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Gadgets, Software Reviews & Tips
Gadgets, Software Reviews & Tips

Awesome gadgets and software found and tested for you by Ana from Ipoki

Illustration of smart city and connected technology concept.

Can I Use Apple Airtag to Track My Car? Airtags as GPS Tracker?

Ana, December 10, 2023December 7, 2023

Spoiler alert! Yes, you indeed can. You can absolutely put the airtag in your car and use it as a GPS. The Apple Airtag isn’t much bigger than a coin, so it can be easily tucked away somewhere within your four-wheeled chariot without attracting the attention of potential car lifters.

Voyage with me into the complex, often mystifying world of tracking lost valuables. Think about it for a second. You wake up, meticulously get ready, march towards the parking lot only to realize your vintage Chevy’s spot is ominously empty. That sinking feeling hits you. Car theft isn’t a folklore people worshipping their ancestors came up with. It’s very real! And that’s where our handy-dandy tech helper, Apple Airtag, waltzes in.

Do you have a particular question about tracking your car with Apple Airtag? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page. 

Here's what we'll cover:

  • Can Apple Airtags Help Me Find My Stolen Car?
  • How Can I Use Apple Airtag to Track My Car?
    • Pairing Airtags with Your iPhone
    • Using Airtags with Android Devices
    • Using Airtags to Play a Sound in Your Car
    • Using Airtags to Detect the Location of Your Car Keys
    • Concealing Airtags in Your Vehicle
  • Are Apple Airtags an Effective GPS Tracker for My Car?
    • Airtags as Genuine GPS Trackers
    • Airtags’ Battery Life as Vehicle Trackers
    • Airtags vs. Traditional GPS Car Trackers
    • Real-time Tracking Capabilities of Airtags
    • How Airtags Could Enhance the Security of Your Vehicle
  • What Are the Risks of Using Apple Airtags to Track My Car?
    • Potential Privacy Concerns with Airtags
    • Theft of Airtags as Tracking Devices
    • Airtags and the Issue of Stalking
    • Legal Implications of Using Airtags for Tracking
    • Protecting Against Unauthorized Use of Airtags
  • Final thoughts

Can Apple Airtags Help Me Find My Stolen Car?

The odds look pretty promising. You see, once you use an Airtag to track, it communicates with a second device—your iPhone. Through this communication, your device is able to identify the location of the Airtag. Yes, even if your spirited ride has been whisked away by a thief. However, it requires the thief’s car has an iPhone nearby and connected to the Internet – unlikely, but not impossible.

How Can I Use Apple Airtag to Track My Car?

It’s a child’s play. Just place the Airtag in your car—a glove compartment, under the seat, even on the tire. Then, register your Airtag with your iPhone. Voila! Now wherever your car goes, your Airtag goes with it, relaying the location information back to your iPhone. If your car moves, you’ll know it.

Pairing Airtags with Your iPhone

To make your Airtag and iPhone the new ‘it’ couple, open the ‘Find My’ app on your iPhone, click on the ‘Items’ tab, and then select ‘Add New Item.’ From here, simply follow the prompts to pair and register your Airtag. Now you’ve got your Airtag is registered and ready to help track your car!

Using Airtags with Android Devices

Now now, if you’re an Android enthusiast, you might be frowning. But here’s some good news. Although Airtags are primarily designed to work with iPhones, Android users can still find some use case with these versatile trackers. For instance, if an Android user finds an unknown Airtag, they can tap it using their phone’s NFC capabilities to get information about how to contact the owner. Not exactly car tracking, but at least it doesn’t leave you entirely in the lurch! Put it simply, Apple Airtag can indeed track your vehicle. Just remember, a good ol’ fashioned lock is your first line of defense against car theft. The Airtag, it’s your high-tech safety net. Just don’t forget to cancel all your clandestine meetings, because your car will snitch on you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Using Airtags to Play a Sound in Your Car

Cue music, anyone? If you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably heard of Airtags. Ever since Apple released these little gems, they’ve been seen as a fantastic gadget to help you find smaller items. But have you ever thought about using an Airtag in the car? Just imagine: You park somewhere in the city, heavy on the noodles and light on memory. Bummer! Now where did you leave the car? Tucked safely away, your trusty Airtag is about to come to the rescue. Open the “Find My” app on your phone, select your vehicle’s Airtag and make it play a sound. Magic! A symphony from your car will lead you straight to it. Now isn’t that music to your ears?

