Apple Air Tags for luggage tracking

[Algebralovr]

We used them in May.  We flew from STL to YVR with a plane change in DEN.  It was great to be able to see when they were close enough again while sitting on the plane.  

[Essiesmom]

There is a thread on the HAL board with some good info.  EM

[DeacDawg]

HAL thread: Best Tracker

I'm assuming this is the thread mentioned above.

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

I bought a 4 pack a few weeks ago and used them on our current trip in the US.  Now that we live in Vegas all of the time trips mean plane changes and I worry about bags not making it. On the outbound it was easy to track the bags from the time we dropped them  at LAS, while we changed in DEN and as them came out in PDX,  It was nice to know where they were at all times.

While may not be as accurate, many airlines - Delta, American and United for sure have a baggage tracking on their Mobil App.     It only shows when it's scanned but you will normally see that when they scan it on and off the plane.    I have experienced where they missed a scan and scared me until I saw it loaded onto the second plane.

[Mr. Click]

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

While may not be as accurate, many airlines - Delta, American and United for sure have a baggage tracking on their Mobil App.     It only shows when it's scanned but you will normally see that when they scan it on and off the plane.    I have experienced where they missed a scan and scared me until I saw it loaded onto the second plane.

I know UA has it on their app and it came in handy today when our first flight was really late and we had to run with the hope of making the connection.  AirTags said the bags were close, the app showed them scanned oof the first plane and on to the second plane .   I was happy to have the AirTags, especially when I was thinking about having to track them down if they missed the flight we made.  I can see them as a real boon in the cruise terminals, if we ever get back to cruising..

[MamaFej]

We had an overnight layover in Helsinki and had checked the bags in at Stockholm all the way to LAX. It was very comforting to see our bags showing at our gate before we'd even left the lounge. 

[RichYak]

23 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

We used them in May.  We flew from STL to YVR with a plane change in DEN.  It was great to be able to see when they were close enough again while sitting on the plane.  

Honest question: Is there anything you can do if it's clear they're not close enough while sitting on the plane? Otherwise, I just don't see the point.

[goofysmom99]

When you file an insurance claim, you can tell them exactly where the suitcase is.  Personal experience, the insurance company jumped thru hoops getting luggage to me, unlike the airline.

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

I know UA has it on their app and it came in handy today when our first flight was really late and we had to run with the hope of making the connection.  AirTags said the bags were close, the app showed them scanned oof the first plane and on to the second plane .   I was happy to have the AirTags, especially when I was thinking about having to track them down if they missed the flight we made.  I can see them as a real boon in the cruise terminals, if we ever get back to cruising..

I love mine but have to adjust one of the ones I keep in my car (Helpful if you forgot where you parked).   I got an alert yesterday that I left my car behind (because it wasn't with me at the grocery store). 

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, RichYak said:

Honest question: Is there anything you can do if it's clear they're not close enough while sitting on the plane? Otherwise, I just don't see the point.

 

In order to be identified it has to be in Bluetooth range of either you or another iPhone (usually 20-25 feet).   Many of the baggage agents use iPhones which help.  

[Surfguyxxx]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

In order to be identified it has to be in Bluetooth range of either you or another iPhone (usually 20-25 feet).   Many of the baggage agents use iPhones which help.  

So, I'm confused.  Can I track a bag that I gave up in Orlando on a flight to Barcelona and when I get to Barcelona, see that my bag in Atlanta?  What is the range on these things?  I'm doing a Panama Canal cruise in October out of Los Angeles and would like to know if my bag is with me or in Houston.

[peanut head]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

In order to be identified it has to be in Bluetooth range of either you or another iPhone (usually 20-25 feet).   Many of the baggage agents use iPhones which help.  

Can you link 1 air tag to more than 1 apple phone?  Can both my husband and I "share" a tag?

[goofysmom99]

28 minutes ago, peanut head said:

Can you link 1 air tag to more than 1 apple phone?  Can both my husband and I "share" a tag?

Not really.  This article from PCMag is pretty good description of what an Air Tag does.

