Ok as a combat vet and experience with tracking down enemies over in foreign countries, always having a back up way to track ur item. Putting two devices in ur sensitive item would be ideal. Have one with the speaker attached so they could find that one and have the other with the speaker removed. Leave the one with the speaker, easy to be located so they don’t easily find the quite one by mistake and they will dispose of the easy one and carry on about their business. Most criminals won’t look or check for a second one.
@@jeanmartin6410 boomer that has no idea how technology works lol. Instead of 1 notification, AirTag is following you, now 2?! Lol then boomer suggest 3,4…
As a fellow combat veteran, whom deployed to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once, I'm just here to inform you how stating "as a combat veteran" just makes you sound like a dip-shit.
On a trip a few months ago my Airtag told me my bag had been left behind the flight after the airline personnel had messed up my reservation. I showed my phone's "find my..." app to the airline baggage agent; they did a deeper search on their computer and found it was on a later flight. I picked up the bag the next day and the airline gave me a flight voucher for my trouble. The tags paid for themselves.
Influencers' enthusiastic promotion of Apple's new AirTags, despite the technology's potential to track and collect data on users' location and habits, is really concerning. I rather not use them.
@@greglist2991 Please tell me that you don't think that the NSA having a room at AT&T where all the cables go through is completely benign. The problem with this sort of thing is that it's of no interest to anybody else, until it is. And there's no telling why they may ultimately decide that they're interested in you. You may not even be notified of it ever.
For the Airtag Vault, and anything that uses adhesive make sure to clear the area well with rubbing alcohol to ensure a clean area that will get the best adhesion, also pressure and friction. Sometimes i might heat up the adhesive area with a hairdryer before hand to get a more permanent stick. Some helpful tips.
Just did this after picking up a 4 pack. Apple has changed the internal design and glued the device shut, there isn't a way to open the AirTag without breaking the tabs. Also, the speaker isn't adhered to the plastic part that comes out, it is glued into the center of the other smarts of the device. The speaker is still disabled but the tag no longer holds itself together. I'm going to toss it into some type of case to keep the battery connected. Just an FYI to anyone attempting this after March of 2023.
Just use two AirTags, one with noise, one without. The thief finds the noisy one, tosses it, then disables the message he was getting which disables the other one too because he will probably cancel the notice when the alert pops up one more time. Hence disabling the second device notice too. You can then continue tracking the thief.
"he will probably cancel the notice when the alert pops up one more time" how can you be so sure what a thief may do? you don't know. and besides, the second airtag WILL continue to generate alert popups on the thief's iPhone because every airtag has a unique ID embedded in the device's hardware. cancelling alerts for the beeping airtag will NOT cancel alerts for the other airtag with its speaker removed.
@@techcafe0 I’m not positive they would do that, but I would bet they would. Of course, you’re right canceling the first one’s alert does not cancel the second one. That’s why we hope they cancel the second one when it pops up again. In my opinion it definitely way better than no AirTags at all.
100% worth buying airtags! Had my welding helmet bag stolen from my welding truck, the bag was valued at $3k, long story short I found the thieves house, called the police, and got my bag back! They are worth every penny
@@gregoryblanche8390 yeah! I was very surprised but the RCMP actually acted and helped. The thieves ended up damaging 7 vehicles in my neighbourhood, and their house was full of stolen stuff
Don't pop the speaker off. Just put a tiny piece of saran wrap to block speaker contacts, to disable speaker. Then it's reversible when you want to restore it.
Judging by the wire coil seen at 6:57 what he removed was the speaker driver. The Speakers voice coil (copper winding) is still in there so technically if he wanted to he can put the driver back in by gluing back in and assuming he got it in the right spot the speaker will work again.
Put one of these in my checked bag on an international flight. Didn't see the bag on the belt at all, even though Find my was telling me it was there. I sought help from Baggage Claim personnel and we walked around searching. Then noticed it literally tracks its proximity to you on the phone so you can walk rigjt to it. We found the bag and it was hidden behind another right next to it. A good laugh had by all - at my expense - but this thing realy was useful. 😅😅😅
AirTags saved my trip to Ireland last year during the time when international airports were having major issues with not enough staff. Some people were without luggage for weeks. I had AirTags in all of our bags including my bicycle travel case. The bike missed our connection fight and was left behind in London. I knew that immediately because while boarding for Dublin I could tell that one case was not on the plane, and as soon as s I arrived in Dublin I filed for the lost bag. Shortly after leaving the airport I saw on my phone that the bag had just made to Dublin, so I returned to the airport and informed the baggage claim rep that I was tracking my bag and I that it was in the airport Sure enough they went to check and it was there… however they had no idea where my bag was. The baggage claim representative told me that had I not had an AirTag in the case it could have been weeks before I’d gotten my bag. AirTag may not be perfect but it works!
Yes, they are very good at stalking your luggages and other valuables. I use them predominantly to locate where my items are (beep my wallet, beep my keys) that don’t have an Apple Find Me function (like beep my iPad). If someone stole something of mine, I didn’t think I would find it using this or similar tech - unless I left it behind in a restaurant or some place where the Good Samaritan is trying to get the thing back to me but unable to contact me otherwise. I do use it to stalk my daughter who keeps losing her wallet. If she does, she will call me to beep it, or I can track her down when I need to. She knows I have this superpower and when she is a teen, she will probably leave her wallet behind when she needs to sneak off 😂
I have a couple problems with this video. First is that "Help a Friend" allows you to find other people's AirTags with your iPhone. Second is that you should receive a notification if your AirTag is "Left Behind" (stolen and removed from your immediate vicinity) at which point you'd probably enable Lost Mode (which *should* disable the "stalker notification" to the thief).
Honestly the biggest problem i find with airtags is you cant family share them. we use them for the appletv remotes and car keys things that are shared. Its damn annoying not being able to see my wife's tags or her being able to see mine.
exactly. 99.9% are being punished because 0.1% are being bad actors. apple is worried about abuse of the tags even inside a family (husband / wife tracking the other without knowledge etc.)
I just did this with a new AirTag purchased march 3rd 2024. The speaker was locked down inside the middle of the electronics (instead of attached to the plastic in the video). I could still pry it up. Put everything together and the tag worked perfectly.. without the sound! Thanks again for the great video explaining how to open and put together. This AirTag is going on my expensive bike.
I thought about doing this and then I realised police here in the UK don't actually do anything even if you tell them the exact coordinates of the thief's house and provide CCTV footage of the theft.
Simple solution to that is to say "I know where they are, and I'm about to blow their heads off so you better send someone". They'll be there in a flash, meanwhile you're still sitting at home.
@@ericrichardson3332 just make sure to tell them they are conservative and republicant's maybe throw in a little maga and they will throw the book at them. however if you say they have a D in front of their name it will be ignored by the Fbi DOJ and everyone in between. just my 2 Cents
There are Airtag holders that screw into dog collars. What you can do is instead use that Airtag holder to screw into your luggage or backpacks. That will help secure the Airtag to your luggage incase someone steals it or whatever and rummages around through it. And if they do find the Airtag, they'd need a torx driver to unscrew it to remove it from the bag.
You must've won the lottery that day. Probably picked your name out of a truckload of names, said "we'll do this one, and we're done for the day." And they didn't mean them, they meant the whole division.
For anyone wondering this still works, however the speaker is glued to the base instead of the cover that’s pryed off, just pop a razor blade underneath and pry it off.
I can confirm it still works for new AirTags. People say they're glued now or don't work without the magnet. Nope. Works just like in your vid. Thanks, great job.
All you had to do was remove that white circle on top of the speaker which is magnetic. Didn’t have to peel off the speaker. That way you can put the magnet back if you wanted to bring the sound back
This is awesome! An airtag helped recover my 16k motorcycle some months back and the thief seemed to not have found the tag by pure luck. I will certainly add an additional ninja tag to the bike (as the sound of the OG tag did actually help localize the bike once we where on location) Super simple hack. Appreciate the video! For those that want to go even crazier: There is an open source project to flash the airtags (or any other tag for that matter) to piggyback on the airtag network to create actually 100% stealth airtags that also send no notification to the tracked person. Of course: This is to track YOUR stuff and not to stalk someone, so use this with some good judgement!
@@lisunovroman There's a github project about it, the OpenHaystack project, but it's somewhat unhelpful. You need to know enough python to be able to write your own script to generate private keys, and you need to construct your own device. So it's not as simple as the above method. That said, if you have the time and are willing to devote the effort to it, you can make a "stealth" tracker that uses the Apple "Find My" network to track it. The item it's based on is a good bit bigger than an AirTag though. The base computer board is a micro:bit, and it looks like they retail for about $20 USD as of the time of writing.
