What will stop someone from stealing your AirTag?

[hopsenberry]

I'm just thinking how easy it will be for someone to pop the battery out and walk away with an AirTag. $30 is nothing to scoff at.

Will there be a way to reset them or will they be permanently tied to your icloud account? If that's the case how will you ever sell one or get rid of it?

 

[rorschach]

My wild guess is they are "activation locked". i.e., once one has been set up, it's tied to your iCloud account and cannot be connected to another account until un-paired. If you sell them you would just un-pair them (probably by entering your iCloud password on your phone, or possibly removing via iCloud.com), just like how you would sign out of iCloud if you sell your iPhone.

But that's just my theory.

 

[hopsenberry]

Hmm yeah I guess activation lock could work just like iPhone.

 

[Spetsgruppa]

the crazy part is its now on Pre Order in Indonesia for a whopping USD$60...

 

[hopsenberry]

I still worry that these will be a prime target for thieves if you put them on things like luggage.

Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

 

[Luba]

I still worry that these will be a prime target for thieves if you put them on things like luggage.

Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

They definitely could and would steal them, that's why I look for luggage tags that buckled on since it's more of a hassle and time consuming to un-do a buckle. Anyway, good luggage tags from say, TUMI, cost $50, and the person stealing it could actually put it in use, while with AirTags it would be non-functional for them.

 

[dukebound85]

I still worry that these will be a prime target for thieves if you put them on things like luggage.

Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

just put it in the side of the luggage

 

[MrTSolar]

just put it in the side of the luggage

Exactly. Something like an AirTag would be something I'd want hidden. Part of the deal is that the thief doesn't realize the item they just stole is tracked. It would either be in with my luggage or somehow concealed within the suitcase.

As for stealing the AirTag itself, I imagine iCloud lock would be implemented. Word gets out that stolen AirTags are worthless, that might dampen theft.

 

[Apple_Robert]

My wild guess is they are "activation locked". i.e., once one has been set up, it's tied to your iCloud account and cannot be connected to another account until un-paired. If you sell them you would just un-pair them (probably by entering your iCloud password on your phone, or possibly removing via iCloud.com), just like how you would sign out of iCloud if you sell your iPhone.

But that's just my theory.

That is an excellent point. I hope you are right.

 

[lordhamster]

I'm just thinking how easy it will be for someone to pop the battery out and walk away with an AirTag. $30 is nothing to scoff at.

Will there be a way to reset them or will they be permanently tied to your icloud account? If that's the case how will you ever sell one or get rid of it?

I see these as a commodity that I don't care if they are stolen. I see these as a way to find LOST (vs stolen) stuff, or perhaps to track things valuable enough to justify using a $30 item to track them.

If my airtag is stollen, presumably I will have lost something MUCH more valuable in the process so the tag would be a moot point.

 

[minnemike]

I would assume they are useless to anyone other than the owner until released by owner. Otherwise, they arent very valuable and dont really work do they?

 

[sayhitokyle]

I’ve had mixed feelings about this - I love the idea of the bag/luggage loops, but worry that it’ll be an easily identifiable ’target’. I guess we won’t know until they’re out in the wild...

 

[hopsenberry]

As for stealing the AirTag itself, I imagine iCloud lock would be implemented. Word gets out that stolen AirTags are worthless, that might dampen theft.

I would assume they are useless to anyone other than the owner until released by owner. Otherwise, they arent very valuable and dont really work do they?

Well people already know about iphone activation lock and I doubt that has done anything to reduce "crimes of opportunity."

Like I said if a bad guy sees an iphone sitting around he is not going to just walk past it no matter what he knows about activation lock.

 

[hopsenberry]

I see these as a commodity that I don't care if they are stolen. I see these as a way to find LOST (vs stolen) stuff, or perhaps to track things valuable enough to justify using a $30 item to track them.

If my airtag is stollen, presumably I will have lost something MUCH more valuable in the process so the tag would be a moot point.

There are a lot of people who would be more inclined to slip a tiny metal disc in their pocket than they would be with stealing a whole piece of luggage.

 

[lordhamster]

There are a lot of people who would be more inclined to slip a tiny metal disc in their pocket than they would be with stealing a whole piece of luggage.

