Apple Air Tag . . . How do I locate a swiped bike?

[Expidia]

My Airtags come tomorrow. So after I mount it under the water bottle cage with the holder I just got . . .
Say my bike is swiped. What happens now? Do I ride along in the police car trying to locate where the bike is with my iphone in hand guiding the police ???

 

[Jag009]

just watched this a couple of days ago

 

[Dax]

Just hope the thief doesn’t have an iPhone, otherwise they’ll get a notification that they are travelling with someone else’s AirTag due to the anti stalking tech.

They are pretty good thou, I use them for my luggage when travelling. Mostly to find out if it’s in the same country.

 

[Expidia]

just watched this a couple of days ago

That vid was great. Very informative as to how the Apple device works. I supposed you could drive to where it is indicating the bike may be and then call the police and let them check around with your help. Maybe someday the police can link into your Apple Airtag, so I don't have to walk into a building myself looking for my bike only to find a big dude with a knife!

 

[RickBullotta]

So easy to defeat now, unfortunately, since the bad guys will know it's there, even if it's hidden.

 

[Expidia]

Just hope the thief doesn’t have an iPhone, otherwise they’ll get a notification that they are travelling with someone else’s AirTag due to the anti stalking tech.

Ya, that kinda defeats the whole purpose of the tag. But I could see someone slipping one into a targets purse in a bar and then folowing her home

 

[Zimmerframe]

Can you claim on your insurance for a lost airtag ?

 

[Expidia]

So easy to defeat now, unfortunately, since the bad guys will know it's there, even if it's hidden.

Well hopefully I'm banking on most thieves are pretty dumb anyway. So you are saying anyone with an iphone can scan your bike for a hidden tag?

 

[Jag009]

That vid was great. Very informative as to how the Apple device works. I supposed you could drive to where it is indicating the bike may be and then call the police and let them check around with your help. Maybe someday the police can link into your Apple Airtag, so I don't have to walk into a building myself looking for my bike only to find a big dude with a knife!

I am looking to get a similar device but dont have an i phone ,so am looking at the samsung one
as for the guy with the knife

 

[Expidia]

I am looking to get a similar device but dont have an i phone ,so am looking at the samsung one
as for the guy with the knife

Hahahaha
That's not a kniiiuff, this is a kniiiuff!

 

[Expidia]

Can you claim on your insurance for a lost airtag ?

Sure, right after my $500 deductible.

 

[Expidia]

So if you wanted to say stalk your girlfriend to see if she is having an affair at some motel . . . if she has an iphone the tag would alert her phone that there is a tag in her area . . . correct? But if she has a Samsung then she is F'd twice (get it?).

 

[irie]

Just hope the thief doesn’t have an iPhone, otherwise they’ll get a notification that they are travelling with someone else’s AirTag due to the anti stalking tech.

Indeed!

 

[Expidia]

I'm sure hackers have already figured out how to defeat the antistalking airtag feature?
Or an app that blocks it.

 

[irie]

Well hopefully I'm banking on most thieves are pretty dumb anyway. So you are saying anyone with an iphone can scan your bike for a hidden tag?

Even dumb people have iPhones, shocking I know.

As I understand it, yep.

 

[Dax]

Well hopefully I'm banking on most thieves are pretty dumb anyway. So you are saying anyone with an iphone can scan your bike for a hidden tag?

No, you can’t scan for air tags, but if you are travelling with someone else’s AirTag your phone will alert you.

Apple AirTags’ Anti-stalking feature: Does it really work? - iGeeksBlog

After years of speculation, AirTags finally saw the dawn this April. The $29 trackers are no more than a collar’s button and can help find your essential devices, from your keys to your wallet. However, the internet is fretting over AirTag's possible misuse after some reviewers pointed out...

www.igeeksblog.com

 

[RickBullotta]

No, you can’t scan for air tags, but if you are travelling with someone else’s AirTag your phone will alert you.

Apple AirTags’ Anti-stalking feature: Does it really work? - iGeeksBlog

After years of speculation, AirTags finally saw the dawn this April. The $29 trackers are no more than a collar’s button and can help find your essential devices, from your keys to your wallet. However, the internet is fretting over AirTag's possible misuse after some reviewers pointed out...

www.igeeksblog.com

You most definitely can. AirTags are simply a bluetooth device. And yes, you can even find them using Android.

How To Tell if an AirTag Is Tracking Your Location on Android - CNET

 

[Howz]

I’ve got one on my Levo, I can see where it is at the moment, around 6 miles away at the Specialized concept store waiting for a new motor to be fitted

 

[Howz]

I’ve got one on my Levo, I can see where it is at the moment, around 6 miles away at the Specialized concept store waiting for a new motor to be fitted

it’s not moved in a few days…...

 

[Expidia]

Funny, the Amazon driver just handed me my box of the 4 tags as I was walking out the door!

 

[flash]

My inclination would be to put the tag somewhere really difficult to remove, like glued inside the frame somewhere. Maybe they'd dump it not knowing how to get the tag out. And it'd give a bit more time before they can strip the bike completely. Sure I couldn't put a new battery in but it's not a huge cost to sacrifice.

Gordon

 

[Ushtang]

That’s the best place to put it. Since the AirTag also gives off an audible alert, any place it’s located not inside the bike can be easily found and the AirTag removed.