@@lisunovromanI’m sure apple has disabled whatever workaround that is. All it takes is one headline with “airtag stalker” and the media wouldn’t mention it’s a hacked tag
just picked up a 4 pack and tried it one of them, the speaker is now glued inside the tag itself ( not on the 3 tabbed door that’s pried open as shown in vid ) however it’s fairly simply to remove the speaker still then attach everything back together. tag still works after everything
This is great! I keep an AirTag in my car in case of one of two things, either I forget where I park, or someone steals my car. The only issue is sometimes when I get into the car the chime is automatically going off, which can get very annoying. First thing I’m doing tomorrow is removing that damned chime!
My friend had an airtag hidden in her car by someone (still unknown) for months, she would have the notifications pop up saying shes been followed via the air tag whenever she drives. She ended up selling the car before she was ever able to find it. stay safe out there yall
You have to be somewhere where there is not too much noise so you can hear the sound. And think about where on your car is accessible from outside the car unless you suspect it was placed by someone that was inside your car.
It's important to separate the ability to hack/modify hardware and the intent. There are plenty of use cases where disabling the speaker is a good thing - in fact, I'd argue that most use cases aside from stalking are fine. My dogs hate the sound, but if I want to find one of these, my phone will lead me right to it, so the AirTag is still useful/functional. I think the best thing, which you already mentioned, is that all Apple AirTags must be associated with a valid Apple ID account. As long as they maintain that functionality, along with the ability to be warned that a foreign AirTag is following you around, that's enough. The sound isn't necessary. As long as you aren't committing crimes with a modified device, device modification should always be allowed. Thanks for the thoughtful video, and also, thanks for wearing gloves with your sharp-knife method of taking these apart. I have a drawer full of spudgers (plastic and metal) - I'd probably use those first - but you didn't break any tabs or stab yourself, so that's awesome!
I tried putting an airtag on my dog's collar. But because Airtags can't be shared with family, whenever my wife would take our dog someplace the thing would start beeping which really freaked him out. So I am definitely going to remove the speaker on his right away. Thanks for this video
Same for use Jeff! I’ve got one on my dog and when we were out of town, our house sitter told me that it would randomly beep and freak out my dog. Speaker removed👍
Just FYI, you may not want to do this if you're using an older iPhone without precision tracking ability (pre U1 chip). Without the chirping sound, it may make it harder to locate the item.
this answers a question I had about the other way an AirTag might direct a thief to the location of the device. the thieves i hope to thwart by removing the speaker now that I know how are homeless dilapidated RV fentanyl addicts who relentlessly steal everything in my neighborhood, including cars. they are less likely to have pre-U1 chip phones so i’m like 👌😎
Remember you are doing this only to protect something from being stolen, not lost. I keep an airtag in my car, you will never need to use the sound to locate your car once your in the Immediate vicinity. Another workaround that I do is for my toolbag I hide TWO airtags, one that sort of easy to find and one that's not, so when a crook gets the alert and finds and disables one and thinks they are in the clear, there is another one. The notification wont say there are TWO airtags following you. Now of course sooner or later the crook will get another notification but hopefully by that time I'm standing outside his door with either the cops or some people that he wishes were the cops if you know what I mean.
For most people, going on your own to try and track a stolen item to the thief is probably a fabulously bad idea, in any event. Also, even if you remove the speaker, a thief could still scan for airtags and find it that way, or at least know that one is present to look for, and really, that's a good as found.
In NYC with stacked buildings, it's nearly impossible to locate something stolen. But I did enjoy and appreciate you taking time to share. I use my tags to save me from myself e.g. losing my keys.
if your iphone can utilize the u1 chip then you can get the green arrow and it'll point you to the location then just find the room # and call the police to meet you there. iphone 13 and 14 have this feature. no idea how far back in series has it.
because it's easy to uproot your whole life and family versus getting an updated airtag and iPhone... find a place, get a new job, take the kids out of school, all really easy.
@@Raphmatic5000 cities have been getting worse for years. My best friend grew up in Harlem. He left 15 years ago and did so much better without the insane rent along with the high crime. He has been convincing his parents to move. My family left the city 20 years ago. When I go back it’s clear that was the correct decision.
FYI, when I opened mine, the speaker stayed attached to the back white portion instead of coming off with the gray cover like this video. If you just push the center of the rounded white cover, it’s easy to pop the speaker out. Hope that helps anyone who has that happen.
I’ve been using Tile. As soon as they added replaceable batteries I upgraded because I appreciated that move. Hated throwing out the non serviceable early model.
The main problem with Tile is that it's only detected by phones with the tile app. Unfortunately, Google's foray into bluetooth beacons was ended unceremoniously.
@@chaos.corner I use my Tile for my tool bags while working. If I’m in an office building and running cables between floors and some stupid face sees my bag while I’m around a corner and picks it up. It’s happened once but they genuinely were keeping it safe in their office. Other times it’s my glare that keeps them away. But for the amount invested in my tools it’s peace of mind.
@@FearsomeWarrior Yeah. I have several tiles and I quite like them. They don't get picked up by random other phones that often though and I wish they were a bit cheaper.
They should make an update to the AirTags where the owner of the AirTag can disable the chime/tone for any device that it is not registered to. For instance only my phone can disable the chime for specific AirTags and if something is stolen, the thief gets notified but can’t use the chime, and if I find the location of the thief, I can enable the chime and make it go off.
@@Kingkilla0127 and the first time a stalker uses this method to silence the AirTag Apple will make it so if you remove the speaker the AirTag quits working altogether, and that’s of they don’t do it sooner if this catches on.
While youve got the Tag apart - any way to hook it up to an alternative power source? Maybe hardwire it into the cars electrical somewhere so you dont have to worry about the battery running out of juice or whatever
i was literally just trying to figure this out last week. i have an airtag attached to my bike incase someone steals it. The airtag is well hidden but then when the bike is moved it makes the chiming noise defeating the purpose of hiding the airtag and also alerting the potential thief that there is an airtag on my bike. I posted to reddit asking if there was a way to disable the chime sound and everyone said no, apple put the chime sound on it so people will know if someone slipped it into their bag or something to track them. As you said Apple's main purpose of the airtag is to track an item you've lost it is not intended to be a tracking device for stolen objects. I am going to be doing this little hack immediately to the airtag on my bike.
I have an airtag hidden in my truck and sometimes it chimes, for no apparent reason, as I get in the truck giving away the approximate location and I would imagine also using some of the energy in the battery. I will be doing this mod as soon as I get back home.
@@wayneberry3453 Thieving junkies know every trick in the book . Whatever you think you know they know much more , trust me . But hey maybe the person who steals your stuff is like new the game or something , you never know . =P
@@SabbaticusRex bahahahaha yeh. Junkies are usually reeeeeally smart. Lets just start leaving things unlocked and just hand it to them. 🤷♂️. My stuff doesnt get stolen. Guess i know more than your "genius" junkies bahahaaha
You convinced me to finally do this to 2 of my tags. The 2 I got on my cats can stay for legit stalking. But my escooter & brand new esk8board can do without a beeping.
Remember that airtags will also make a sound if disconnected from their owner's iphone for a few days and then moved. That may make your cats very uncomfortable, I know the sound made my dog uncomfortable, so I went ahead and removed the speaker on its airtag.
I like this idea. If I want to put it in my car, it would be so much harder for thieves (even if notified on their phones) to find the hidden tag. Could be anywhere. But with the sound, it could be found quite quickly.
This is why I use BOTH an Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag on some things. I hide them in different places, and if a thief is notified and finds one, they will think they "found it" and they will probably quit looking and not find the other.
Air Tags were cool to have in our luggage when we traveled internationally a few months ago. Another couple on our trip wished they had them in their bags which were not located for 2 weeks…on the last day of the trip. Though frequent travelers, they allowed the airline to put their carry on bags in the hold. All they had for 2 weeks were the clothes they were wearing and some they had to buy on the trip. No clothes or underwear - no makeup - no toiletries.
Had a flight come into my station, 170/175 so a full size forward and aft bin. Well the station it came from forgot to check the aft bin(required due to pets/dry ice). There were 23 bags that had been left in the bin and came to my station. This is bad not only from a passenger standpoint, but really really bad for pilots. They need to know the weight and balance of everything put on the aircraft to know where to set wing angle and landing/takeoff variables. If something is off too far to one side or the other the plane can crash. It's also a fine on the airline. If passengers knew half the crap we had to put up with to get them to their destination then they would just drive.
@@rampagent9226 we know all the crap you go through but we don't care because we are paying for it and you're making living out of it. Stop pretending like you're doing us a favour.
To safely open most small portable electronics, you can buy a small set of tough plastic pry bars. These are purpose-designed and can even pry open smartphones with no damage to the device or your fingers.
Things that never happened: Print guy suggesting to go for lower quality shirts to bring costs down - Lying to seem like a swell guy only to earn more money, such a good human
We have them in all our travel bags, cars, trailers etc. It is anoying when the wife takes my car or uses my bag for a vaction or the kids take school trip etc. Apple needs a family plan for the air tags too.
