{"id":564474,"date":"2023-03-16T14:00:40","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/"},"modified":"2023-03-16T14:00:40","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:00:40","slug":"you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/","title":{"rendered":"#You Should Have an AirTag (Or Other Tracker) In Your Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3be62b2caae\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3be62b2caae\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#%E2%80%9CYou_Should_Have_an_AirTag_Or_Other_Tracker_In_Your_Car%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;You Should Have an AirTag (Or Other Tracker) In Your Car&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#Never_Lose_Your_Car_Again\" >Never Lose Your Car Again<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#Limited_Protection_for_Thefts\" >Limited Protection for Thefts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#Not_All_Trackers_Will_Work\" >Not All Trackers Will Work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#Tracking_Cars_Not_People\" >Tracking Cars, Not People<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/#Apple_AirTag\" >Apple AirTag<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYou_Should_Have_an_AirTag_Or_Other_Tracker_In_Your_Car%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;You Should Have an AirTag (Or Other Tracker) In Your Car&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-854207\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Apple-AirTag-laying-next-to-an-iPhone.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Apple AirTag laying next to an iPhone\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Justin Duino \/ How-To Geek<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bluetooth trackers like AirTags and Galaxy SmartTags are primarily intended to be used with small items that are easy to lose, like keys or bags, but they are incredibly useful for something much larger: your car.<\/p>\n<p>You might already know how Bluetooth trackers work. You place them somewhere, or attach them to something, and then you can locate the tag later with your phone. If the tracker is out of range of your own devices, the tracker\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a> can tell you the last known location, with the ability to send directions to your mapping application of choice. Some tags connect to mesh networks run by Tile, Apple, Samsung, or another company, so the location of a lost tracker might be updated even when you\u2019re not around. For example, if you forget a bag with an AirTag in public, someone\u2019s iPhone walking by might detect it and send the current location to Apple.<\/p>\n<p>The features of modern Bluetooth trackers make them a fantastic add-ons for nearly any vehicle, from bikes to trucks, for more than one reason.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Never_Lose_Your_Car_Again\"><\/span>Never Lose Your Car Again<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The main reason I keep an AirTag in my car is to help alleviate a very American problem: finding my car in a large parking lot. The lots for big chain stores (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=e7eab128eb8d1c53e14db14f4c632447&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Froadtrippers.com%2Fmagazine%2Fwalmart-parking-lots-vanlife%2F&amp;cuid=xid:{xid}&amp;___trxnet=vg\">like Walmart<\/a>), malls, or stadiums can be massive, and if you don\u2019t remember exactly where you parked, you could be in for a lot of walking around pressing your car keys until you hear beeping sounds.<\/p>\n<p>Modern smartphones have solutions for this, but each option is limited in some way. If the parking lot or deck has signs indicating sections and rows, you can just write that in your notes app. Google Maps on Android and iPhone allows you to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/maps\/remember-where-you-parked-google-maps\/\">mark where you parked<\/a>\u00a0and share it with others\u2026 but you have to remember to do that every time. Google Maps can save parking locations automatically <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redirect.viglink.com\/?key=e7eab128eb8d1c53e14db14f4c632447&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fanswer%2F7257797&amp;cuid=xid:{xid}&amp;___trxnet=vg\">in the background<\/a>, but that has never been reliable for me on Android devices (figuring out when you stop driving and start walking is presumably a bit tricky), and on iPhone it requires giving Google Maps constant access to your location. Apple\u2019s main solution on iPhones uses a Bluetooth connection to your car, marking where it disconnects (when the car turns off) as your parked location, but that only works if your car\u2019s Bluetooth is running.<\/p>\n<p>Bluetooth trackers might be the most robust solution to this problem. With an AirTag, I can check my car\u2019s location at any time from Apple\u2019s Find My App, and its location is updated when anyone with an Apple device walks past the car. If your iPhone doesn\u2019t update the tag\u2019s location before you walk away (which I haven\u2019t personally noticed, but is possible), someone walking along 10 minutes later might give you a more precise location.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-878899\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Image-2.jpeg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"images of a car on a map\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I can see the location of my AirTags on the map in the Find my App, but the app can also start live walking or driving directions to the tag\u2019s last known location. Apple Maps and Google Maps don\u2019t always know what to tell you inside a large parking lot or deck, but if you parked on a street or small area a short distance away, the automatic instructions could come in handy.<\/p>\n<p>I used the mapping and navigation features multiple times when I visited Walt Disney World with some friends last year. Some of the parking lots for Disney\u2019s theme parks are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Fk8DeFEQKXAoeC7Q7\">massive<\/a>, to the point where even if you write down the section where you parked, you probably have to walk around for a few minutes like you lost your car anyway. I opened the Find My App, looked at the map, and just followed the arrow directly to my car.<\/p>\n<p>The one area where this solution falls flat is with multi-level parking decks or other similar places \u2014 Apple doesn\u2019t provide elevation data for AirTags. If you\u2019re close enough to the AirTag, and you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212274\">a compatible iPhone<\/a>, you might be able to start more precise tracking and find your way from there. Some Bluetooth trackers, including AirTags, also don\u2019t let you share tracking data with other people.