May 12, 2021 21:00:00

The result of mailing and tracking Apple's lost item tracker 'AirTag' is like this

Apple's lost item tracker '

AirTag ' is an item that uses the network of iOS devices that exist all over the world and tells the owner where it is. Is it possible for the owner to track the location of the AirTag when it actually moves? So, an attempt was made to 'mail the AirTag by letter.'

I Mailed an AirTag and Tracked Its Progress; Here's What Happened --The Mac Security Blog
https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/i-mailed-an-airtag-and-tracked-its-progress-heres-what-happened/

You can read what kind of item AirTag is from the following article.

Dropped tracker 'AirTag' haste photo review that can accurately track the position even if you lose your Apple wallet or bag --GIGAZINE

In addition, you can read the details of usage and operation from the following.

I tried using 'AirTag' which helps to find lost items by making Apple sounds and pointing directions --GIGAZINE

Writer Kirk McElhan glued the AirTag to a card, put it in an envelope and mailed it to a friend's house. I tracked how AirTag moved.

◆ What is the result of tracking AirTag?
Mr. McElhan lives in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, and his friend is located in southern London, about 100 miles (160 km), about two hours drive away.

AirTag can be tracked with the iOS 'Search' app. Mr. McElhan said that when he launched the 'Search' app the moment he put the envelope in the mailbox one Friday afternoon, the correct location was displayed properly.

The collection time of the letter is around 17:00, and when Mr. McElhan tracked it with the app, it was confirmed that it arrived at the nearby post office at 17:28.

AirTag uses Bluetooth beacon technology, and when a nearby device equipped with iOS 13 or higher detects the signal transmitted by AirTag, it notifies the location. For this reason, the arrival of AirTag at the post office means that the letter collector or post office worker had an iOS 13 or higher device.

After that, AirTag started moving at 17:49. I left the city at around 18:40 and headed north.

At 19:30, we confirmed that we had arrived

at the South Midlands Mail Center , which is an automatic mail sorting center. McElhan set up a script on his Mac and took a 'find' screenshot every two minutes. From 22:08 to the next morning, the AirTag-carrying car continued to move, stopping at several points, arriving at a sorting center near a friend's house in London at 6:45. My friend received the AirTag in the morning.

◆ AirTag may not sound alert
There are concerns that AirTag may encourage stalking. By 'sneaking into the belongings of the target person' with AirTag, it is possible to track the movement of that person. For this reason, as a measure against stalking, if the owner of AirTag attaches AirTag to someone, Apple will send a notification that 'AirTag is moving with you' to the iPhone of the person who attached AirTag. It is said that it is a specification.

'AirTag Found Moving With You' --What it Means and What to Do --MacRumors

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/airtag-found-moving-with-you/

The condition for sending a message is that 'AirTag is more than 3 days away from the owner', but even 3 days after the AirTag sent by Mr. McElhan was sent to a friend, it will be on the friend's iPhone. I heard that the message did not arrive.

About this, Mr. McElhan said, 'For example, if someone slips the AirTag into the bag of the target person, and that person puts the bag at home, it is no longer in a state of' always moving together ' May not be sent, 'suggesting that there are some restrictions. In fact, my friend had AirTag on the table and wasn't 'always on the move.' In addition, Apple has not disclosed the details of the mechanism of this function.

Apple also said about AirTag, 'If you're more than three days away from the owner, you'll be alerted to people nearby,' but your friends haven't heard of this alert either. The Washington Post wrote that the alert was as short as 15 seconds and wasn't loud, so McElhan commented, 'Maybe my friend missed it while I was on TV.'

◆ Summary of AirTag tracking function
AirTag isn't a device that accurately tracks its location in real time, but with nearly a billion iOS devices in the world, it has been shown that it can take advantage of the huge network to do some tracking.

In this tracking, it's unclear if the truck driver in the mail had an iPhone, but for example, if the driver of a car driving near the truck is an iPhone user, it could catch the signal. There is sex. Bluetooth 5 used by AirTags can deliver signals within 100 meters, but the presence of walls and obstacles makes a difference, so detailed operating efficiency 'needs to be tested'. Said McElhan.

It's also unclear how often AirTag will be updated, McElhan said. When Mr. McElhan gave the AirTag to his partner who is an iPhone user, the location of the 'Find My' app was not updated frequently while the partner finished his work 20 miles (about 32 km) away. However, it seems that the frequency of updates increased when the partner went to a shopping mall with many people. In addition, it has been confirmed that the data is not updated when the moving speed is fast, such as in a car, and the update frequency increases when the speed is slow.