Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Apple
AirTags are great devices for keeping track of vehicles, as their small form factor allows owners to plant them virtually anywhere.
For example, a bike barely has the necessary space for a traditional GPS tracker, so the AirTag fits this purpose like a glove. In the last few months, I've seen countless cases of bikes recovered thanks to Apple's tracker, and the latest story comes from West Virginia, where a 25-year-old thief was nabbed in record time.
The electric bike was stolen earlier this week, with the owner alerting the police and telling them the vehicle had an AirTag indicating its location in real time. The $1,600 vehicle was initially found close to Suncrest Town Centre, with a West Virginia State Trooper rushing to the scene to search for the bike.
It didn't take long for the police officer to locate the e-bike. The bicycle was painted in black, but the officer could easily tell the paint was fresh. The suspect had a ridiculous response when asked if he owned the bike. He told the officer he borrowed the bike from a friend with red hair.
The State Trooper eventually placed Traves James Wheeler under arrest.
AirTags have become incredibly useful for vehicle monitoring, but the thief had no idea how this device works. Apple's tracker generates notifications when traveling with someone other than the owner as it tries to prevent stalking cases. It's unclear if the thief owned an iPhone, but the smartphone probably received a warning that an AirTag was traveling with the device if he did. Android phone owners must download a dedicated application and manually scan for nearby AirTags, though automatic scan support is now being added to Google's operating system, too.
AirTags don't sport a built-in Internet connection but access the Find My network using nearby iPhones. They use a CR2032 battery to initiate the connection and transmit its coordinates, so in theory, it sports up to six months of autonomy per charge.
However, the faster the owner contacts the police, the bigger the chance to recover a stolen vehicle. A thief running away with an AirTag planted inside a vehicle, be it a car or a motorcycle, does not have the time to search for the device, even if they receive a tracking notification. Police, too, recommend vehicle owners to contact law enforcement as fast as possible after noticing the theft, especially as robbers turn to various methods to disassemble the stolen vehicles and remove any potential tracking device.
Apple is already working on the second-generation AirTag, presumably with increased battery life, more frequent location updates, and new stalking protections to prevent those cases when criminals turn to its device for nefarious ideas like keeping an eye on someone's location without telling them.
The electric bike was stolen earlier this week, with the owner alerting the police and telling them the vehicle had an AirTag indicating its location in real time. The $1,600 vehicle was initially found close to Suncrest Town Centre, with a West Virginia State Trooper rushing to the scene to search for the bike.
It didn't take long for the police officer to locate the e-bike. The bicycle was painted in black, but the officer could easily tell the paint was fresh. The suspect had a ridiculous response when asked if he owned the bike. He told the officer he borrowed the bike from a friend with red hair.
The State Trooper eventually placed Traves James Wheeler under arrest.
AirTags have become incredibly useful for vehicle monitoring, but the thief had no idea how this device works. Apple's tracker generates notifications when traveling with someone other than the owner as it tries to prevent stalking cases. It's unclear if the thief owned an iPhone, but the smartphone probably received a warning that an AirTag was traveling with the device if he did. Android phone owners must download a dedicated application and manually scan for nearby AirTags, though automatic scan support is now being added to Google's operating system, too.
AirTags don't sport a built-in Internet connection but access the Find My network using nearby iPhones. They use a CR2032 battery to initiate the connection and transmit its coordinates, so in theory, it sports up to six months of autonomy per charge.
However, the faster the owner contacts the police, the bigger the chance to recover a stolen vehicle. A thief running away with an AirTag planted inside a vehicle, be it a car or a motorcycle, does not have the time to search for the device, even if they receive a tracking notification. Police, too, recommend vehicle owners to contact law enforcement as fast as possible after noticing the theft, especially as robbers turn to various methods to disassemble the stolen vehicles and remove any potential tracking device.
Apple is already working on the second-generation AirTag, presumably with increased battery life, more frequent location updates, and new stalking protections to prevent those cases when criminals turn to its device for nefarious ideas like keeping an eye on someone's location without telling them.
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