 

[Zimmerframe]

There was another thread on this with various bits of useful information in there :

Airtag on bike

I see this good video on youtube.. really interesting for us Luca

www.emtbforums.com

 

[emtbPhil]

There's, as usual, a hint of apple bashing on most of these threads but in reality -
- once the airtag has left your location it takes 3 days to start making a noise
- the anti-stalking stuff isn't instant either, it's only if the airtag is travelling with you for a prolonged amount of time
- it's not GPS and isn't designed to be

they're very cheap and in the real world if someone nicks your bike they are likely to ride away and then store it, or throw it in a van and drive off. the idea behind the airtag is during the theft they're going to be more concerned about getting away with the bike than searching for an airtag, throughout that period you'll get pings of locations

by the time the airtag warns them that it's nearby or starts making a noise they will likely have stopped and started stripping the bike or checking over what they've got anyway - but hopefully you will then have a "last known location" which will be handy for the police

for the cost of them chucking one inside the frame where it's not immediately visible (or those bizarre mucoff valves that put the airtag inside your tyre for you to destroy on a rock drop lol) - at least offers a slight chance that you could follow someone who nicked it outside a shop while you were getting a sandwich, or get a rough "last known location" after a theft

the visible mounts (under water bottle, seat etc..) are pointless really

 

[emtbPhil]

Also I mostly just use mine on the bike to check it's still in the van as I'm quite paranoid when I go to the office and leave the bike in the van for the day in the car park ready for a night ride - or if I go for some food after a long ride. At least I can open the app and see it's still with the van which offers a little bit of piece of mind - and you can setup an alert if it moves.

 

[#lazy]

That vid was great. Very informative as to how the Apple device works. I supposed you could drive to where it is indicating the bike may be and then call the police and let them check around with your help. Maybe someday the police can link into your Apple Airtag, so I don't have to walk into a building myself looking for my bike only to find a big dude with a knife!

Ring 999 ask for police , tell
them you think there’s a stolen bike in an area and you want immediate assistance ! Phone goes dead

 

[Banktramp]

So if you wanted to say stalk your girlfriend to see if she is having an affair at some motel . . . if she has an iphone the tag would alert her phone that there is a tag in her area . . . correct? But if she has a Samsung then she is F'd twice (get it?).

No

you can go into the settings of the iPhone and disable notifications. So a friend told me

you can also disable the mini speaker on the tag, so it doesn’t start beeping.

 

[Expidia]

police?!? You can track them. Do it yourself.

I tend to think someone brazen enough to steal a $5 to 10,000 e-bike would also already have bought or stolen a gas station type knife or worse a gun. So I would rather call the police and let them investigate the address I might have tracked the location to. I also carry insurance on both my bikes.

 

[RickBullotta]

There's, as usual, a hint of apple bashing on most of these threads but in reality -
- once the airtag has left your location it takes 3 days to start making a noise
- the anti-stalking stuff isn't instant either, it's only if the airtag is travelling with you for a prolonged amount of time
- it's not GPS and isn't designed to be

they're very cheap and in the real world if someone nicks your bike they are likely to ride away and then store it, or throw it in a van and drive off. the idea behind the airtag is during the theft they're going to be more concerned about getting away with the bike than searching for an airtag, throughout that period you'll get pings of locations

by the time the airtag warns them that it's nearby or starts making a noise they will likely have stopped and started stripping the bike or checking over what they've got anyway - but hopefully you will then have a "last known location" which will be handy for the police

for the cost of them chucking one inside the frame where it's not immediately visible (or those bizarre mucoff valves that put the airtag inside your tyre for you to destroy on a rock drop lol) - at least offers a slight chance that you could follow someone who nicked it outside a shop while you were getting a sandwich, or get a rough "last known location" after a theft

the visible mounts (under water bottle, seat etc..) are pointless really

Although the "anti-stalking" stuff might not be instant, there are bluetooth sniffers that can find them (nearly) instantly. They send out a BLE "ping" every couple seconds.

 

[Expidia]

I do think it's a good idea to hide the tag, but not if the signal is cut down because it is shielded by an alumimum frame. I have to find a spot to conceal them on each model. For, now they are under the water bottle holders on my Trek black frame, it does not stand out. The dark blue frame Giant is also not so easy to spot.
emtbPhil's post in #24 was very informative as he answered a few questions I was going to look up. I have to look up what the tags range is both while mounted under the water bottle and also hidden in the frame. I supposed I could just drive my car away from the bikes at my house to check it where they are now and then do the same with the tag hidden on the bike.

Bottom line is if a thief targets my bike like if I'm sitting on it at a light I'm not going to try and fight them off. Some goes for a perp walking up to me and demands my wallet/money and pulls a knife or a gun.

I do have pepper spray on the bar, so if I see someone walking towards me who looks suspicious, I'll already have the spray in my hand. As I've mentioned in another thread I tend not to be a sitting duck type target and stop at lights etc. I try and slow down as I see a red light ahead and stay on the move or I switch on to the sidewalks if traffic ahead so I can keep moving. If I come to a light that has traffic, I will slowly go through it if the intersection is clear or just take the right turn, go up a little ways and make a U turn and then take another right putting me back in the same direction I was going. I never have a time constraint (unless I see an impending thunder storm on the radar) so just being out there on the bike is what I'm in this for anyway.