some point.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Indonesian press reporting two Australian ladies claimed to have had an AirTag placed into their bag on arrival at DPS.
They found the tag sometime after leaving the airport. (they didn’t put it there) They believe it happened at DPS as the battery of the device had ‘Made in Indonesia’ on it.

For those in the know, can someone surreptitiously slip an AirTag on or into something and track a person in this sort of way? Also, how much does an AirTag cost, as if it’s expensive enough I guess you’d want to be getting back at some point.

How to Know If Someone Is Using an AirTag to Track You - The Plug - HelloTech

Apple designed the AirTag to help you locate missing items. But recently, there have been several reports of stalkers using AirTags to track people and thieves using them to steal cars. To help protect your privacy, Apple recently announced it is adding the “first-ever proactive system to alert...

www.hellotech.com

 

[DC3]

When you look for it, it shows the last place that it pinged. In your example, that happened to be at home. It doesn't generally give a record of where it has been …

Exactly. I’m not sure that some understand this.