In a surprising incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, an Apple Watch played a pivotal role in helping a determined passenger track down her stolen luggage when Spirit Airlines couldn’t.
You expect this sort of thing from AirTag, a dedicated tracker. But this time, an Apple Watch and the Find My network came to the rescue.
AirPods are great earphones, but did you know they can also be crime fighters? In Florida, a dislodged AirPod tracked an alleged hit-and-run driver after a bike-riding teen’s head went through his passenger window and the earbud popped out and got stuck under a floormat.
Location tracking on that little earbud led straight to an arrest on felony charges.
The slim new Nomad Tracking Card works with Apple’s Find My app on your devices and recharges via MagSafe to help you keep tabs on your wallet, purse or other valuables, Nomad said Tuesday.
The credit card-sized tracker goes for $40 individually or $120 for a four-pack.
A new Find Your Friends ad Apple dropped Friday connects the Find My universe with the Star Wars universe, as Boba Fett uses his iPhone 15 in the video to locate fellow Mandalorians in a crowded mall. Or wait, maybe it’s a convention center.
Yeah, it’s a guy in homemade Mandalorian battle gear going off to find like-minded nerds at a raucous Star Wars convention. It’s pretty funny.
Slip the Ekster Finder Card into your wallet and it can be located with Apple’s Find My network. It’s much like an AirTag, except a lot flatter.
The credit card-size accessory just hit the market.
It’s possible to remove an Apple ID from your iPhone without a password using UnlockGo.
You can unlock iCloud Activation Lock without a password or the previous owner, remove a forgotten Screen Time passcode without data loss, bypass MDM locks and more. It’s a really powerful app and it’s available for both Mac and PC.
If you get a second-hand iPhone but find out the seller didn’t fully reset it beforehand, UnlockGo will fix it. Here’s how it works.
Google thinks Apple’s Find My network is so clever it “borrowed” the idea. After announcing the system last year, Android’s Find My Device network is ready to locate misplaced handsets, tablets and tracking tags.
Aside from an opportunity to mock Google for its “innovation,” the new system is relevant to iPhone users because Rolling Square unveiled a pair of tags that support both Google’s and Apple’s system.
If you have a knack for losing items like car keys and handbags — or if you’re often targeted by thieves — you need a location-tracking device. And it doesn’t have to be Apple’s AirTag. That’s because you can get something very similar for less with the Momax Tracker Tag.
Google thinks Apple’s Find My network is so clever it’s “borrowing” the idea. But the upcoming extension of Android’s Find My Device network to tracking tags has been delayed — and Google says it’s all because of Apple.
The snafu supposedly stems from the companies working together on a scheme to prevent stalkers from misusing tracking tags made for the two rival platforms.
If you keep forgetting or misplacing things, an AirTag will make your life much easier. Apple’s tracking tag can help you track lost or stolen items, even when they are not within your iPhone’s reach.
And what’s better than one AirTag? Four! And while an AirTag four-pack retails for $99, Amazon is currently discounting them to $84.99.
★★★★☆
The HyperPack Pro has room for a 16-inch MacBook plus plenty of other gear in three big pockets, three more smaller ones plus more inner pockets. But what sets the backpack apart is a built-in tracker using Apple’s Find My technology so it can easily be found if misplaced or accidentally left behind.
I field tested the bag from Hyper by taking it on holiday. Here’s everything I love about it … and a few small issues.
Known for laptop cases and other accessories, Targus recently unveiled its new Cypress Hero Backpack with Find My Locator.
So if it goes missing, you can find the eco-friendly pack and any gear in it using your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
A newly published patent filing shows Apple is exploring the possibility of building support for the Find My device locating system into a future version of the Apple Pencil. At the very least, the stylus might be able to play an alert sound to make it more findable.
Other products from the company already have this feature.
The HyperPack Pro has room for a 16-inch MacBook plus all your other gear, and the backpack includes a built in tracker using Apple’s Find My technology so it can easily be found if misplaced.
