Why you shouldn't rely on viral Apple AirTag hack to hide it in your car for safety

A viral hack circulating on Instagram suggests hiding an Apple AirTag in your car to track it if it gets stolen.

The idea is simple: hide an AirTag somewhere, like under the floormat, as a precaution when parking in sketchy areas.

While it may sound like a smart idea, the reality is quite different.

In fact, using an AirTag this way can backfire, and may do more harm than good.

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The Apple AirTag hack may backfire

The biggest issue is that they are designed to alert people if one is tracking them.

If someone steals your car and has a smartphone, especially an iPhone, they’ll get a notification that says ‘AirTag Found Moving With You’.

Android users may receive a similar alert about an unknown tracker nearby.

This is a built-in safety feature meant to prevent stalking, not theft recovery.

However, this means the alert can quickly reveal the hidden tracker to the thief.

Once alerted, a thief can easily locate it by making it play a sound using the Find My app.

Worse still, they may be able to reset and pair it with their own phone, completely taking over the device.

While the Airtag hack may help in some situations, like when it saved a California woman’s car from being stolen, this relies on the thieves being incompetent.

If they know of the hack, it may actually backfire, by helping the thief locate and remove it.

In the worst case scenario, they may even use it for their own tracking purposes.

Hence, you shouldn’t rely on your AirTag to keep your car from being stolen.

AirTags aren’t the best GPS trackers

Even without the alert issue, AirTags aren’t reliable GPS trackers.

They rely on nearby Apple devices using Bluetooth to report their location.

In cities, this can work fairly well, but in rural or low-traffic areas, they may not connect to anything, making your car untraceable.

Additionally, they don’t store route history or work passively in the background, unlike dedicated car GPS trackers.

Purpose-built GPS trackers are more secure, accurate, and designed for vehicle tracking.

Some even offer real-time updates, route history, geofencing, and better battery life.

You can find decent options for as little as $12 at retailers like Walmart, which is cheaper and more useful than a $20 Apple AirTag.

In the end, while it might be fine for keeping track of your keys or backpack, it’s not the right tool for preventing or tracking car theft.

For peace of mind, invest in a tracker that’s made for the job.

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