Using Airtags to Detect the Location of Your Car Keys

Raise your hand if you have a habit of misplacing those wickedly elusive car keys. Alrighty, Apple Airtags are your new best friend. These handy devices use Bluetooth technology to help you keep track of your stuff. Just attach an Airtag to your keyring and voilà, lost keys are a thing of the past. Open up “Find My,” select your car key Airtag, and let the app guide you to your wayward keys. See? It’s like a treasure hunt, fun and practical!

Concealing Airtags in Your Vehicle

Alright, gang. You are toying with the idea of using an Airtag in the car. Cool beans! But what’s the scoop on keeping it safely tucked away? An Airtag could be concealed somewhere in the car so it’s not out in the open – a bit of cloak and dagger, if you will. Think about tucking it under the car seats or stash it in the glove box. Remember, though, it should be within Bluetooth range for maximum efficiency.

Are Apple Airtags an Effective GPS Tracker for My Car?

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Could an Airtag double up as a GPS tracker for my car, you ask? That’s a tricky one. See, Airtags weren’t designed for constant tracking – that requires updates every few seconds, and Airtags are a bit more laid-back, pulsing out a location every few minutes or so. So, while they’re great at giving you an idea of your car’s general vicinity, they might not be your go-to for real-time tracking. If you’re after a Thatcham-approved car tracker, perhaps stick to products specifically designed for that purpose.

Airtags as Genuine GPS Trackers

While Airtags may not live up to a genuine GPS’s expectations in terms of real-time tracking, they’re not total duds either. With the myriad Apple devices around the globe, if your car goes missing and happens to be in the vicinity of other Apple devices, they can pick up the signal from your Airtag and let you know the location in the “Find My” app. Now isn’t that cool?

Airtags’ Battery Life as Vehicle Trackers

Okay folks, we’ve chatted about Airtag’s capability as a tracker, but what about the battery life? Well, Apple says an Airtag’s battery could last you about a year. That sounds pretty sweet, right? Given that lifespan, an Airtag in the car could make a fabulous low-key tracking buddy for your vehicle. And there you go. A dash of wit, a whole lot of info, and a sprinkle of geek. Now, go forth and explore the Airtag universe, my friends, because losing stuff just got a lot harder.

Airtags vs. Traditional GPS Car Trackers

Ever wonder why cats are so obsessed with those shiny red laser pointers? Get this – it’s because they can’t resist the urge to follow the swift, unpredictable movement of the light. Now, wouldn’t it be neat if you could track your car with that same pinpoint accuracy? Apple’s Airtags, the new kid on the block, seems to be giving traditional GPS car trackers a good run for their money. Both tools aim to safeguard your vehicle, but how do they differ? While good ol’ GPS trackers involve some sort of subscription fee for real-time location updates, Airtags take a chill pill on your wallet. You just need to shell out a one-time payment for the device. Cheap and easy, it cozies up with millions of iPhones via Bluetooth then uses the Find My network to locate your car. If it strays too far from your smartphone, it sends out a notification. Ta-da! The Airtag makes sure it doesn’t wander off sick like a lost kitten.

Illustration of connected car technology concept.