That may be, but honestly I don't care. If I get an airtag it will be for the express purpose of NOT losing the item I attach it to.

 

[matrix07]

the crazy part is its now on Pre Order in Indonesia for a whopping USD$60...

Store here hasn’t been open yet.

 

[minnemike]

Well people already know about iphone activation lock and I doubt that has done anything to reduce "crimes of opportunity."

Like I said if a bad guy sees an iphone sitting around he is not going to just walk past it no matter what he knows about activation lock.

Well, in the end there is no digital security for anything with a dumb thief.

 

[SpaceGrayAlways]

If you watch Rene Ritchie's video they go into this further, but as other people already guessed, the AirTag is tied to your Apple ID with something Apple has called Pairing Lock (essentially Activation Lock that is seen with iPhones or other devices). This means that someone who finds an AirTag cannot simply re-pair it with another iPhone, it would have to be unpaired from the first device before it can be re-paired.

 

[EuroChilli]

If you watch Rene Ritchie's video they go into this further, but as other people already guessed, the AirTag is tied to your Apple ID with something Apple has called Pairing Lock (essentially Activation Lock that is seen with iPhones or other devices). This means that someone who finds an AirTag cannot simply re-pair it with another iPhone, it would have to be unpaired from the first device before it can be re-paired.

As much as an opportunist thief might steal my MBA M1, there is some comfort in knowing he/she will never be able to do anything with it. They will not be able to format the drive and reinstall macOS, unless I release it from my iCloud account. I discovered this after setting it up for the first time when I decided I wanted it set up as a new machine instead of migrating the monumental amount of digital rubbish collected over the years from my old machine.

I'm assuming the same applies to the tag.

 

[ZBoater]

...Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

And it would serve the person buying stolen goods right to buy a useless Airtag.

 

[rui no onna]

I still worry that these will be a prime target for thieves if you put them on things like luggage.

Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

I have used Tile before and I just put inside the actual luggage (inside zipper). Unless your luggage is metal or shielded, storing it inside shouldn't affect performance.

 

[sulpfiction]

I still worry that these will be a prime target for thieves if you put them on things like luggage.

Even with activation lock a bad guy wouldn't just walk past an expensive device like an iphone or airtag. They can still easily sell it to an unsuspecting person.

You would put them inside your luggage and not hanging on the outside if you were to use them this way. Also, it would be silly to think they won’t be tied to your iCloud account just like the phone, watch, etc. They’re absolutely worthless to thieves. Maybe initially people will steal them, but that will diminish quickly. And they are not really meant for things that aren’t in range of your phone most of the time as they are not gps based. When an tag is out of range of your phone you then rely on someone walking by the tag with an iPhone (with Bluetooth on) to give you a location.

 

[Howard2k]

Well people already know about iphone activation lock and I doubt that has done anything to reduce "crimes of opportunity."

Like I said if a bad guy sees an iphone sitting around he is not going to just walk past it no matter what he knows about activation lock.

Apple's Activation Lock Leads To Big Drops In Smartphone Theft Worldwide | TechCrunch

The temptation of a smartphone for a thief is dropping, thanks to Apple's decision to implement a remote kill switch via Find My Phone that can erase and

techcrunch.com

" A new report from Reuters found that iPhone theft dropped by 50 percent in London, 40 percent in San Francisco and 25 percent in New York. The drops represent theft activity as measured during the 12 months following Apple’s introduction of the remote locking feature in September 2013 as part of iOS 7. With iOS 8, Apple made its so-called said “kill switch” active by default, in accordance with California regulation, and that should help the rates of theft continue to trend downwards."

 

[neech7]

And it would serve the person buying stolen goods right to buy a useless Airtag.

The buyer may or may not know if an AirTag has been stolen. Could also be a less-than-sophisticated person like a senior or a young child who's easily persuaded.

 

[KeithJenner]

Exactly. Something like an AirTag would be something I'd want hidden. Part of the deal is that the thief doesn't realize the item they just stole is tracked. It would either be in with my luggage or somehow concealed within the suitcase.

The thief will likely find the tag when it and their phone tell them it is there.

I agree with your point though, it seems better to have it inside anyway. Less chance of it getting detached somehow, doesn't highlight the fact that it is something you don't want to lose and will potentially delay the time it takes for a thief to find it until the alerts start.