Why in the World can't you track AirTags via the iCloud.com Website??? Not sure why that wouldn't already be in place on day one. I think this is a important missing feature.
-Jason
-Jason
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Why can't you track AirTags via iCloud.com?
- Thread starter JMZ727
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Because they didn't enable it?
Likely as they're thinking some people could use this for stalking purposes? Enable your browser for your wife's Apple ID iCloud while she's in the shower, then you watch all of her tags whenever you want (her car, her purse, her boyfriend....etc)
No doubt they'll eventually get to this - just a low priority (What are the use cases that would make it a high priority?)
Likely as they're thinking some people could use this for stalking purposes? Enable your browser for your wife's Apple ID iCloud while she's in the shower, then you watch all of her tags whenever you want (her car, her purse, her boyfriend....etc)
No doubt they'll eventually get to this - just a low priority (What are the use cases that would make it a high priority?)
If stalking was the reason, it would make more sense to allow you to track the AirTags via a web browser, than a mobile device such as an iPhone or iPad. Think about it, which is easier to stalk someone, with a Laptop/Desktop, or a portable device such as a mobile phone or iPad? If someone was going to use an AirTag to stalk someone, they'd probably drop an AirTag in that person's purse, bookbag and/or vehicle, and then grab their mobile phone to track where the AirTag was going and follow them non-discretely.Because they didn't enable it?
Likely as they're thinking some people could use this for stalking purposes? Enable your browser for your wife's Apple ID iCloud while she's in the shower, then you watch all of her tags whenever you want (her car, her purse, her boyfriend....etc)
No doubt they'll eventually get to this - just a low priority (What are the use cases that would make it a high priority?)
I hope you're right, and they will eventually add the iCloud.com ability to track it.
-Jason
No - you're missing the point. You setup the iCloud login for the browser with her Apple ID - which is also the Apple ID you used to register the AirTags. You don't get anti-stalking notifications when you're carrying your own AirTags with you.
They have to solve this one (and sort out Family Sharing) - best to defer it until they deal with all of the different race conditions.
In general Apple doesn’t give that much love to iCloud.com, they probably want people to use as much as possible the device itself and not the web version. I can see a day where Apple will give us a web based find my app, but I don’t think that’s a priority in the short term
Heh - actually, until they update the FindMy app in iCloud, you could only do it with their phone - but you'd have to get that browser registered as a trusted device using her phone first.
Anywho - we shouldn't be helping the stalkers out by giving usage scenarios here.
Lol. Completely agree!Anywho - we shouldn't be helping the stalkers out by giving usage scenarios here.
It's time they add this feature now... Carjackers use them to find our cars, and then take our phones. We need to be able to track them back when they steal our cars and phones... if we've hidden one in our car. They're not targeting just high-end cars with all the bells and whistles anymore.
How would iCloud track them?
The Find My Phone and Find My Mac features both use Wifi (or in the case of the iPhone, also Cellular data I believe, but do correct me if I'm wrong).
Airtags are Bluetooth and U11 Wide Band chip.
Or am I missing something here...?
The Find My Phone and Find My Mac features both use Wifi (or in the case of the iPhone, also Cellular data I believe, but do correct me if I'm wrong).
Airtags are Bluetooth and U11 Wide Band chip.
Or am I missing something here...?
Scenario: They've also stolen your phone... so that phone has Bluetooth. So as long as you can get to a computer fast enough you can get the information to the police and tell them the location of your car/phone etc. Hey, just a thought. Plus it works with crowdsourced information as far as I understand. So even if my phone is turned off or it's not in the vicinity of the airtag, I should still be able to get info about that air tag?
I'm no guru... just think that maybe it's time to enable the feature now.
I'm no guru... just think that maybe it's time to enable the feature now.
I think you're reaching a bit. If they've also stolen your phone, then just use "Find my Phone".
AirTags are usually applied to items that could go missing without your phone... like luggage, backpacks, car keys... and iCloud has no technical method in which the AirTags could be tracked in that scenario. The Tags would need to have 802.11 Wifi chips inside 'em,, and join a network.
AirTags are usually applied to items that could go missing without your phone... like luggage, backpacks, car keys... and iCloud has no technical method in which the AirTags could be tracked in that scenario. The Tags would need to have 802.11 Wifi chips inside 'em,, and join a network.
iCloud has no technical method in which airtags could be tracked without your phone? So they don't actually work to track things that are lost?
I have an iPad that never leaves home. It is just as capable of showing the location of airtags for things that have been pinged in outside places as the phone that is sometimes the last thing to 'ping' them. The ability to do this clearly does exist because they are not tied only to one device. It just doesn't exist on icloud.com yet, for some reason.
No, not necessary for Airtags to have wifi access. The FindMy app on my Macbook Pro shows the location of an airtag located 100 miles away at my weekend cabin which was "seen" 34 minutes ago (by a neighbor's iphone most likely)
Yes, you're not familiar with how the FindMy network functions.
Decent article: https://www.howtogeek.com/725842/what-is-apples-find-my-network/
There's no technical reason icloud.com couldn't provide some FindMy functionality for airtags.
My guess is that it'd be confusing that you couldn't use the local-finding capability though, which is perhaps why Apple has a separate FindMy app for macOS. Haven't tried that though.
Apple aren't stupid. iPhones & iPads are expensive, Air Tags are cheap - if you could use the cheap device without having to buy the expensive device, every Tom, Dick & Android user would use Air Tags. Also, leveraging Apple's extensive network of iDevice users for free without yourself being an iDevice user could be considered parasitic rather than crowd-shared.. Disclaimer: I'm a strictly Android/Linux user with an iPad I keep solely for development (and leeching off Apple's Air Tag network ;-)
for activate the cheap device you need Only expencive iphone
and if you lost your phone you cant presision find in its also 1milion apple gate fail
Their network depends on a critical mass of iPhone/iPad users carrying their devices with them as the move around, switched on and connected to the internet, ready to serve by continuously scanning for nearby Air Tags and reporting their location to Apple. My iDevice sits in my office, switched off waiting until I need to know where my Air tag is, and therefore serves only one person; me..
Yep, strange omission but possibly for revenue reasons, it might cost them a significant amount to implement it for mass widespread use for their desired return on investment, considering that AirTags is one of their cheapest products. it also FORCES users to have iDevice so results in buy in. Apple winning quite considerably all the way to the bank.
I didn't quite understand I'm afraid, some punctuation would be appreciated.
The reasons for this are likely security based just like iMessage not being available on the web. It opens a whole other method hackers and cyberattacks can take place and I think Apple rather keep things this way for that reason than chance it.
Let's be real, if these services existed via the web Apple's clients and customers would become a much larger target for phishing and hacking.
Let's be real, if these services existed via the web Apple's clients and customers would become a much larger target for phishing and hacking.
But traditional Find My for people and devices works via iCloud.com… isn’t that just as much a security threat, if not more?
Considering all they have to do is add it on to the already existing Find My they’ve got via iCloud.com I can’t imagine there’d be a ‘significant amount’ required. I’m sure Apple, of all companies, can figure it out.