Keep a cheap iPhone constantly plugged in (se or 8s or higher) in your car that stop the anti stalker feature from activating (I use samsung so when I forgot to replug the iPhone back in it sets off my Samsung phone that my own tags are following me) I the uk we have a 3uk sim that gives you 150mb every month for free
Thank you for the video! Great tip! I use tiles as well to track my car as a backup. Tiles do not send a beep so you don't have to do this but Tiles do not have as many users as AirTags do so there is that.
You could sew the airtag between 2 pieces of fabric to make it built into your bag or even in a car seat than it will be unfindable when paired with the silenced airtag
Actually it is possible to create an AirTag clone tracker which will be not detectable by phones automatically (iPhone will not notify you). So it there are significant demand it is possible to start manufacturing.
In Switzerland it is a crime to follow a thief or robber by airtags, GPS-trackers or any other means that violates his privacy. Criminals are held in high esteem in my country - as everybody can learn from our world-famous banksters from CS, UBS et alia.
You don't follow the thief, you follow your property. The airtag is attached to your own property and not to the thief. As the owner, you cannot do anything about the fact that the thief takes your property without asking.
@@ilikepizza3x22 It is stated in the DSG (Datenschutzgesetz, aka Data protection law), nobody is allowed to process and keep personal data from anybody without his consent. Of course, eavesdropping-, or tracking data is included. The only exemption is made in the NDG (Nachrichtendienstgesetz, aka Intelligence agency law), that allows such things, if a judge from the federal state attorney office issues a permission to law enforcement, or intelligence agencies upon formal request in a particular case.
They need to have a way to set up a enterprise or family account. That would help secure an inventory of valuables be a team. As you probably know, this is done by companies already when they send laptops and tablets to employees, plus other stuff.
keep in mind the airtags give the location of the nearest device that detects them, not the actual location of the airtag. So in common use, its where you iphone with bluetooth is, but the airtag could be anywhere in range, but showing your iphone gps location. If you put it into missing mode, then the location of the gps of the iphone that detects it, which gives you a good idea, just not exact location. I think as an anti theft device in a car it would work as it would be detected where the car was taken to ... and only starts alerting about 24 hours later, which you could be able to location it before then. And not all thefts would have iphones.
Thanks for explaining the vital details to me, other comments have only given somewhat vague details, - 'I thought that there was more to the story' than others had told, glad you took the trouble to write.
Someone close to me has been being stalked and has had their devices hacked and identity stolen. I've seen other videos that show the notification takes too long if it notifies at all. Its believed its someone in their apartment complex. Its good to know that searching for tags is best done by physical search instead of relying on the sound or notification.
Thanks for another great video! I'm wondering if the "tag vault", is capable of being sound proof for the air tag? If so, then a person wouldn't have to worry about possibly damaging the air tag when attempting to remove the speaker. Just a thought.
This is awesome. The next time I replace the batteries in all my vehicles and bags, I’ll have to remove the speakers. Those cases are also pretty cool. I feel like the stalker update only harms law abiding citizens. There’s probably 10,000 thefts to every stalker.
As one of those "authorities" you say to call, we have no way of finding an AirTag in, say, a car--especially after turning it off. I have experience in this. This victim could make the tag sound, but it was turned off before we could find it. It would be impossible to find a silenced AirTag hidden in a victim's car or in some of her personal effects when she has taken great pains to move away from an abuser and hide her location. The most recent was a young lady who coordinated friends and family to help her move out and escape her abuser while he was away on a business trip. Within hours of his return, he showed up at her apartment door.
It's a bummer that there's people like that out there Ken, but I think that's an edge case of someone using something that's well intentioned improperly. It's impossible to make any product that someone with ill intent couldn't use improperly
They are a big stalking tool. Apple did what they could but people immediately put out info on how to defeat it. This video, though not intended, gives a stalkers master class on beating the protections. I, like Apple, feel people protection outranks property protection. I’d have avoided making this kind of video. 30+ year LE veteran here, btw. I’ve seen the bad side of this too many times.
AirTag came to the rescue last week when my Kindergartener mistakenly got on the bus when no one was able to be home. Fortunately, I was alerted that her backpack was on the move and was able to meet the bus at the intermediate school and tell the principal at that school she was there.
This seems like a good idea! But this doesn't completely solve the problem of a thieve disabling it. Because precision finding will still screw you over even without the speaker inside.
@LoganVessell Not tying to argue, but on Apple’s website it specifically says this: “We’re also investigating a series of updates that we plan to introduce later this year, including: Precision Finding: This capability allows recipients of an unwanted tracking alert to locate an unknown AirTag with precision. iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 users will be able to use Precision Finding to see the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag when it is in range.” So much for just disabling the speaker.
@@shawndavismedia I was just thinking this. If Apple is set on not allowing the AirTags to stealthily track anyone there’s no way in hell ppl will beat Apple with a lil DIY. I could also see them straight up disabling AirTags that have been tampered with or are ”functioning incorrectly” in the future.
My airtag suddenly started beeping late at night while on my dresser. "WTF?" I thought. "Why is it doing that?". It occurred to me that the neighbor I share a wall with probably got an alert on their phone that an Airtag may be following them. Because they're on the other side of the wall. Good job Apple. Some people live in apartments.
It's still going to tell the person that there's an airtag there. So unless it's something like a car where there are just way too many places to look, it's not going to take more than a minute for them to find it without the chime.
However, if someone stole your item and they were still notified that your tag was tracking them how hard would it be for them to go to the stolen item and search for the tag? Who needs the tone?
@@BrianKushner sorry, that is what I meant. Many people are placing these INSIDE of their bikes. Sometimes in non serviceable areas. (Not easily anyway) or putting them inside the liners of bags. Proper hiding.
Just get a buddy that works at a tire shop. Have him throw one in the spare tire. Once a year, at tireswap time, he just replaces the battery and remounts it. Perfect.. Have fun trying to find it in a tire.
Thank you, I’ve got older relatives to look after that don’t like to answer their phone so this will help me not stress when they just go to the hardware store, ect. and won’t bother telling me what’s up.
That's for sure a solid use case for AirTags. If they have iPhones though and you do too, you can always use Find My Friends within Apple to keep locations on people👍
Coolest hiding place I’ve seen is a camera body cap that had something like that vault built into it. Even if someone just grabs the camera out of a case, the air tag goes with it.
They're not designed to prevent theft or to stop items being stolen. They're designed to find items you've lost. Which part of this is difficult for people to understand? It's like complaining that your Apple TV remote doesn't make a very good cricket bat.
@333Orobas 666 I'm laughing that you think I'm seriously offended. I don't care that people are modifying their stuff to serve a dfferent purpose. But your use of the phrase "to serve a different purpose" makes it clear you understand my point that, as designed, their purpose isn't to stop items being stolen.
We hid an AirTag in my wife's trunk just in case someone was to steal her car or something (who knows, unlikely but possible). So this is actually good to know. I may get more AirTags just to hide in our personal bags just so we can find it if it goes missing!
@@Lion_lamb I'm trying to imagine the nonstop notifications on a thief's phone plus the hundreds of chimes that would go off and drive them insane... LOL
@@zahktuthalxalyrion6364 You would find them in fetal position covering their ears and crying on the side of the highway while they screaming "make it stop".
I discovered one of these when the battery 12V in my Camry Hybrid needed changing, and when I got to the destination of the service station to put some fuel in the car, I discovered on my phone that there was an Air Tag in the vehicle, so I immediately located it, and discovered it was in deed mapping out everywhere I had been that day, so I did the best thing so I would get notified, and to prevent the person who owned the air tag from discovering where I lived, was actually disabled it by removing the battery no more airtag, as this was a rental, I would also be notifying the rental company of it as well... the fact is I own a ANDROID phone, so the fact that I got a notification on my Android Smartphone, was amaazing.
most rental company's use tracking an have done so for many years this tech is not new kids , its been available since the early 90s as long as gps has been around
Can I just drill a hole through the speaker and save time trying to open it? Or is there circuitry in the way above or below the speaker that I wouldn't want to damage?
It’s such a small thing, but it’s really cool how even on a small cheap product like the Air Tag, Apple makes the circuit board black and beautiful. Hardly anybody will ever see it, but their design language is present inside and out
wow. when you talk about your phone i bet you always casually mention the model, whether its a pro or not, whether its a max or not, and the day a new one comes out you regard the previous one as outdated uncool and plain worthless.
@@danwake4431and your android is just a outdated android that doesn’t get any update’s and if it did it takes months to get it (security updates don’t count everyone gets those except across users sometimes don’t…)
This is great! I've been wanting to implement Air Tags in equipment that I rent out, but I was concerned when I read that they will just spontaneously start beeping when separated from my iPhone for 8-12 hours. This solves that issue. Now, I just wish Apple had a version (or a verification program) that would eliminate the alert to others about tracking... I guess I just need to add a section to my rental agreement that the location of the items are tracked and the renter may get an alert.
