Google took its time stepping up, but it’s better late than never
So Apple completely fails to give any kind of fuck that some people don’t use their products but might be affected by them… and Google is the bad guy for not being timely enough to account for Apples douchebaggery? I mean, I’m no google fanboy, but jesus christ that’s some shitty logic.
Apple created an app to detect airtags for Android but…
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It takes 2 full minutes to do a scan (only manual scans are supported)
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For some reason you need to wait a timer of TEN FUCKING MINUTES before make the tracker beep (close the app and you need to wait the ten minutes again)
It’s the most minimum viable product that they could ship, I think the long waits are all artificial because there’s no way that someone actually waits all that time each time that wants to check if he’s stalked by an airtag. It’s clearly designed for compliance “see? We made a detection app for Android users” and not for being actually used
Any form of Android compatibility must be maximally enshittified to encourage switching – see iMessage. Unless of course it generates revenue for Apple – see Apple Music. Not being stalked/murdered using Air Tags does not generate revenue for Apple: next time buy an iPhone.
Including the most basic task of plugging in an Android phone to access files on MacOS. It just works on Linux or Windows, but with MacOS I had to go the extra step of having to download and install Android File Transfer. And then wasn’t even able to preview pics from the phone storage and had to move the files to the PC.
Apple probably wants people to go I should get an iPhone. But, given the experience of how it just works on Windows and Linux my thought was wow Apple is shit at compatability with everything that isn’t Apple.
The waits are by design. Without them, it would be trivial to find an airtag in something you are going to steal and remove it.
Google took its time stepping up, but it’s better late than never
And Google is postponing the launch of their trackers compatible with Google Find My network (Chipolo Point, PebbleBee) because Apple didn’t get around with adding stalking detection for these in time.
In this case if someone needs to step up and get their shit together, it’s Apple.
Google has already confirmed that Unknown Tracker Alerts is only compatible with AirTags for the time being, but didn’t specify why
It would seem like the “why” is pretty obvious. Most active iPhones now have AirTag tracking installed on them. That’s not the case for trackers like Tile.
That means Apple has the biggest tracking network right now. It dwarfs the others. FindMy network devices should be the clear priority. They’re more precise, encounter fewer dead zones, and in other words, are likely a stalker’s preferred tracker.
Don’t you have it backwards? It’s not the phones, its the trackers.
And the obvious reason is apple and google built it, so of course Tile is behind. If google already had trackers, that sentence would say AirTags and googleTags*
Tile is not as useful if you are trying to stalk someone because its network is much, much smaller. Therefore it is less dangerous than the Airtags.
That is also likely a factor. There are more AirTags in the wild than Tiles.
That said, my point is that AirTags present more risk because they’re a better product. And they’re a better product because of the substantially bigger network.
So you’re restating the claim the article made with supposing it’s because it’s bigger and just being done first. But there’s still technically has the capability of tracking others. And I wouldn’t say being the product of choice of stalkers necessarily makes it a better product.
Edit: it’s also odd that you went out of the way to extol the product when you’re just agreeing with the conclusion I made as well. We get it. You love Apple.
I am as well. AirTags have outsold Tile significantly, and they’re waaaay more accurate because of the much bigger network.
And it’s pretty logical why. I lose my stuff a lot and all though I have an android, still bought airtags and use an old iphone. Why? Cause it is the only cheap option that tracks farther than bluetooth range, which is quite handy if I lose something on the train. Google should syep up and make a similiar system, it is the only way.
I fail to understand where the “why” comes in. You gave some disparate conclusions. yes airtag is installed on iPhone and tile isn’t. So what? Yes, airtags is a big network. Again, I repeat, so what? Are you saying they did the largest network first? Whatever it is, you forgot to state the obvious part of your claim. It definitely isn’t obvious.
I think the thing is that, in order to have a successful and reliable Tile network, you need as much people as possible to install the Tile app so their phones can communicate with their trackers.
Whereas with Find My, you have everybody’s Apple devices being part of the network without them doing anything, their devices just do it, without intervention from other users. That’s a massive advantage for Apple’s offering.
On similar note, if Google comes up with something similar where they can leverage all of the Android devices out there, it’d be an enormous network.
You get.
Realistically, if that rumored Google / Nest tracking platform launches and slowly makes its way onto every active Android phone, Google will have the world’s largest BT tracker network, and Google’s platform will be the biggest stalker threat. But right now, AirTags are at the top of the stalker risk pile.
Sure, Google could currently watch out for Tiles and the other odd balls, but those products are likely to quickly fizzle out unless they get on to Apple current and Google’s upcoming platforms. Also, those products are inaccurate and kind of suck.
I can’t find it on Android 12
It is following the usual Google release schedule “USA first, fuck the rest of the world”?
Also, is it possible to dismiss warnings like “I know, that’s mine”?
Edit: after a reboot I got the option in settings
I don’t have it, Germany, on Android 12.
(edit)
Nevermind, showed up after a restart, so I guess it was just waiting to install the relevant google service update.
I got an alert yesterday when I traveled by Bus. I see false positives scaring people using public transport.
Shouldn’t really happen because it only alerts for Airtags that are not with their owner. Then again, they only just released the ability to share an Airtag among multiple iPhone users, so false positives in public transport could be shared Airtags that are with people who haven’t set up that feature yet.
That is not my understanding. The description for the manual scan specifically mentions trackers “that are separated from their owners” A colleague and I only found this sentence after having tried it for quite some time with an Airtag on his keyring. He then turned on airplane mode on his iPhone and my Pixel immediately found the Airtag. (We couldn’t make it ring tho, which was offered to me)
So I still believe the case you are describing is Airtags not with their owners. Maybe kids with Airtags connected to their parents’ phones. And like I said, the new feature where multiple people can connect to one Airtag might alleviate (not entirely fix obviously) that issue.
