Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
If you need more proof that Apple's AirTag is a must-have device for any car owner and you don't trust the Washington, DC authorities, here's the story of a Canadian man who recovered his car in just a few hours.
Saamer Mansoor revealed that he forgot the driver's window roll down when he tried to comfort his child. He was crying, the man recalls, so he rushed with the baby inside, forgetting to close the window.
A thief who walked by the car later that night couldn't miss the opportunity, so he jumped right in, driving away in the man's BMW.
The owner discovered the car was missing the next morning, so the first thing he did was to check his iPhone. Six months earlier, he decided to plant an AirTag in the BMW, just in case the car got stolen. He never believed he'd use it, but after seeing so many people recovering their cars with location information provided by the AirTag, he thought having a tracker in the vehicle wouldn't hurt.
After firing up the Find My application on his iPhone, the BMW owner located the car at a motel not far away. He and his brother jumped in a car and drove to the location indicated by the AirTag, rushing to the scene to recover the BMW. They called 911 on their way.
The police recovered the stolen BMW and most belongings inside, but it's unclear if they also arrested the thief. However, the local media cites the Windsor police as saying the investigation continues.
Apple's AirTag sports a small form factor that allows it to be installed in every small corner of the cabin, making it difficult for the thief to spot it. The device doesn't come with a rechargeable battery but gets the power from a CR2032 unit, allowing for an autonomy of up to six months per charge.
The AirTag connects to any iPhone in proximity to send its location to the master device through the Find My app pre-loaded with Apple's smartphone. It can update the location as long as it has an iPhone close to it.
However, the AirTag can also alert the thief that a tracker is installed in the car. Apple equipped the device with anti-stalking protection, so it sends alerts to the iPhones in the cabin if they're moving with them. The thief can make the AirTag generate sounds to find it in the car, but it goes without saying that doing this isn't exactly the first thing they want to do with the police on their tail.
Police recommend all car owners to install AirTags in their vehicles, and in some regions, the authorities even gave away the device to reduce the number of thefts.
A thief who walked by the car later that night couldn't miss the opportunity, so he jumped right in, driving away in the man's BMW.
The owner discovered the car was missing the next morning, so the first thing he did was to check his iPhone. Six months earlier, he decided to plant an AirTag in the BMW, just in case the car got stolen. He never believed he'd use it, but after seeing so many people recovering their cars with location information provided by the AirTag, he thought having a tracker in the vehicle wouldn't hurt.
After firing up the Find My application on his iPhone, the BMW owner located the car at a motel not far away. He and his brother jumped in a car and drove to the location indicated by the AirTag, rushing to the scene to recover the BMW. They called 911 on their way.
The police recovered the stolen BMW and most belongings inside, but it's unclear if they also arrested the thief. However, the local media cites the Windsor police as saying the investigation continues.
Apple's AirTag sports a small form factor that allows it to be installed in every small corner of the cabin, making it difficult for the thief to spot it. The device doesn't come with a rechargeable battery but gets the power from a CR2032 unit, allowing for an autonomy of up to six months per charge.
The AirTag connects to any iPhone in proximity to send its location to the master device through the Find My app pre-loaded with Apple's smartphone. It can update the location as long as it has an iPhone close to it.
However, the AirTag can also alert the thief that a tracker is installed in the car. Apple equipped the device with anti-stalking protection, so it sends alerts to the iPhones in the cabin if they're moving with them. The thief can make the AirTag generate sounds to find it in the car, but it goes without saying that doing this isn't exactly the first thing they want to do with the police on their tail.
Police recommend all car owners to install AirTags in their vehicles, and in some regions, the authorities even gave away the device to reduce the number of thefts.
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