Yeah it's pretty strange and makes no sense to me... If someone is determined enough, they'll just get a tracker that doesn't do that. Someone can always spy on me, and Apple not offering a product with that capability isn't going to change that. My guess is they just want to "enhance the value of iPhones" by offering a "solution" to the "privacy issue" they created. Very similar to how iPhones don't have notification lights - just feels like a pathetic attempt to enhance the value of Apple Watches. It might be worth speaking to a lawyer in case there's some implied privacy law which overrides such a clause in a rental agreement... Renters are entitled to certain protections and I personally would feel violated if I was a renter in that situation. An alternative might be a tracker which doesn't track by default but can be activated remotely if something happens. I think they do this with some rental cars. Probably more reliable anyway, since AirTags depend on having an Apple device nearby. Not sure how cost effective that is though, I guess it depends on the value of your equipment as well as its intended use.
There are products on the market that would do what you need, except the difference being is they aren't £29 each like the AirTag. If you are operating a business and looking to protect your inventory, then you need to pay for good tracking products instead of trying to rely on a consumer grade product that can be deactivated just by taking the battery out.
Too bad criminals are using these to track a person's car or a person. Just stick the airtag on a car or drop it in someone's pocket or purse, then follow them home... So terrible.
Immediate question would be, if you wanted to stalk someone, why use an AirTag? And not a GPS tracker you can buy in bulk from Ali Express for about $5 a pop.
What GPS device do you think you can purchase that only costs $5? GPS devices need a power source to transmit and receive data and need a line of sight to satellites.
@@mook528 I've gotten a few TK102 for less than $30 10 yrs ago, I don't think the price is too far fetched for a bulk purchase. The issue (if you want to use it for "nefarious" intent) is they need a sim card to connect and send back data.
@@mook528 depends on how many you buy. You can purchase GPS trackers for as low as $1 per unit. But if you're using those for stalking, you better be stalking a good 10,000 people. A quick search showed some for $3 with no minimum order or $0.98 minimum order of 10 but I can't say how good they'd be. Cheaper than an AirTag for sure and you don't need to pull out any speaker or worry about it pinging an iPhone.
AirTag isn't intended as an anti-theft device. Apple has been vocal about this from day 1. So has Tile. People should perhaps read the product page as diligently as they listen to TH-camrs before investing their money.
another feature i think that needs to be allowed to happen... is this needs to be cross compatible with other phones. Apple needs to allow google and samsung and other phones to pick up on them too so that women everywhere can be more protected in general and not have just iphone users protected. seems kinda jank if only apple users get the benefit of protection if you get the drift.
How easy it has become for someone who knows someone's an android user, can stalk that person at all times without worrying they would ever get notified about it.
I got a notification that an airtag was found on my car when I drove to work from my home, so no this would not be ideal because if the sound was disabled I definitely would not have been able to find it.
I have a question and can't seem to find an answer. Is there a way to set the status of a tag as "static" so that, if it is moved more than a few feet or yards from it's placement, it alerts the tag's owner? I ask because I have some trailers and motorcycles locked up on my property, and would like to know if they move. I get the impression I won't know if they are being moved unless an apple user is nearby them AND I check my app often? Thanks for your help.
Apple should prioritize anti-theft, it makes no sense to prioritize anti-stalk because stalkers will buy cheaper alternatives, with no anti-stalk warning, and no linked Apple ID. It's a great company but sometimes they make really stupid decisions.
NO longer valid. The internal design has changed. This "Fix" no longer works. It will destroy the device, or cause it not no longer stay together. DO not do this!. Read the other comments here as well.
Ok as a combat vet and experience with tracking down enemies over in foreign countries, always having a back up way to track ur item. Putting two devices in ur sensitive item would be ideal. Have one with the speaker attached so they could find that one and have the other with the speaker removed. Leave the one with the speaker, easy to be located so they don’t easily find the quite one by mistake and they will dispose of the easy one and carry on about their business. Most criminals won’t look or check for a second one.
That’s a great tip, thank you!
They will look for a second one now. But, good idea!
@@jeanmartin6410 boomer that has no idea how technology works lol. Instead of 1 notification, AirTag is following you, now 2?! Lol then boomer suggest 3,4…
@@greglist2991 that would be me!! Boomer for sure.
As a fellow combat veteran, whom deployed to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once, I'm just here to inform you how stating "as a combat veteran" just makes you sound like a dip-shit.
On a trip a few months ago my Airtag told me my bag had been left behind the flight after the airline personnel had messed up my reservation. I showed my phone's "find my..." app to the airline baggage agent; they did a deeper search on their computer and found it was on a later flight. I picked up the bag the next day and the airline gave me a flight voucher for my trouble. The tags paid for themselves.
Man, baggage might be one of the best use cases for AirTags!
Influencers' enthusiastic promotion of Apple's new AirTags, despite the technology's potential to track and collect data on users' location and habits, is really concerning. I rather not use them.
@@darma8159 lol boomer no idea how technology works. Why would Apple AirTag care to track you? Have iPhone, using FB, IG, TT, YT on same iPhone?
Same with my tag. I use Samsung one. I won't buy an iPhone only to have their tag after all.
@@greglist2991 Please tell me that you don't think that the NSA having a room at AT&T where all the cables go through is completely benign. The problem with this sort of thing is that it's of no interest to anybody else, until it is. And there's no telling why they may ultimately decide that they're interested in you. You may not even be notified of it ever.
For the Airtag Vault, and anything that uses adhesive make sure to clear the area well with rubbing alcohol to ensure a clean area that will get the best adhesion, also pressure and friction. Sometimes i might heat up the adhesive area with a hairdryer before hand to get a more permanent stick. Some helpful tips.
Better yet to instead buy the one that attaches magnetically instead of with adhesive.
@@colt5189it’d better be made with rare earth magnets
Just did this after picking up a 4 pack. Apple has changed the internal design and glued the device shut, there isn't a way to open the AirTag without breaking the tabs. Also, the speaker isn't adhered to the plastic part that comes out, it is glued into the center of the other smarts of the device. The speaker is still disabled but the tag no longer holds itself together. I'm going to toss it into some type of case to keep the battery connected. Just an FYI to anyone attempting this after March of 2023.
Should have seen this comment earlier, lol. You are correct.
rip
Do you mean the battery is no longer replaceable?
@@888cromartie battery replaceability stayed the same
Why in the he// would Apple do that? Oh wait, maybe so they can sell another future silent model.
Just use two AirTags, one with noise, one without. The thief finds the noisy one, tosses it, then disables the message he was getting which disables the other one too because he will probably cancel the notice when the alert pops up one more time. Hence disabling the second device notice too. You can then continue tracking the thief.
Why is this comment not top of the list
@@mrclaytontodd I agree. Thank you!
because someone made a similar comment about a year ago. great advice though and just common sense.@@mrclaytontodd
"he will probably cancel the notice when the alert pops up one more time"
how can you be so sure what a thief may do? you don't know. and besides, the second airtag WILL continue to generate alert popups on the thief's iPhone because every airtag has a unique ID embedded in the device's hardware. cancelling alerts for the beeping airtag will NOT cancel alerts for the other airtag with its speaker removed.
@@techcafe0 I’m not positive they would do that, but I would bet they would. Of course, you’re right canceling the first one’s alert does not cancel the second one. That’s why we hope they cancel the second one when it pops up again. In my opinion it definitely way better than no AirTags at all.
100% worth buying airtags! Had my welding helmet bag stolen from my welding truck, the bag was valued at $3k, long story short I found the thieves house, called the police, and got my bag back! They are worth every penny
The police actually acted on your info? That’s great.
@@gregoryblanche8390 yeah! I was very surprised but the RCMP actually acted and helped. The thieves ended up damaging 7 vehicles in my neighbourhood, and their house was full of stolen stuff
Weld done 🤣
Genius
Why don’t people with cars without a gps use these for anti theft? Worth it, track your car instead of the waiting game
Don't pop the speaker off. Just put a tiny piece of saran wrap to block speaker contacts, to disable speaker. Then it's reversible when you want to restore it.
Judging by the wire coil seen at 6:57 what he removed was the speaker driver. The Speakers voice coil (copper winding) is still in there so technically if he wanted to he can put the driver back in by gluing back in and assuming he got it in the right spot the speaker will work again.
You can just pop back the speaker thing back to where it was
Good idea. I should have read this before totally destroying one of mine.
Why i feel there is still little noise after removal of the speaker?
Any idea?
Thanks
I’m confused. Do you still open the tag???
Put one of these in my checked bag on an international flight. Didn't see the bag on the belt at all, even though Find my was telling me it was there. I sought help from Baggage Claim personnel and we walked around searching. Then noticed it literally tracks its proximity to you on the phone so you can walk rigjt to it. We found the bag and it was hidden behind another right next to it. A good laugh had by all - at my expense - but this thing realy was useful. 😅😅😅
AirTags saved my trip to Ireland last year during the time when international airports were having major issues with not enough staff.
Some people were without luggage for weeks.
I had AirTags in all of our bags including my bicycle travel case.
