I had a gut negative reaction to this comment (the government comment is irrelevant).
But to play devil's advocate, can't someone buy any cheap old iPhone (or any smartphone), activate it with a cheap prepaid plan, and use the phone itself as a tracking device instead of an airtag?
I guess the only thing special about the airtag is it's (slightly) cheaper than a cheap smartphone, longer battery life, and explicitly marketed for the purpose of tracking things. Even if a cheap prepaid smartphone can accomplish the same thing while going completed undetected.
> But to play devil's advocate, can't someone buy any cheap old iPhone (or any smartphone), activate it with a cheap prepaid plan, and use the phone itself as a tracking device instead of an airtag?
When I was younger I had a friend who worked in a cellular phone store (back when most people went to a physical store to buy cell phones).
He very frequently got customers asking for another phone to do exactly this. It was a common problem for their commission structure because the cheap phones used for tracking people (usually spouses suspected of cheating) were often returned within 30 days and their data plan cancelled, which was a net negative for their sales stats and commission structure.
As of the latest iPhone release, "Find my iphone" still works even when you power the iphone off (there's a warning that says this when you attempt to shut down your iphone). I wonder how long an iPhone will hold its charge while powered off.
But to play devil's advocate, can't someone buy any cheap old iPhone (or any smartphone), activate it with a cheap prepaid plan, and use the phone itself as a tracking device instead of an airtag?
I guess the only thing special about the airtag is it's (slightly) cheaper than a cheap smartphone, longer battery life, and explicitly marketed for the purpose of tracking things. Even if a cheap prepaid smartphone can accomplish the same thing while going completed undetected.