An AirTag device by Apple Inc AAPL helped a user find his stolen 2010 Subaru Forester even though the alleged thief had ditched the tracker after discovering it.
What Happened: The user posted his tale of woes on r/Apple, a Reddit discussion forum on Thursday. The post was first noted on Apple Insider.
As per the user “thinkscotty,” a self-confessed night owl, he went out to get his car at 3 AM only to find it gone.
Post discovery of the loss, the user, a resident of a Chicago suburb, informed the police and started an insurance claim.
“I remembered then, after the dust settled, that I had put a spare AirTag in the sunglasses holder of my car,” wrote thinkscotty.
The device helped him narrow the location of the car to a Walmart parking lot in Northlake, a Chicago suburb — information that he relayed to the police. "They reported the car stolen but didn't seem optimistic much could be done."
Thinkscotty then took it upon himself to hunt for the car. However, even on checking the Walmart parking area, the vehicle was nowhere to be found.
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“I figured that the thief had found and tossed the tracker,” the Redditor said. He eventually found the discarded AirTag underneath another parked vehicle.
Just as he was about to abandon the car hunt, thinkscotty saw his distinctly orange-colored stolen car turn right past him into the parking lot.
After calling the police, the suspect found in the car was apprehended.
Why It Matters: Thinkscotty acknowledged the role that the AirTags played in finding his car but he also has a word of warning for fellow users of the tracker.
“They work to track down your car. I wouldn't have found mine without it,” he said. “But I would have potentially found it faster if I'd hidden it better. So my advice: hide it well, but somewhere it will not be blocked from transmitting a Bluetooth signal.”
In August, the CEO of a cybersecurity firm located his stolen electric scooter with the help of two hidden AirTags, reported 9to5Mac.
In that instance, the user, Dan Guido also dished out some useful advice for the use of AirTags.
Here are a few lessons learned if you’re using Airtags for theft recovery:
— Dan Guido (@dguido) August 10, 2021
1) Use an Airtag adhesive that blends in and muffles noise. It’s clear my thief was looking for them.
2) Do not turn on Lost Mode. It immediately alerts the thief they’re being tracked.
Earlier in April, when the product was launched, Raymond James analyst Chris Caso noted, “We believe this product category will have very broad appeal (who wouldn't pay $30 to not lose your wallet?), and as such could grow to become a $10 billion opportunity.”
Price Action: On Thursday, Apple shares closed nearly 2% higher at $143.76 in the regular session and rose 0.13% in the after-hours trading.
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