Hyper’s new backpack just debuted, but has already been named a CES 2023 Innovation Awards Honoree.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors make it sound like we’re getting some major changes on the design front. And, while the switch from Lightning to USB-C sounds like a winner, Apple might pull one of its irritating tricks by making a handy feature exclusive to the iPhone Pro models next year.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
This is absolutely your last chance to get forgetful Eron’s ridiculous CultCloth deal! These are the only cleaning cloths you need!
Apple’s AirTags just dropped to a pre-Black Friday low of $74.98 for a four-pack on Amazon. If you’ve been waiting for your chance to snag some of the remarkably handy tracking tags, this is it!
But, as with all Amazon deals, there’s no way of predicting how long this deal will last. If you want to get in on the AirTag action, you’d better grab this deal ASAP.
At Apple’s ‘Far Out’ event, music lovers got a treat in the form of new AirPods Pro, Apple’s top wireless, noise-canceling earbuds — the first revision since their 2019 launch. The top-shelf buds keep the same design but gain support for personalized spatial audio, touch controls and precise location finding.
AirPods products are typically announced alongside new iPhones and Apple Watch models. Today was no exception, with their debut tying in with the new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models, the new Apple Watch Series 8, SE and Ultra.
AirPods Pro 2 will be available for preorder on September 9 for a September 23 release date at $249.
Yesterday’s iOS 15.6 update and the newest iOS 16 beta show a surprising move on Apple’s part. It took away the Find My app’s AirTag battery indicator.
Previously, when you opened an AirTag card in Find My, you’d see a small battery icon showing remaining power below the tracking device’s name and location, Now you don’t, or at least not until remaining power is critically low.
iOS 16 will let you to delete the built-in Find My, Health, and Clock apps from your iPhone (or iPad) for the first time.
The company first added the ability to delete pre-installed system apps in iOS 10. It has since expanded the list of supported apps over the years. Why? Threats of antitrust legislation.
![Apple AirTag: What a difference a year makes [Review]](https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/0D3A2FEB-1E7E-40F6-BDA8-FFFB94B3ABCC.jpeg "Apple AirTag: What a difference a year makes [Review] ★★★★☆")
★★★★☆
A year ago today, I reviewed the AirTag on launch day. I was unimpressed. Now that I’ve used Apple’s item tracker for 12 months, I can say it’s better than it seemed in my first impressions.
That said, there’s still room for improvement when Apple releases an AirTag 2 or AirTag Pro.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’ve got a date for WWDC22! Now, the only question is, what tricks will Apple pull out of its virtual hat this year?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
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Ukrainians have turned to Apple’s Find My device-tracking technology to follow Russian troop movements. After Russian soldiers stole Apple gear during the invasion, the devices’ Ukrainian owners can see and report on where the troops toting the gadgets are going in real time, including a recent retreat into Belarus.
![Credit card-size item tracker supports Apple’s brilliant ‘Find My’ network [Review]](https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/62BF16D5-469D-4CFD-B4C3-FA11B97E120F.jpeg "Credit card-size item tracker supports Apple’s brilliant ‘Find My’ network [Review]")
Think of the Chipolo Card Spot as a very flat AirTag. Put either device into something valuable and you’ll be able to locate it with your iPhone, whether it’s lost in your home or out in the world. But the Card Spot is slim enough to go into your wallet — don’t attempt that with an AirTag.
I tried out Chipolo’s latest item tracker with support for the Find My network to see how well it survives daily use. And it came through with flying colors.
I’ve misplaced my AirPods case. It’s in my house … somewhere. Fortunately, I can use the Find My app to locate it, as though it were a lost AirPod or AirTag.
Ha, ha, ha! No, I can’t. AirPods cases don’t offer Find My support. Just as the feature is missing from far too many other Apple accessories.
This needs to change. Find My is amazing, but limited by not being on devices that need it.
Update: In autumn 2022, Apple built Find My support into AirPods Pro 2, a sign that the tracking system might be coming to more peripherals.
Apple’s newest iOS 15.4 beta adds new anti-stalking features for AirTag that were first announced earlier this month.
The fourth beta release, which rolled out to registered developers on Tuesday, includes a new AirTag setup warning that states it is illegal to use the device to track people without their consent in many regions.