Apple puts a version ofFind Myon everyiPhone, iPad, Mac, and evenApple Watch, for good reason – it can save your hide if you lose one of them. If you know a device was stolen, you can use the app to wipe it clean and make sure thieves won’t get their hands on sensitive data. It also incorporates Activation Lock – a feature that prevents a thief from reactivating ill-gotten goods.
There are some nuances to using Find My that you might not be aware of, though, even if you’ve owned Apple products for years. I’ll explore some of those here.
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We’ve been getting lost and then found again with the new AirTag, Apple’s interwoven ecosystem alternative solution to Tile. For many it’ll be the insurance needed when it comes to their bags, keys, and other items.
1Be selective in buying (and using) AirTags
There’s a hidden cost to item tracking
Apple lets you buyAirTagsindividually for $29, but really wants you to spring $99 for a four-pack. The latter is tempting – it drops the cost to $24.75 per tag, and most people have more than one item they’d like to track. If you’re tracking your keys, it just makes sense to track your wallet too.
It’s best to reserve AirTags for the things you can’t afford to go missing.
Remember, though, that every AirTag you buy has to be manually paired to an iPhone or iPad, and needs a special case or holder if you don’t have a convenient pocket to slip it in. That’s especially true if you want to track a vehicle, whether it’s a car, a bike, or an electric scooter orunicycle. That can easily double the cost of your investment – suddenly a four-pack is setting you back $200, not $99. And you’ll have to replace the coin battery in each tag about once per year, so as a rule, it’s best to reserve AirTags for the things you can’t afford to go missing.
Getting started with Tile Bluetooth trackers: What you need to know
Tile is best known for its Bluetooth trackers. You can connect to Tile and use it to keep track of your possessions. Here’s how it works.
For the AirTags you do buy, try to avoid using Find My too often, especiallyPrecision Finding. The more an AirTag talks to devices, the more battery it consumes – so a tag that would otherwise last over a year might be dead at six months.
2Use geofencing to check in with loved ones
Don’t forget to get consent first
You’re probably aware that Find My can be used to track friends and family who ownApple devices, but what you may not be aware of is the app’s full set of geofencing features. These can let you know if someone has left or arrived at a particular location, say when your partner comes home from work, or is finally on that flight out of Austin. There’s also an “Is Not At” modifier, which will tell you if someone isn’t where they’re supposed to be during a specific schedule – Apple’s example being a child at school. That might sound ominous, but any notification setting requires mutual consent, so there shouldn’t be many privacy concerns.
Here’s the basics of setting up a geofence alert on an iPhone or iPad:
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Be judicious about using Every Time notifications – it might initially seem nice to know every time your partner pulls into the driveway, but daily alerts could end up as redundant clutter in your Notification Center.
3Remember that you can track headphones, too
Never lose an earbud in the couch again
AirPods are notoriously easy to lose if they’re not theAirPods Max, so for a while now you’ve been able to make them play a sound via Find My’sDevicestab, or track their rough location via Bluetooth. That includes each bud, and the charging case, as well, if you’ve got theAirPods Pro 2orAirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation. The AirPods 3, AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max additionally support a version of Precision Finding, though only the AirPods Pro 2 can trigger a directional arrow with distance info.
Find My also works with many Beats products, such as the Powerbeats Pro, Solo 4, Solo Pro, andBeats Fit Pro. Apple seems to downplay this, presumably because it wants more people invested in AirPods, which are Apple-branded and less Android-friendly.
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4Hide those AirTags with care
It’s time to think like a criminal
If you’re only concerned with finding an item when you lose it yourself, it doesn’t particularly matter where you attach an AirTag as long as it doesn’t come loose. When theft recovery is involved, however, you need to make an AirTag extremely difficult to find – so much so that you’ll swear profusely the next time you have to replace the battery. Thieves are aware of AirTags after all, and they don’t want to go to prison.
For anti-theft purposes, you need to place a tag somewhere invisible, without easy access, and where a thief normally wouldn’t have any reason to go. That’s a tough set of criteria, especially on things like bikes and backpacks. In some cases they may be impossible to achieve, making an AirTag all but useless as a recovery option.
What’s the difference between Bluetooth tracking and ultra-wideband?
They’re really partners in the same job.
You need to place a tag somewhere invisible, without easy access, and where a thief normally wouldn’t have any reason to go.
Note that I didn’t use terms like “prevention” or “deterrent.” If a thief can see your AirTag, they can disable it, unless perhaps you’ve covered it in superglue.
5Help your family find missing devices
Save partners and kids a lot of grief
If you’re in aFamily Sharinggroup and a member is sharing their location with you, you’ll also be able to track their devices independently. Just look below your own hardware in theDevicestab.
When you select a family member’s device, you’ll see familiar options such as playing sounds and getting Apple Maps directions. These can be very handy, say if a certain someone has a habit of leaving their iPhone in different rooms or under the covers. You’ll even see theMark As Lostoption, but that should normally be avoided unless you’re managing a child’s device – adults are perfectly capable of triggeringLost Modethemselves, whether via an Apple device oricloud.com/find.
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Now that Apple owns the company, FindMy and iCloud make tracking down Beats headphones easier than ever. Here’s how.