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limited_Protection_for_Thefts\"><\/span>Limited Protection for Thefts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Bluetooth trackers are intended to help you find lost items\u2026 which can also include stolen items. There are already many products and services designed to track cars when they are stolen or broken into, such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.onstar.com\/services\/stolen-vehicle-assistance\">OnStar<\/a> or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tmobile.prf.hn\/click\/camref:1011lqWLv\/pubref:htg878645%7Cxid%3A{xid}\/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fiot-devices%2Fsyncup-drive-connected-car&amp;___trxnet=pt\">T-Mobile SyncUP Drive<\/a>, but most of them have a recurring cost. Bluetooth trackers are worse than options with satellite or cell tower connectivity, because they rely on a (compatible) nearby phone to send location data, but they are much more affordable.<\/p>\n<p>Theoretically, if you hide a Bluetooth tracker well enough in your car, it will not be noticed by someone stealing your car. You can then report the location to police, who may or may not help you get it back. Heather Kelly at <em>The Washington Post<\/em> used a Tile tracker to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2021\/10\/28\/airtags-theft\/\">discover her 1999 Honda Civic after it was stolen<\/a>. One <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reddit<\/a> user in San Francisco <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/sanfrancisco\/comments\/zfl7qc\/car_stolen_w_airtag_inside_and_police_response\/\">used an AirTag to find their stolen car<\/a> and met police where it was parked.<\/p>\n<p>Apple <em>really<\/em> doesn\u2019t want you to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/newsroom\/2022\/02\/an-update-on-airtag-and-unwanted-tracking\/\">use AirTags to track people<\/a>, which includes people who steal vehicles. If whoever steals your car has an Apple device, they might see a warning that they are being tracked, and eventually the AirTag will start to make beeping noises.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Not_All_Trackers_Will_Work\"><\/span>Not All Trackers Will Work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Bluetooth trackers are primarily divided into two camps: ones with a large mesh network and device-level integrations, and ones that are only useful with the app running. The latter type of tracker isn\u2019t helpful for use with cars \u2014 if the tracker\u2019s app hasn\u2019t been opened in a month, and isn\u2019t allowed to run in the background, it\u2019s not going to know where your car is if it\u2019s out of visual range.<\/p>\n<p>If you carry an iPhone with you, you should be looking at AirTags or other trackers that use\u00a0Apple\u2019s Find My network. Those devices don\u2019t require any apps to be running on your phone, since the tracking service is built into iOS itself (and iPadOS, and macOS, and so on). If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/77104\/samsungs-smarttag-officially-announced-but-no-u-s-availability-yet\/\">Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+<\/a> might be the best option, since it updates in the background and has a network powered by other Galaxy devices.<\/p>\n<p>Tile trackers can\u2019t reliably update in the background on iPhones, but can (to an extent) on Android devices, and also has a network with other people running the Tile app. However, I personally cannot recommend buying a Tile tracker <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.xda-developers.com\/life360-tile-location-data\/\">now that the company is owned by Life360<\/a>, a data broker firm. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/1\/28\/22906392\/life360-tile-location-data-precise-aggregated-privacy\">Life360 and Tile promised to mostly stop selling precise user location data in 2022<\/a>, but the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.life360.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360043228154-LIFE360-Privacy-Cookie-Policy\">current privacy policy<\/a> is vague enough where I don\u2019t feel comfortable giving it my location data about where I drive my car.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tracking_Cars_Not_People\"><\/span>Tracking Cars, Not People<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Bluetooth trackers, especially AirTags, are increasingly being used for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/how-todays-technologies-become-weapons-in-modern-domestic-abuse\/\">stalking<\/a> and other privacy violations. In my case, I\u2019m putting an AirTag in my own car that is only driven by myself, so I\u2019m not compromising anyone else\u2019s privacy. Placing a Bluetooth tracker in a car used by multiple people, such as family members, is a different question.<\/p>\n<p>Location sharing is a standard feature on iPhones and Android phones, so if you want to check where your friends or family members are at any given time, that\u2019s probably what you should be using. Those features use each phone\u2019s cell and GPS connections, without relying on a Bluetooth tracker that only occasionally scans for nearby devices. I use that feature almost every time I start long car <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s to visit family, so other people can see how far away I am without calling or texting.<\/p>\n<p>Storing a Bluetooth tracker in your car is great for convenient location finding \u2014 multi-level parking decks excluded \u2014 and it might slightly boost your chance of recovering a stolen vehicle. I\u2019m happy enough with that for the $30 I spent on an AirTag.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box noflex-desktop \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/314YPlM+dcS._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" width=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"product-title \">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Apple_AirTag\"><\/span>Apple AirTag<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"product-features\">AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers available for iPhones, giving you convenient access to your belongings and tracking with Apple&#8217;s global Find My network.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>If you have an Android phone instead of an iPhone, check out our list of the best Bluetooth trackers. These AIrTag alternatives work with iPhones, too\u2014but we recommend AirTags to iPhone users.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/878645\/you-should-have-an-airtag-or-other-tracker-in-your-car\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You Should Have an AirTag (Or Other Tracker) In Your Car&#8221; Justin Duino \/ How-To Geek Bluetooth trackers like AirTags and Galaxy SmartTags are primarily intended to be used with small items that are easy to lose, like keys or bags, but they are incredibly useful for something much larger: your car. You might already&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":564475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Apple-AirTag-laying-next-to-an-iPhone.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-564474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}