Edited July 21, 2022 by goofysmom99

[peanut head]

8 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Not really.  This article from PCMag is pretty good description of what an Air Tag does.

Thank you.

[Peteymil]

1 hour ago, peanut head said:

Can you link 1 air tag to more than 1 apple phone?  Can both my husband and I "share" a tag?

no

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, Surfguyxxx said:

So, I'm confused.  Can I track a bag that I gave up in Orlando on a flight to Barcelona and when I get to Barcelona, see that my bag in Atlanta?  What is the range on these things?  I'm doing a Panama Canal cruise in October out of Los Angeles and would like to know if my bag is with me or in Houston.

Range is approximately 25 feet .    They are not a GPS tracking device. 

 

 

How does it work?  From Apple site

 

Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy. And itʼs efficient, so thereʼs no need to worry about battery life or data usage.

[MamaFej]

 

2 hours ago, peanut head said:

Can you link 1 air tag to more than 1 apple phone?  Can both my husband and I "share" a tag?

Both my hubby and I have access to track all of our Air Tags on our iPhones and my laptop as well as his iPad on our shared iCloud account. If you only have separate iCloud accounts, only one of you will be able to track each tag. 

[Jim_Iain]

11 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

 

Both my hubby and I have access to track all of our Air Tags on our iPhones and my laptop as well as his iPad on our shared iCloud account. If you only have separate iCloud accounts, only one of you will be able to track each tag. 

We also do the same.    I have us setup under family share and give grant share privileges on the Findmy portal.    We can also see where each other's iPhones are.

 

While visiting in Scotland recently I shared our location with  my brother-in-law ans we were both hiking and meeting up.   It was helpful that we could see where each other was.    I think it had an option to share for XXX amount of time or permanent.

[Algebralovr]

On 7/20/2022 at 8:56 PM, RichYak said:

Honest question: Is there anything you can do if it's clear they're not close enough while sitting on the plane? Otherwise, I just don't see the point.

A lot of the baggage handlers and airport staff have iPhones, so, they are likely to register.  
If the bag gets left at the airport, when you get to your next location, you SHOULD be able to see it was left at the airport. 
At the pier, you should be able to locate the bags.

Beat of all, if you are trying to find your bags at the pier, and can’t, you can trigger the AirTag to sound off.  That would have been helpful at a previous cruise when one of the bags never made it to the pick up area.  

[Surfguyxxx]

11 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Range is approximately 25 feet .    They are not a GPS tracking device. 

That's what I kept reading but there was one Youtube video that said he was in one country and saw his bag in another.  Thank you.

[Mark_T]

11 minutes ago, Surfguyxxx said:

That's what I kept reading but there was one Youtube video that said he was in one country and saw his bag in another.  Thank you.

Yes, all that requires is that someone in the other country has been close enough to the bag with an iPhone to register it's location on the 'Find My' network...

Edited July 22, 2022 by Mark_T

[Beamafar]

13 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Not really.  This article from PCMag is pretty good description of what an Air Tag does.

Thank you for the link; that article was extremely helpful to me. 🙏

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, Surfguyxxx said:

That's what I kept reading but there was one Youtube video that said he was in one country and saw his bag in another.  Thank you.

It's 25 feet from ANY iPhone, not your own. So, yes, you can see where your bag is from another country if anybody with an iPhone is within 25 ft of your bag.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Surfguyxxx said:

That's what I kept reading but there was one Youtube video that said he was in one country and saw his bag in another.  Thank you.

That's possible and I've had similar when it hasn't been identified since you last identified.  Maybe blocked from a bluetooth connection.  It reports the last location it was spotted.   Sometimes it is just a system glitch.      The other day I got an alert that I left my AirPods behind at Starbucks ---  Only problem was they were in my ear and I was listing to an e-book.

[Barwick Cruiser]

I’m quite interested in getting some of the apple AirTags but it says that they run on lithium batteries and the air Canada site says you can’t put anything in your checked luggage with lithium batteries… are they just so small that they won’t be confiscated?