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Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Apple's AirTag has become a global sensation. It was launched with a very simple goal in mind: to let iPhone users track their belongings, including wallets and car keys.
The AirTag is based on a concept that's been around for years, but it reinvents the approach by working with the whole iPhone network worldwide.
People around the globe noticed the AirTag's potential, so they planted the tracker in more belongings, including cars, motorcycles, and bikes. To one's surprise, the AirTag did its job, helping the police find stolen cars and arrest the thieves.
Here's what you know about the AirTag if you're thinking of planting one into your car.
It needs an iPhone to transmit data
Photo: Apple
The first thing you must remember is that the AirTag doesn't work like a GPS tracker, so it doesn't provide permanent location information.
The AirTag connects to nearby iPhones to access the Find My network and show its location on the map. Without an iPhone, it's useless, as the AirTag doesn't sport built-in Internet access.
If your car gets stolen, the AirTag can connect to the other iPhones on the street, especially if the thief stops at a traffic light. Eventually, you'll get updated information whenever the AirTag helps establish a connection, and you can share these details with the police to help recover the vehicle.
It can alert the thief
Photo: Apple
As I said earlier, the AirTag wasn't designed to replace a GPS tracker, so it comes with one major drawback. It can alert the thief about its existence, letting them find the device in your car.
The AirTag comes with anti-stalking protection, as Apple wanted to make sure people don't misuse it – they still do, but that's a completely different story.
When the AirTag is moving with an iPhone whose owner is unknown, the device generates an alert to let them know someone might be tracking them. The notification helps prevent cases where someone hides an AirTag paired with their iPhone in someone else's car, purse, or pocket.
The notification is generated on both iPhone and the latest Android versions. Previously, Android users had to scan for nearby AirTags with a dedicated application published on the App Store, but Google has integrated native support for AirTag detection in Android. Make sure your Android device runs an up-to-date version of the operating system to detect AirTags in proximity automatically.
The thief can disable it
Photo: Apple
And this takes us to the next important thing you must know. The notification allows the thief to make the AirTag generate a sound so they can determine the location in the car.
If they don't have the police on their tail, the thief has enough time to search for the AirTag and eventually find it.
The AirTag doesn't have a power-off button, but simply removing the battery shuts it down. Most thieves don't waste their time with such things, rather crashing the AirTag or throwing it outside the window when driving away in a stolen car.
People online have found ways to prevent the AirTag from producing a sound, disabling the buzzer to keep the device silent. As a result, while it may alert the thief with the notification, determining its location is more difficult.
The operating distance
Photo: Apple
The AirTag won't connect to an iPhone unless it's pretty close to it.
Apple used the standard Bluetooth integration, so the AirTag has an operating range of 33 feet or 10 meters.
If the thief is waiting at a traffic light and the AirTag isn't planted under a sheet of metal, it can pick up the signal for a farther iPhone, but otherwise, the smartphone must be very close to the tracker. The connection takes about a second, so the AirTag must be near the iPhone in the blink of an eye to send its location to the master device.
In the best-case scenario, the thief could carry an iPhone in their pocket, so the AirTag wouldn't have any problem providing you with up-to-date information about its location. The downside is that it'll also alert the thief, as I explained earlier.
It doesn't need to recharge
Photo: Apple
The AirTag doesn't sport a rechargeable battery, so once you install it in your car, you can forget it's there for six months.
The device uses a CR2032 battery, which should provide up to half a year of autonomy. When the battery is drained, you can simply remove the cover and install a new unit – you should only use high-quality batteries, as otherwise, you could end up with the AirTag no longer capable of sending its location out of the blue.
Apple is already working on a second-generation model, and it's believed it could sport even longer battery life. However, six months should be enough for most people, especially if they install the AirTag in a place where they can remove it easily.
