Paul Stenhouse: Apple launches the AirTag
Saturday Morning with Jack Tame · Newstalk ZB
April 23, 20213m 3s
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Show Notes
Apple's launched a brand new product: AirTag
If you lose things, or want some added peace of mind, then Apple's AirTag is for you.
It's a small tracking device you can attach to your things so if they get lost you can locate them. You can use the FindMy app to make it play a sound, or you can use your phone to direct you to the Tag. The Tag sends out a beacon via bluetooth and an arrow appears on your phone directing you to the object.
The magic feature though is when the item is far away from you, outside of bluetooth range. If someone else's iPhone detects the beacon, it'll use their connection to send you the location. So imagine you leave your backpack at a bar, then a patron's iPhone would anonymously connect to the Tag and you can see your bag's location on a map. The battery should last about a year and is user replaceable. Of course it wouldn't be an Apple product if you didn't need to buy an accessory! There is no way to attach it to something without an accessory - it doesn't have a loop. Could someone use an AirTag to track you?
Yes, but there are safeguards built in. If your iPhone detects that an AirTag is moving with you it will send you an alert.. but that doesn't help Android users. From the mockup of the app, you'll be able to make that AirTag play a sound to help you locate it. If it's been away from its owner for three days, it'll start making a sound on its own.
LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE
If you lose things, or want some added peace of mind, then Apple's AirTag is for you.
It's a small tracking device you can attach to your things so if they get lost you can locate them. You can use the FindMy app to make it play a sound, or you can use your phone to direct you to the Tag. The Tag sends out a beacon via bluetooth and an arrow appears on your phone directing you to the object.
The magic feature though is when the item is far away from you, outside of bluetooth range. If someone else's iPhone detects the beacon, it'll use their connection to send you the location. So imagine you leave your backpack at a bar, then a patron's iPhone would anonymously connect to the Tag and you can see your bag's location on a map. The battery should last about a year and is user replaceable. Of course it wouldn't be an Apple product if you didn't need to buy an accessory! There is no way to attach it to something without an accessory - it doesn't have a loop. Could someone use an AirTag to track you?
Yes, but there are safeguards built in. If your iPhone detects that an AirTag is moving with you it will send you an alert.. but that doesn't help Android users. From the mockup of the app, you'll be able to make that AirTag play a sound to help you locate it. If it's been away from its owner for three days, it'll start making a sound on its own.
LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE
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