The bike missed our connection fight and was left behind in London.
I knew that immediately because while boarding for Dublin I could tell that one case was not on the plane, and as soon as s I arrived in Dublin I filed for the lost bag.
Shortly after leaving the airport I saw on my phone that the bag had just made to Dublin, so I returned to the airport and informed the baggage claim rep that I was tracking my bag and I that it was in the airport
Sure enough they went to check and it was there… however they had no idea where my bag was.
The baggage claim representative told me that had I not had an AirTag in the case it could have been weeks before I’d gotten my bag.
AirTag may not be perfect but it works!
Yes, they are very good at stalking your luggages and other valuables. I use them predominantly to locate where my items are (beep my wallet, beep my keys) that don’t have an Apple Find Me function (like beep my iPad). If someone stole something of mine, I didn’t think I would find it using this or similar tech - unless I left it behind in a restaurant or some place where the Good Samaritan is trying to get the thing back to me but unable to contact me otherwise.
I do use it to stalk my daughter who keeps losing her wallet. If she does, she will call me to beep it, or I can track her down when I need to. She knows I have this superpower and when she is a teen, she will probably leave her wallet behind when she needs to sneak off 😂
Smart!!
And anyone with an iphone, on the plane that brought your luggage to ireland, would have been notified they're being stalked 😂
@KenFullman You made me laugh thinking about 100+ people on an airplane getting notified they're being followed by one airtag
I'm confused, they showed the bag as arrived in Dublin, but they couldn't tell you where it was? How were you able to find it?
I have a couple problems with this video. First is that "Help a Friend" allows you to find other people's AirTags with your iPhone. Second is that you should receive a notification if your AirTag is "Left Behind" (stolen and removed from your immediate vicinity) at which point you'd probably enable Lost Mode (which *should* disable the "stalker notification" to the thief).
I turned off "left behind" because I'd get a notification ever time I went into the store. i.e. via an Airtag hidden in the car.
Honestly the biggest problem i find with airtags is you cant family share them. we use them for the appletv remotes and car keys things that are shared. Its damn annoying not being able to see my wife's tags or her being able to see mine.
exactly. 99.9% are being punished because 0.1% are being bad actors. apple is worried about abuse of the tags even inside a family (husband / wife tracking the other without knowledge etc.)
@@canyonblue737-8 Weird, if I wanna stalk a family member I just see where their iPhone is... No need for an AirTag
Honestly how has apple not thought of this yet 💀
This is my biggest complaint as well! They for sure need to add in a Family Share feature so everyone in the family can use a single AirTag👍
@@canyonblue737-8 this makes no sense as you should be able to accept the share. That's trivial.
This is good advice, and I like the way you explain that it’s not antitheft, it’s more anti-stalking, or pro-locating.
I just did this with a new AirTag purchased march 3rd 2024. The speaker was locked down inside the middle of the electronics (instead of attached to the plastic in the video). I could still pry it up. Put everything together and the tag worked perfectly.. without the sound! Thanks again for the great video explaining how to open and put together. This AirTag is going on my expensive bike.
I thought about doing this and then I realised police here in the UK don't actually do anything even if you tell them the exact coordinates of the thief's house and provide CCTV footage of the theft.
Well then you know what to do....
Tell them the thief just insulted your trans 'sister' on the internet or something and they will send a SWAT team and helicopter .
Same here it depends where you live in the U.S. sometimes they do their job and other times they don't
Simple solution to that is to say "I know where they are, and I'm about to blow their heads off so you better send someone". They'll be there in a flash, meanwhile you're still sitting at home.
@@ericrichardson3332 just make sure to tell them they are conservative and republicant's maybe throw in a little maga and they will throw the book at them. however if you say they have a D in front of their name it will be ignored by the Fbi DOJ and everyone in between. just my 2 Cents
There are Airtag holders that screw into dog collars. What you can do is instead use that Airtag holder to screw into your luggage or backpacks. That will help secure the Airtag to your luggage incase someone steals it or whatever and rummages around through it. And if they do find the Airtag, they'd need a torx driver to unscrew it to remove it from the bag.
My car was stolen a few months ago and because of Airtag, the police was able to track and recover my car in less than 3 hrs.
Awesome I got one on my car too
How?
You must've won the lottery that day. Probably picked your name out of a truckload of names, said "we'll do this one, and we're done for the day." And they didn't mean them, they meant the whole division.
For anyone wondering this still works, however the speaker is glued to the base instead of the cover that’s pryed off, just pop a razor blade underneath and pry it off.
I can confirm it still works for new AirTags. People say they're glued now or don't work without the magnet. Nope. Works just like in your vid. Thanks, great job.
I just bought a 4 pack today (16/8/24) and it is still exactly the same as the video.
All you had to do was remove that white circle on top of the speaker which is magnetic. Didn’t have to peel off the speaker. That way you can put the magnet back if you wanted to bring the sound back
He still has sound because he didn't remove the copper ring. Though the volume is a lot lower without the speaker.
This is awesome! An airtag helped recover my 16k motorcycle some months back and the thief seemed to not have found the tag by pure luck. I will certainly add an additional ninja tag to the bike (as the sound of the OG tag did actually help localize the bike once we where on location)
Super simple hack. Appreciate the video!
For those that want to go even crazier: There is an open source project to flash the airtags (or any other tag for that matter) to piggyback on the airtag network to create actually 100% stealth airtags that also send no notification to the tracked person. Of course: This is to track YOUR stuff and not to stalk someone, so use this with some good judgement!
Any info on how to find it? Would be very helpful to not notify the thief of the possibility of getting caught :)
@@lisunovroman There's a github project about it, the OpenHaystack project, but it's somewhat unhelpful. You need to know enough python to be able to write your own script to generate private keys, and you need to construct your own device. So it's not as simple as the above method. That said, if you have the time and are willing to devote the effort to it, you can make a "stealth" tracker that uses the Apple "Find My" network to track it. The item it's based on is a good bit bigger than an AirTag though. The base computer board is a micro:bit, and it looks like they retail for about $20 USD as of the time of writing.
@@lisunovromanI’m sure apple has disabled whatever workaround that is.
All it takes is one headline with “airtag stalker” and the media wouldn’t mention it’s a hacked tag
just picked up a 4 pack and tried it one of them, the speaker is now glued inside the tag itself ( not on the 3 tabbed door that’s pried open as shown in vid ) however it’s fairly simply to remove the speaker still then attach everything back together. tag still works after everything
Good to know they switched it! Thanks!
Can confirm the same (16/8/24)
This is great! I keep an AirTag in my car in case of one of two things, either I forget where I park, or someone steals my car. The only issue is sometimes when I get into the car the chime is automatically going off, which can get very annoying. First thing I’m doing tomorrow is removing that damned chime!
My friend had an airtag hidden in her car by someone (still unknown) for months, she would have the notifications pop up saying shes been followed via the air tag whenever she drives. She ended up selling the car before she was ever able to find it. stay safe out there yall
*brushes hands off* not my problem ANYMORE!!
Your friend is either doing drugs or is a dealer
You have to be somewhere where there is not too much noise so you can hear the sound. And think about where on your car is accessible from outside the car unless you suspect it was placed by someone that was inside your car.
Lemon car LOL!
we all know it was you YKTV, stop frontin
It's important to separate the ability to hack/modify hardware and the intent. There are plenty of use cases where disabling the speaker is a good thing - in fact, I'd argue that most use cases aside from stalking are fine. My dogs hate the sound, but if I want to find one of these, my phone will lead me right to it, so the AirTag is still useful/functional. I think the best thing, which you already mentioned, is that all Apple AirTags must be associated with a valid Apple ID account. As long as they maintain that functionality, along with the ability to be warned that a foreign AirTag is following you around, that's enough. The sound isn't necessary. As long as you aren't committing crimes with a modified device, device modification should always be allowed. Thanks for the thoughtful video, and also, thanks for wearing gloves with your sharp-knife method of taking these apart. I have a drawer full of spudgers (plastic and metal) - I'd probably use those first - but you didn't break any tabs or stab yourself, so that's awesome!
I tried putting an airtag on my dog's collar. But because Airtags can't be shared with family, whenever my wife would take our dog someplace the thing would start beeping which really freaked him out. So I am definitely going to remove the speaker on his right away. Thanks for this video
Same for use Jeff! I’ve got one on my dog and when we were out of town, our house sitter told me that it would randomly beep and freak out my dog. Speaker removed👍
iOS 17 lets you share AirTags
Why would it start beeping if you weren't trying to find it?
Just FYI, you may not want to do this if you're using an older iPhone without precision tracking ability (pre U1 chip). Without the chirping sound, it may make it harder to locate the item.
Solid FYI👍
this answers a question I had about the other way an AirTag might direct a thief to the location of the device. the thieves i hope to thwart by removing the speaker now that I know how are homeless dilapidated RV fentanyl addicts who relentlessly steal everything in my neighborhood, including cars. they are less likely to have pre-U1 chip phones so i’m like 👌😎
@@barnacleburrito3728 I don't think the directional tracking is a thing for non-owner phones.
