I’m on a sit with a dog that has an Apple Air Tag attached to it’s collar and I have an Android phone. I’ve had several warnings on my phone about an Apple Air Tag being nearby, how would the hosts be able to see the location of their dog using the Air Tag and my phone, or would they not be able to do this?
I’m curious as to how this works and I don’t have a problem with the Air Tag per se, the hosts have already commented on the distance and duration their dog is getting from the shared mapping I’m sending them.
Thanks.
The hosts can track the air tag from their I phone via an app. An AirTag is a Bluetooth based tracker so it can transmit its location when nearby to any phone that has Bluetooth.
The warning you see is a safety feature that is there to alert you that an AirTag you are not paired with is moving with you. Obviously that is expected as the dog is with you.
The hosts cannot see or access your own personal phone.
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How can the owner track the dog’s location when the Air Tag is connected to but not paired with my Android phone?
I have an iPhone and several AirTags. I can’t see a route for the tags, only its current location.
That said, I was able to see the route (a safety feature) when an AirTag traveled with me. In that case, I was dog sitting for my stepmom. For her, she could only see the tag’s current location, not where it had been.
AirTags track using Bluetooth. If there’s any device nearby that uses it, it’s registered as a location. It’s a device to find lost items, not a gps or route tracker.
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I have AirTags on our cats in the event they go walkabout. When our Apple devices are separated from the cats’ AirTags AND the AirTags are staying close to different smart devices not ours, Apple “warns” those other smart devices that an unknown AirTag is following them. The AirTags may also beep. It’s all about stopping the use AirTags to stalk anyone. The beeps stop after a few days. Don’t know about the warning messages.
Thanks to all those who have replied. I think I understand better now, the Air Tags aren’t a GPS tracking device, they can be used to locate something e.g. a dog.
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@TheEnglishFlaneur, THS policy ‘Camera & Recording Devices’ covers monitoring devices.
We used to use an AirTag on our own dog (alas now passed). Seemed handy feature in event that he got lost. We only used as emergency backup. But that was our own dog.
As full-time housesitters, we apply simple rule of disconnecting power from recording devices (Apple HomePods, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, etc) during housesit duration. Apple AirTag on pet seems grey area. Curious that Pet Parents have commented on distance and duration of dog walking. Seems more than emergency use case. And probably within ‘recording devices’. Hopefully Pet Parent, per policy, disclosed such a device in the housesit listing and Welcome Guide.
Should you have privacy concerns then consider removal during housesit and reattachment prior to departure. Big Brother should not be watching.
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Had to read the OP again - as I understand it, comment was based on the shared mapping the sitter has sent - not monitoring airtag (?).
Hi @Garfield, yes the hosts commented on the walks after I shared the saved walk from May My Walk, not from tracking the Air Tag.
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