Where is the best place to hide an AirTag: pros and cons

Having an Apple AirTag can prevent you from losing items and even locate them when they’re stolen, as we’ve seen in many cases. This is why we think it is interesting to know What types of objects can you use an AirTag on?. Because yes, placing it on your keys is a classic that is not missed, but there are surely many other objects that you do not want to lose and that you may not have thought of for an AirTag.

Likewise, we also think it is worth remembering limitations of AirTags. They are very useful in case of loss and theft, but they are by no means perfect accessories, so sometimes they can end up frustrating us.

Things to use an AirTag on

If you have just purchased an AirTag or are considering purchasing one, here is a series of ideas to get the most out of it. This goes well beyond traditional house or car keys.

And we’ve reviewed many items that you may not have initially thought of for an AirTag. Not so much because they are going to be stolen, but because you lose them at home or on the street, since many are objects of little value that you would not like to lose.

Personal items

• Wallet or wallet.
• Handbag or backpack, hidden in a hidden pocket.
• Travel suitcase.
• Glasses case.
• Keychain.
• MacBook (or other laptop) case.
• Umbrella.
• Basket.

Clothes

• Cap or hat, inside.
• Belt, on the buckle.
• Shelter.
• Long socks.
• Gloves.

Vehicles

• Car hidden under the seats.
• Motorcycle, hidden in the trunk.
• Bike.
• Monoskate.
• Scooter (electric or classic).
• Truck, in hidden compartments.
• Van, in hidden compartments or under the seats.
• Bicycle, motorcycle or scooter hull.

household objects

• Cushions and pillows.
• TV remote control.
• Air conditioning control.

Others

• Portable charger, attached to the cable.
• Children’s toys and soft toys.
• Books.
• Musical instruments, in their case.
• Toolbox.

What to keep in mind about AirTag

Knowing these ideas for things to use an AirTag on, it’s time to stop and talk about them. disadvantages What these accessories contain and what you should consider when using them.

The AirTag is not a GPS

It’s a lesson that our former teammate Miguel learned with great shock and it’s very simple: The AirTag does not offer its position continuously and in real timebut he does it occasionally. These accessories use other nearby Apple devices as a beacon, communicating with them and those other devices which send their location to Apple servers.

Let’s take for example that you lost a wallet on the street with an AirTag. If someone walks by with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the AirTag will communicate with them privately to send their location to Apple’s servers and you can see where they are in the “Find” app. This is a private process, so neither the owner of this device will know that an AirTag has communicated with them, nor will you know anything about this other device.

There is a large network of Apple devices and it is very likely that at some point someone will walk past your AirTags. However, this is a limitation to take into account if you are unfortunate enough to have lost the object in a place where practically no pedestrians pass.

AirTag battery life

As you may already know, AirTags work with a button cell battery. THE the original lasts about a year. And even though you’ll get an alert on your iPhone when the battery is about to run out and you’ll be able to change it, in the end it’s still something to consider. It will also be important that, when you change it, you check the average life of this other battery.

You cannot use them to follow people

It is no longer illegal to track someone without their consent, which of course it is. There is an even more obvious problem and that is that that other person will receive a message alerting them that they have an AirTag nearby and that someone could use to track you.

This is something that of course appears on any iPhone, but these alerts also appear on Android. Consequently, and despite close and justified experiences in tracking people, the use of an AirTag for this purpose is completely discouraged.

No, it is 100% compatible with Android

As we’ve seen, there is some compatibility with Android in terms of tracking alerts. Nevertheless, AirTags cannot be configured on an Android mobile and so you will need an iPhone. For this reason, there are other locators compatible with Android and, although they work differently, they can be configured there.

There is a limit of AirTag per iPhone

In view of Elon Musk’s error, we have understood what the limits of AirTags are. You will be able to configure “only” 16 AirTags for iPhone. If you need to set up more than this amount, you will need another device with a different Apple account.

Furthermore, An AirTag can be shared between six people so that everyone can know where the object in question is. As in the previous case, if you wanted to share it with a seventh person, you will not be able to do so.

Maximum distance to locate an AirTag

Wireless communication has its limits and in the case of AirTags, one maximum distance of 200 meters. This means that if the accessory is further away from another Apple device, it will not be able to communicate with it to send its location nor will we be able to locate it with our own iPhone.

It must be said in any case that this distance from the AirTag is relative, given that there may be interference which further limits the maximum distance. This is why it’s so important to know that the AirTag itself is not a GPS.

AirTag water resistance

The AirTag is IP67 certified to be splash, water and dust resistantbut as in the previous case, everything is relative. Nothing should happen if the AirTag gets wet, but if it’s submerged, it’s possible that water could end up getting inside and getting damaged, losing functionality.

It should also be emphasized that the battery cover is securely closedbecause it is the key element to guarantee this resistance. If we do not close it well, its resistance will be lost and a slight drop of water could damage it.

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