Remember you are doing this only to protect something from being stolen, not lost. I keep an airtag in my car, you will never need to use the sound to locate your car once your in the Immediate vicinity. Another workaround that I do is for my toolbag I hide TWO airtags, one that sort of easy to find and one that's not, so when a crook gets the alert and finds and disables one and thinks they are in the clear, there is another one. The notification wont say there are TWO airtags following you. Now of course sooner or later the crook will get another notification but hopefully by that time I'm standing outside his door with either the cops or some people that he wishes were the cops if you know what I mean.
EXACTLY!
For most people, going on your own to try and track a stolen item to the thief is probably a fabulously bad idea, in any event.
Also, even if you remove the speaker, a thief could still scan for airtags and find it that way, or at least know that one is present to look for, and really, that's a good as found.
In NYC with stacked buildings, it's nearly impossible to locate something stolen. But I did enjoy and appreciate you taking time to share. I use my tags to save me from myself e.g. losing my keys.
And even if you can point the apartment where your wallet is, there is probably no legal way to do a search.
if your iphone can utilize the u1 chip then you can get the green arrow and it'll point you to the location then just find the room # and call the police to meet you there. iphone 13 and 14 have this feature. no idea how far back in series has it.
That why we left the cities. The cities are pretty much shit holes now.
I would move away
because it's easy to uproot your whole life and family versus getting an updated airtag and iPhone... find a place, get a new job, take the kids out of school, all really easy.
@@Raphmatic5000 cities have been getting worse for years. My best friend grew up in Harlem.
He left 15 years ago and did so much better without the insane rent along with the high crime. He has been convincing his parents to move.
My family left the city 20 years ago. When I go back it’s clear that was the correct decision.
FYI, when I opened mine, the speaker stayed attached to the back white portion instead of coming off with the gray cover like this video. If you just push the center of the rounded white cover, it’s easy to pop the speaker out. Hope that helps anyone who has that happen.
I didn't see a gray cover in this video. his speaker was attached to the white part too it seems.
That's only half the problem. I don't want it to tell them there is an airtag with them or it defeats the purpose!
I’ve been using Tile. As soon as they added replaceable batteries I upgraded because I appreciated that move. Hated throwing out the non serviceable early model.
The main problem with Tile is that it's only detected by phones with the tile app. Unfortunately, Google's foray into bluetooth beacons was ended unceremoniously.
@@chaos.corner I use my Tile for my tool bags while working. If I’m in an office building and running cables between floors and some stupid face sees my bag while I’m around a corner and picks it up. It’s happened once but they genuinely were keeping it safe in their office. Other times it’s my glare that keeps them away. But for the amount invested in my tools it’s peace of mind.
@@FearsomeWarrior Yeah. I have several tiles and I quite like them. They don't get picked up by random other phones that often though and I wish they were a bit cheaper.
They NEVER notify when the battery is low, so they're always flat when I need them. Do not recommend.
@@dfgdfg_ mine do. Shows it in the menu.
They should make an update to the AirTags where the owner of the AirTag can disable the chime/tone for any device that it is not registered to. For instance only my phone can disable the chime for specific AirTags and if something is stolen, the thief gets notified but can’t use the chime, and if I find the location of the thief, I can enable the chime and make it go off.
So, if a stranger air-tags your car... but you can't find it... then you're good with no chimes?
@@trevelian23 it’s the same with this video tho, removing the speaker.
@@Kingkilla0127 and the first time a stalker uses this method to silence the AirTag Apple will make it so if you remove the speaker the AirTag quits working altogether, and that’s of they don’t do it sooner if this catches on.
@@JCole78 Then this hack gets slightly (only slightly) more complicated by adding a resistor of the correct value in place of the speaker.
@@Kingkilla0127 They probably won't since doing so could land them in hot water if they add that feature and someone is killed by a stalker.
While youve got the Tag apart - any way to hook it up to an alternative power source? Maybe hardwire it into the cars electrical somewhere so you dont have to worry about the battery running out of juice or whatever
i was literally just trying to figure this out last week. i have an airtag attached to my bike incase someone steals it. The airtag is well hidden but then when the bike is moved it makes the chiming noise defeating the purpose of hiding the airtag and also alerting the potential thief that there is an airtag on my bike. I posted to reddit asking if there was a way to disable the chime sound and everyone said no, apple put the chime sound on it so people will know if someone slipped it into their bag or something to track them. As you said Apple's main purpose of the airtag is to track an item you've lost it is not intended to be a tracking device for stolen objects. I am going to be doing this little hack immediately to the airtag on my bike.
Mmm not really defeating the purpose. Most junkie thieving dogs panic if they hear a sound. Consider it an alarm
I have an airtag hidden in my truck and sometimes it chimes, for no apparent reason, as I get in the truck giving away the approximate location and I would imagine also using some of the energy in the battery. I will be doing this mod as soon as I get back home.
@@wayneberry3453 Thieving junkies know every trick in the book . Whatever you think you know they know much more , trust me . But hey maybe the person who steals your stuff is like new the game or something , you never know . =P
@@SabbaticusRex bahahahaha yeh. Junkies are usually reeeeeally smart. Lets just start leaving things unlocked and just hand it to them. 🤷♂️. My stuff doesnt get stolen. Guess i know more than your "genius" junkies bahahaaha
@@SabbaticusRex wait. I am in australia. Theyre pretty fricken dumb haha
You convinced me to finally do this to 2 of my tags. The 2 I got on my cats can stay for legit stalking. But my escooter & brand new esk8board can do without a beeping.
Your cats stalk you?
@@HelloDappall cats are stalkers
Hahaha! I know what you mean Caprica! We have one on our dog so we can keep track of her as well!
@@charliescene42069 Accurate.
Remember that airtags will also make a sound if disconnected from their owner's iphone for a few days and then moved. That may make your cats very uncomfortable, I know the sound made my dog uncomfortable, so I went ahead and removed the speaker on its airtag.
I like this idea. If I want to put it in my car, it would be so much harder for thieves (even if notified on their phones) to find the hidden tag. Could be anywhere. But with the sound, it could be found quite quickly.
This is why I use BOTH an Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag on some things. I hide them in different places, and if a thief is notified and finds one, they will think they "found it" and they will probably quit looking and not find the other.
That is a great idea!! but won't the other one ping him after he finds the first.
@@brentgreenberg5414 Nope. Not unless he's carrying both an iPhone and a Samsung Android phone.
I am about to buy a samsung tag and I wonder, can the samsung tag potentially alert thiefs like the apple tag?
@@fofopads4450 Not to my knowledge, but there's no guarantee that Samsung wouldn't add that later.
Thank you
Air Tags were cool to have in our luggage when we traveled internationally a few months ago. Another couple on our trip wished they had them in their bags which were not located for 2 weeks…on the last day of the trip. Though frequent travelers, they allowed the airline to put their carry on bags in the hold. All they had for 2 weeks were the clothes they were wearing and some they had to buy on the trip. No clothes or underwear - no makeup - no toiletries.
😊
Golly … two whole weeks without their stuff ….. 14 days ….. traveling internationally ….
Must have been a near life threatening experience ……
Had a flight come into my station, 170/175 so a full size forward and aft bin. Well the station it came from forgot to check the aft bin(required due to pets/dry ice). There were 23 bags that had been left in the bin and came to my station. This is bad not only from a passenger standpoint, but really really bad for pilots. They need to know the weight and balance of everything put on the aircraft to know where to set wing angle and landing/takeoff variables. If something is off too far to one side or the other the plane can crash. It's also a fine on the airline.
If passengers knew half the crap we had to put up with to get them to their destination then they would just drive.
@@rampagent9226 we know all the crap you go through but we don't care because we are paying for it and you're making living out of it. Stop pretending like you're doing us a favour.
@@rampagent9226 on some flights it is maybe same time to drive to destination. And always comfortable.
To safely open most small portable electronics, you can buy a small set of tough plastic pry bars. These are purpose-designed and can even pry open smartphones with no damage to the device or your fingers.
Things that never happened: Print guy suggesting to go for lower quality shirts to bring costs down - Lying to seem like a swell guy only to earn more money, such a good human
Hahahaa! I mean, it did happen soooo🤷♂️
We have them in all our travel bags, cars, trailers etc. It is anoying when the wife takes my car or uses my bag for a vaction or the kids take school trip etc. Apple needs a family plan for the air tags too.
Keep a cheap iPhone constantly plugged in (se or 8s or higher) in your car that stop the anti stalker feature from activating (I use samsung so when I forgot to replug the iPhone back in it sets off my Samsung phone that my own tags are following me)
I the uk we have a 3uk sim that gives you 150mb every month for free
"Oh no the video isn't quite long enough yet. Better repeat myself 4 times so I can get that cheddar".
