I actually used an AirTag for the first time today. Rushing out the door to my flu shot appointment and my keys weren’t in the usual spot. It took a sec, but I eventually remembered I had an AirTag on my keychain. Opened up the Find My app and spent a minute scrolling through my way too long list of Apple devices before I realized that AirTags are on the items tab. Once I did that it was a matter of a minute walking around my apartment until I got close enough to pick up the UWB. They were sitting under a hat.
Anyone else had the opportunity to locate an item using AirTags?
In this case, I realized that I didn’t have them on me before I even made it out the door. It was just a question of where they’d gotten to in my apartment. Not something that happens often, but it was nice to have the AirTag to help with that.
Since one of my goals in life is to be more like @ChrisUpchurch , I had a 4-pack of tags in my Apple cart, then priced out the key fobs - 2x $35, then deciding whether I could skimp on the holders for luggage, and just set it all aside for a while. So I guess the fobs upset the Apple cart.
How was the user experience of finding the keys, once you figured out how to tell it you were looking for them? Did it guide you to them pretty well?
There are a couple of things that my girlfriend and I seem to be constantly misplacing, so I’m sure we’d have the “Find My” stuff in muscle memory after a week or two. The question for us will be how useful it is for actually guiding you to the items.
I bought a four pack when they were first introduced. I have one on my key ring, another in my laptop bag. I used the remaining two for the beagles we have. They are attached to their collars. We recently adopted another beagle, so he needs a tag.
I ordered another set of four that arrived Friday. If I leave my bag in the office or the car, it sends a notification. I am reluctant to turn it off in case I do forget something.
I got a 4-pack. My keys, wife’s keys, backpack and car.
Having one in the car is great - if I forget exactly where I parked it I can use the AirTag - the location even gets updated as people with iPhones walk past!
Oddly enough, knowing where I parked might be the AirTag killer function (for me, at least). It’s not like I have ever completely lost my car, but the amount of time I spend wandering parking lots in confusion is ridiculous…
For some reason this reminds me of a pre-Internet trick my family used.
The local radio station at one point gave out these little foam ball thingys that would go over your car’s antenna. You put the little ball with the radio station’s logo on your antenna, and their DJ people would periodically drive around and give out some random prizes. So we got a ball.
When the radio station stopped doing the giveaway, almost everybody in town took off the ball thingys and pitched them - except us. So all we had to do to find our car was look for the little red ball on the antenna.
You mean Apple Maps? Does anyone actually use this for audio turn-by-turn directions? Every time I try it I end up hating the whole experience and going back to Google Maps…
We live in our RV and have traveled pretty much nationwide over the last 18 months. I have found Apple Maps to be very bad at selecting routes and at showing you the route it has selected before you actually get on the road. I get a very bad feeling when I am driving 6-7 tons of RV at 65mph and am being told to take an exit that seems like the wrong way, especially w/ the wife following in a separate vehicle and trying to communicate w/ her via radio.
Maybe it works better inside large metro areas, but I keep reverting to Google Maps. Not that they are immune from trying to overly complicate things with ‘fuel-saving’ routes vs. shortest path vs. fastest path, etc.
Is it possible to get a better notification if I leave something behind using an AirTag? I get the notification but I would like my phone to ring or vibrate or do something so I notice it. What am I doing wrong?
And about maps…Apple Maps is really bad, I would always use it but seems to be getting worse, took me on a route the other day that I was like this is insane. Then coming back I used Waze and got me back really quick.
