Apple AirTag sent in the mail to test tracking — here’s what happened next

Apple tree AirTag sent in the mail to test tracking — here's what happened next

(Epitome credit: Apple)

AirTags are designed to help you lot track down your stuff, just just how good is the tracking if you lose something exterior of your own home?

Dutch YouTuber AirTagAlex decided to put Apple tree's tracker to the test. He send himself an AirTag in the post to run into just how good AirTags' location tracking actually is.

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AirTagAlex fix a script that would ping the location of the AirTag every two minutes, and then accept a timestamped screenshot to verify its location. Then it was put into a regular Dutch mailbox, just a few hundred anxiety from his house, and left to do its affair.

It turns out AirTag tracking does actually piece of work, though it'due south not without a few snags. AirTagAlex was able to watch the progress of his tracker. He could come across roughly when it was picked up from the mailbox, and run across it wind up 120km away before heading dorsum to his firm.

The snags are that the location tracking doesn't seem to be up totally up to date all the time. AirTagAlex noted that shortly afterwards the tracker start started moving, it was clocked in at one intersection before suddenly beingness pinged at a post sorting office 12 minutes abroad.

Evidently it's worth begetting in mind that AirTags are not GPS trackers. And then it'due south not constantly pinging away at a satellite to give you lot a precise location. Instead AirTags use iPhones running iOS xiv.v, with the devices pinging an AirTag if whenever it'due south in range.

Given the number of people who own iPhones, and Apple's dedication to offer updates to a wide range of its devices, that means the AirTags take the capacity to be a lot more than accurate than the all-time primal finders from competitors. As nice every bit Tiles might exist, they exercise nevertheless rely on people having the app installed. If nobody does, your trackers might as well be completely useless.

In any case, minus a couple of hiccups, AirTagAlex'south little experiment shows that AirTag tracking is quite useful. And stuff you put in the post tin go along quite a long journey, fifty-fifty if the thing you lot're sending isn't supposed to go that far.

It'll exist interesting to see how it works on an international trip, though. And nosotros look forward to seeing how AirTagAlex's tracker fairs on its trip to Norway, which volition exist the YouTuber'due south next tracking exam.

More than: Apple tree AirTags' anti-stalking features come with a unsafe loophole

Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which means he tin usually be establish knee deep in stats the latest and best electrical cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He'southward usually found trying to squeeze some other giant Lego prepare onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or lament that Ikea won't let him buy the stuff he really needs online.