But free to watch. You're welcome good sir👍
@@DavidManningvlog I do thank you for free to watch! 👌
I'm sure somebody has already mentioned this, but it wouldn't it be nice of Apple to make it an option to turn the speaker off on your AirTags?
And why?
@@ducockk If you want to turn the speaker off.
The app should pop up the question “are you a stalker?”
No, since that's a safety feature for other people.
Apple making something better easily hahaha good luck
Every time I wear my OG “Be a Good Human” t-shirt, I get so many compliments!!!
So rad Cliff! We just went to Disneyland and I had one of the new shirts on and got lots of comments! Solid message to spread around👍
my gf too, but she is a 38D
Thank you for the video! Great tip! I use tiles as well to track my car as a backup. Tiles do not send a beep so you don't have to do this but Tiles do not have as many users as AirTags do so there is that.
You could sew the airtag between 2 pieces of fabric to make it built into your bag or even in a car seat than it will be unfindable when paired with the silenced airtag
Don't remove the speaker, just put tape over/around it so that it doesn't make a connection or it stops vibrating (no vibrations > no sound)
Maybe a bit of hot glue, so you can remove it in one pull?
@@Shadow__133 it will still need to fit within the coil, so it depends.
Actually it is possible to create an AirTag clone tracker which will be not detectable by phones automatically (iPhone will not notify you).
So it there are significant demand it is possible to start manufacturing.
Luckily most thieves carry android phones 😂
🤣
In Switzerland it is a crime to follow a thief or robber by airtags, GPS-trackers or any other means that violates his privacy. Criminals are held in high esteem in my country - as everybody can learn from our world-famous banksters from CS, UBS et alia.
That sounds like pure bs. Have a link?
You don't follow the thief, you follow your property. The airtag is attached to your own property and not to the thief. As the owner, you cannot do anything about the fact that the thief takes your property without asking.
@@RobertoNelookit's now their property
fr I live here and never heard of this „crime“
@@ilikepizza3x22 It is stated in the DSG (Datenschutzgesetz, aka Data protection law), nobody is allowed to process and keep personal data from anybody without his consent. Of course, eavesdropping-, or tracking data is included. The only exemption is made in the NDG (Nachrichtendienstgesetz, aka Intelligence agency law), that allows such things, if a judge from the federal state attorney office issues a permission to law enforcement, or intelligence agencies upon formal request in a particular case.
I never watched your channel but I actually stopped because of your shirt. Really people the shirt says it all. Great vid and I ordered a shirt!
They need to have a way to set up a enterprise or family account. That would help secure an inventory of valuables be a team. As you probably know, this is done by companies already when they send laptops and tablets to employees, plus other stuff.
iOS 17 lets you share AirTag locations
keep in mind the airtags give the location of the nearest device that detects them, not the actual location of the airtag. So in common use, its where you iphone with bluetooth is, but the airtag could be anywhere in range, but showing your iphone gps location. If you put it into missing mode, then the location of the gps of the iphone that detects it, which gives you a good idea, just not exact location. I think as an anti theft device in a car it would work as it would be detected where the car was taken to ... and only starts alerting about 24 hours later, which you could be able to location it before then. And not all thefts would have iphones.
Thanks for explaining the vital details to me, other comments have only given somewhat vague details, - 'I thought that there was more to the story' than others had told, glad you took the trouble to write.
Someone close to me has been being stalked and has had their devices hacked and identity stolen. I've seen other videos that show the notification takes too long if it notifies at all. Its believed its someone in their apartment complex. Its good to know that searching for tags is best done by physical search instead of relying on the sound or notification.
Thanks for another great video! I'm wondering if the "tag vault", is capable of being sound proof for the air tag? If so, then a person wouldn't have to worry about possibly damaging the air tag when attempting to remove the speaker. Just a thought.
Unfortunately Apple designed that chime with such a high pitched tone that you can hear it through the TagVault and even buried at the bottom of a bag
Airtag update. Link down below.
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
th-cam.com/video/Kst5w5BO_h4/w-d-xo.html
@@DavidManningvlogThat's a FEATURE not a bug. You're COMPLETELY missing the point of these things.
@@zachansen8293he never said it was a bug lol
This is awesome. The next time I replace the batteries in all my vehicles and bags, I’ll have to remove the speakers. Those cases are also pretty cool. I feel like the stalker update only harms law abiding citizens. There’s probably 10,000 thefts to every stalker.
Stalker update ?
Good to know this as I’ve just installed them on my rental bikes and car.for now I’ll only look after midnight until I do this trick.
This cap is so stealth that you can put in the wheels of your bag. Such an amazing thing
As one of those "authorities" you say to call, we have no way of finding an AirTag in, say, a car--especially after turning it off. I have experience in this. This victim could make the tag sound, but it was turned off before we could find it.
It would be impossible to find a silenced AirTag hidden in a victim's car or in some of her personal effects when she has taken great pains to move away from an abuser and hide her location. The most recent was a young lady who coordinated friends and family to help her move out and escape her abuser while he was away on a business trip. Within hours of his return, he showed up at her apartment door.
It's a bummer that there's people like that out there Ken, but I think that's an edge case of someone using something that's well intentioned improperly. It's impossible to make any product that someone with ill intent couldn't use improperly
They are a big stalking tool. Apple did what they could but people immediately put out info on how to defeat it. This video, though not intended, gives a stalkers master class on beating the protections. I, like Apple, feel people protection outranks property protection. I’d have avoided making this kind of video. 30+ year LE veteran here, btw. I’ve seen the bad side of this too many times.
Is it safe to put on a dog collar, incase your dog goes missing? Is the frequency, radiation safe?
AirTag came to the rescue last week when my Kindergartener mistakenly got on the bus when no one was able to be home. Fortunately, I was alerted that her backpack was on the move and was able to meet the bus at the intermediate school and tell the principal at that school she was there.
This seems like a good idea! But this doesn't completely solve the problem of a thieve disabling it. Because precision finding will still screw you over even without the speaker inside.
Truth
@LoganVessell Not tying to argue, but on Apple’s website it specifically says this:
“We’re also investigating a series of updates that we plan to introduce later this year, including:
Precision Finding: This capability allows recipients of an unwanted tracking alert to locate an unknown AirTag with precision. iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 users will be able to use Precision Finding to see the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag when it is in range.” So much for just disabling the speaker.
@@shawndavismedia I was just thinking this. If Apple is set on not allowing the AirTags to stealthily track anyone there’s no way in hell ppl will beat Apple with a lil DIY. I could also see them straight up disabling AirTags that have been tampered with or are ”functioning incorrectly” in the future.
Precision finding is only enabled for the registered owner of that tag.
@@mook528 I’m not sure if you read my second comment above, but Apple plans to add Precision Finding for unwanted tracking alerts.
My airtag suddenly started beeping late at night while on my dresser. "WTF?" I thought. "Why is it doing that?". It occurred to me that the neighbor I share a wall with probably got an alert on their phone that an Airtag may be following them. Because they're on the other side of the wall. Good job Apple. Some people live in apartments.
4:32 is when the video actually starts, the rest is just bs and advertisement
Thank you
Great video. This is EXACTLY why I use air tags... to recover my stuff if it's stolen. Glad there's a work around the beeping thing.
same with me the things that I own as well to.
It's still going to tell the person that there's an airtag there. So unless it's something like a car where there are just way too many places to look, it's not going to take more than a minute for them to find it without the chime.
@@zachansen8293 Yeah, and when they can't find it, they'll likely ditch the stolen car. I don't use Airtags to find my dog. I use them in vehicles....
Is the tag volt magnetic? I did a air tag years ago in moms car because of her dementia. I guess she couldn't hear the beep.
Nicely done I’m doing this to my one wheel air tag
Very solid idea! Where do you hide an AirTag on a OneWheel? Under the fender?
Which is way better than rollerblades
@@BrandonTalbot at least the government allows you to ride rollerblades👍
@@DavidManningvlogDon't Tread On Me
First time seeing anything about airtags I just bought 5 , this was awesome. Cool sweater btw im gonna buy one.
However, if someone stole your item and they were still notified that your tag was tracking them how hard would it be for them to go to the stolen item and search for the tag? Who needs the tone?
Depends how it’s hidden. Bike. Car. Bag. Lots of options
@@dubenick I'd check in the item I stole first :-)
@@BrianKushner sorry, that is what I meant. Many people are placing these INSIDE of their bikes. Sometimes in non serviceable areas. (Not easily anyway) or putting them inside the liners of bags. Proper hiding.
Just get a buddy that works at a tire shop. Have him throw one in the spare tire. Once a year, at tireswap time, he just replaces the battery and remounts it. Perfect.. Have fun trying to find it in a tire.
@@dubenick a friend put one inside his rear rim on a fat tire electric bike. He chose the rear because it's a little more difficult to remove.
Apple really caved for 1 stalking incident. Ruined the half the reason for getting an AirTag.
Saying we shouldn’t sell AirTags because someone might get stalked is like saying we shouldn’t sell knives because someone might get stabbed.
Thank you, I’ve got older relatives to look after that don’t like to answer their phone so this will help me not stress when they just go to the hardware store, ect. and won’t bother telling me what’s up.
That's for sure a solid use case for AirTags. If they have iPhones though and you do too, you can always use Find My Friends within Apple to keep locations on people👍
That’s if they “remember “ their phone. Oh and I’ve no idea how to use that app. Smh. Guess I should look it up.
Coolest hiding place I’ve seen is a camera body cap that had something like that vault built into it. Even if someone just grabs the camera out of a case, the air tag goes with it.
Which camera was it?
@@Nickporter17 Several third party manufacturers - KUVRD CosmoCap and Nine Volt AirCap for instance.
@@zooloo73 ah I get it. Super cool!
That’s awesome. Very clever.
Great video! As a stalker I found this information was very useful. I can seamlessly follow without annoying interruptions.
But the Glove... :) great video - thanks for the Vault Link. I use air tags on many items like keys, laptop bags, roller board, etc.
They're not designed to prevent theft or to stop items being stolen. They're designed to find items you've lost. Which part of this is difficult for people to understand? It's like complaining that your Apple TV remote doesn't make a very good cricket bat.
Not complaining, just disassembling👍
@@DavidManningvlog "What the hell Apple" implies otherwise....
@333Orobas 666 I'm laughing that you think I'm seriously offended. I don't care that people are modifying their stuff to serve a dfferent purpose. But your use of the phrase "to serve a different purpose" makes it clear you understand my point that, as designed, their purpose isn't to stop items being stolen.
@333Orobas 666 Nope, I'm not 5
Jump to min 5:45. Too much bs
Wow, thank you! This is going to make my stalki….. I mean, theft protection so much easier😅
We hid an AirTag in my wife's trunk just in case someone was to steal her car or something (who knows, unlikely but possible). So this is actually good to know. I may get more AirTags just to hide in our personal bags just so we can find it if it goes missing!
I’m going to hide 60 AirTags in my car so if someone steals it they have to find 60 AirTags before I find them. GAME ON 🙃
@@Lion_lamb I'm trying to imagine the nonstop notifications on a thief's phone plus the hundreds of chimes that would go off and drive them insane... LOL
@@zahktuthalxalyrion6364 You would find them in fetal position covering their ears and crying on the side of the highway while they screaming "make it stop".
I discovered one of these when the battery 12V in my Camry Hybrid needed changing, and when I got to the destination of the service station to put some fuel in the car, I discovered on my phone that there was an Air Tag in the vehicle, so I immediately located it, and discovered it was in deed mapping out everywhere I had been that day, so I did the best thing so I would get notified, and to prevent the person who owned the air tag from discovering where I lived, was actually disabled it by removing the battery no more airtag, as this was a rental, I would also be notifying the rental company of it as well...
the fact is I own a ANDROID phone, so the fact that I got a notification on my Android Smartphone, was amaazing.
And this man is helping the criminals that put a tag on the car and was tracking you
most rental company's use tracking an have done so for many years this tech is not new kids , its been available since the early 90s as long as gps has been around
Can I just drill a hole through the speaker and save time trying to open it? Or is there circuitry in the way above or below the speaker that I wouldn't want to damage?
It’s such a small thing, but it’s really cool how even on a small cheap product like the Air Tag, Apple makes the circuit board black and beautiful. Hardly anybody will ever see it, but their design language is present inside and out
😂
wow. when you talk about your phone i bet you always casually mention the model, whether its a pro or not, whether its a max or not, and the day a new one comes out you regard the previous one as outdated uncool and plain worthless.
it's a pro and a max.@@danwake4431
@@danwake4431and your android is just a outdated android that doesn’t get any update’s and if it did it takes months to get it (security updates don’t count everyone gets those except across users sometimes don’t…)
This is great! I've been wanting to implement Air Tags in equipment that I rent out, but I was concerned when I read that they will just spontaneously start beeping when separated from my iPhone for 8-12 hours. This solves that issue. Now, I just wish Apple had a version (or a verification program) that would eliminate the alert to others about tracking... I guess I just need to add a section to my rental agreement that the location of the items are tracked and the renter may get an alert.
Yeah it's pretty strange and makes no sense to me... If someone is determined enough, they'll just get a tracker that doesn't do that. Someone can always spy on me, and Apple not offering a product with that capability isn't going to change that. My guess is they just want to "enhance the value of iPhones" by offering a "solution" to the "privacy issue" they created. Very similar to how iPhones don't have notification lights - just feels like a pathetic attempt to enhance the value of Apple Watches.
It might be worth speaking to a lawyer in case there's some implied privacy law which overrides such a clause in a rental agreement... Renters are entitled to certain protections and I personally would feel violated if I was a renter in that situation. An alternative might be a tracker which doesn't track by default but can be activated remotely if something happens. I think they do this with some rental cars. Probably more reliable anyway, since AirTags depend on having an Apple device nearby. Not sure how cost effective that is though, I guess it depends on the value of your equipment as well as its intended use.
There are products on the market that would do what you need, except the difference being is they aren't £29 each like the AirTag. If you are operating a business and looking to protect your inventory, then you need to pay for good tracking products instead of trying to rely on a consumer grade product that can be deactivated just by taking the battery out.
Too bad criminals are using these to track a person's car or a person. Just stick the airtag on a car or drop it in someone's pocket or purse, then follow them home... So terrible.
An AirTag was not meant to prevent theft. It is meant to help locate or return lost items.
Noone said it was to prevent a theft. You can use them after the theft has occurred to help locate or return your lost item. lol
@@Dubbinalways Literally what my comment said.
Captain obvious. If an item is stolen, it is lost and needs to be located right?
Immediate question would be, if you wanted to stalk someone, why use an AirTag? And not a GPS tracker you can buy in bulk from Ali Express for about $5 a pop.
Because ppl are stupid and the airtag has longer runtime
What GPS device do you think you can purchase that only costs $5? GPS devices need a power source to transmit and receive data and need a line of sight to satellites.
@@mook528 I've gotten a few TK102 for less than $30 10 yrs ago, I don't think the price is too far fetched for a bulk purchase. The issue (if you want to use it for "nefarious" intent) is they need a sim card to connect and send back data.
@@mook528 depends on how many you buy. You can purchase GPS trackers for as low as $1 per unit. But if you're using those for stalking, you better be stalking a good 10,000 people.
A quick search showed some for $3 with no minimum order or $0.98 minimum order of 10 but I can't say how good they'd be.
Cheaper than an AirTag for sure and you don't need to pull out any speaker or worry about it pinging an iPhone.
because they are stupid?
David, is it possible that AirTag vault device will block the sound, so you may not need to remove the speaker, in that case?
AirTag isn't intended as an anti-theft device. Apple has been vocal about this from day 1. So has Tile. People should perhaps read the product page as diligently as they listen to TH-camrs before investing their money.
Don't expect people to respect that.
This could have been a 30 second video!
I have that same case , The pressure it applies to the soft side is great enough to disable the speaker. Give it a try.
another feature i think that needs to be allowed to happen... is this needs to be cross compatible with other phones. Apple needs to allow google and samsung and other phones to pick up on them too so that women everywhere can be more protected in general and not have just iphone users protected. seems kinda jank if only apple users get the benefit of protection if you get the drift.
Apple dont care ,,its a corporation their priority is profit
How easy it has become for someone who knows someone's an android user, can stalk that person at all times without worrying they would ever get notified about it.
I really need this function, but I broke the Airtag.
Thanks anyway for sharing.
Nice 4 minute video.
I think it would be ideal if some could just give an option against the air tag to turn off the sound alert which would help with this.
I got a notification that an airtag was found on my car when I drove to work from my home, so no this would not be ideal because if the sound was disabled I definitely would not have been able to find it.
I have a question and can't seem to find an answer. Is there a way to set the status of a tag as "static" so that, if it is moved more than a few feet or yards from it's placement, it alerts the tag's owner? I ask because I have some trailers and motorcycles locked up on my property, and would like to know if they move. I get the impression I won't know if they are being moved unless an apple user is nearby them AND I check my app often? Thanks for your help.
Would be nice if Apple came out with a “disable speaker” function for the AirTag.
Apple™, the company which digitally stalks it's customers using thousands of data points is "anti-stalking". What a joke!
It's all about making the customer feel safe so you can continue to exploit them
An AirTag tracker or Bluetooth device tracking app can detect an AirTag. Even if no sound, it can still be found easily. Try it.
Apple should prioritize anti-theft, it makes no sense to prioritize anti-stalk because stalkers will buy cheaper alternatives, with no anti-stalk warning, and no linked Apple ID. It's a great company but sometimes they make really stupid decisions.
NO longer valid. The internal design has changed. This "Fix" no longer works. It will destroy the device, or cause it not no longer stay together. DO not do this!. Read the other comments here as well.