Real-time Tracking Capabilities of Airtags

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Well, if you’re an Airtag, you’re shining brighter in the real-time tracking category. Airtags go the extra mile by offering you the precision finding feature which provides you directions right on your iPhone on how to reach your tagged vehicle. The Airtag harnesses the power of bluetooth signal, keeping you notified about your vehicle’s whereabouts. Let’s pause for a dramatic effect, because guess what? This manipulation of hundreds of millions of Apple devices brings your lost car back right under your fingertips—no hide and seek anymore.

How Airtags Could Enhance the Security of Your Vehicle

Gone are the days when you would only stretch out in your couch with peace of mind if your beloved car was snug in your garage. With Airtags, you have a sentinel-house-elf for your vehicle. Got a sneaky suspicion that your car has wandered off? The Airtag got you covered. It dings an alert to instigate a search party of millions of iPhones, Macs, and whatever Apple device is handy. Suddenly, the thief who steals your car would have to face more than just you. There’ll be a throng of devices looking for them – a safeguard few small items can boast of.

What Are the Risks of Using Apple Airtags to Track My Car?

Alright, time for a plot twist. While Airtags sound so darn perfect, they do come with a certain je ne sais quoi of risk. A thief, if they understand the workings of an Airtag, might just pluck it out and chuck it, busting your nifty tracking plan.

Potential Privacy Concerns with Airtags

Now, onto the elephant in the car – or shall we say, the Airtag? Privacy! This nifty device could potentially become a source of unwanted surveillance, tracking more than just lost cars. Airtags generate a unique ID that rotates every 15 minutes, which makes unauthorized tracking difficult but not impossible. So, before you get too comfy with your new Airtag, it’s vital to consider the potential privacy risks while weighing them against the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can locate your missing wheels on your smartphone.

Theft of Airtags as Tracking Devices

“What’s to stop a car thief from plucking out my Airtag?” you might ask. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s not much really. Unlike that cockroach in your apartment who refuses to leave, no matter how much you assault it, Airtags can be removed without much hassle. However, Apple has tossed in a tiny measure to slow thieves down. If an Airtag is spotted moving with someone who isn’t its owner, it’ll send out a notification. So yes, a thief could swipe it, but not without serving you a heads up first. There you have it folks, the lowdown on using Airtags as GPS trackers for your car. Despite the few possible hurdles, they do seem to offer more than they take. So reckon you’d give it a shot?

Airtags and the Issue of Stalking

Let me get straight to it. Apple announced a product called “AirTag.” Its key function is to keep track of your ipads, wallet or basically whatever you place one on. Using an ultra-wideband technology, AirTags allow you to trace the whereabouts of your stuff in real time. Pretty cool, right? But wait, what about the not-so-fascinating side of this shiny new technology? Let’s talk about stalking. Apple’s pretty much given stalkers a tool to track people. If you think about it, slip an AirTag in someone’s bag or car, and you can follow their every move, down to the last step. Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? So, can you use these AirTags to stalk? Technically, yes! Apple though is working hard to ensure the real-time tracking can’t be misused like that.

Legal Implications of Using Airtags for Tracking

Remember, with any superhero gadget, comes great responsibility! It may be legal to use an AirTag to track your own property, but the moment you plunge into tracking someone else’s movements? You’re swimming in some murky legal waters. Tracking your own car may not have legal implications, but what if your car should ever “get stolen”? If you track your stolen car to recover it, guess what? You could inadvertently infringing on someone’s privacy, leading to potential legal repercussions. This is particularly true if you use AirTags to track a stolen car without involving the police. My rule of thumb? Always involve the authorities in such scenarios. It’s not worth a DIY detective mission!

Protecting Against Unauthorized Use of Airtags

The AirTag technology could be a pretty slippery slope, huh? Good news is, Apple has put in safety measures to protect users against any unauthorized use of AirTags. Any ‘foreign’ AirTag that stays with you past a set amount of time (72 hours, for instance) will begin to send out alerts. Also, your iPhone will use its precision finding feature to detect the rogue AirTag. This, in my book, is a nice move by Apple to avoid the product device becoming an object of misuse.

Final thoughts

Let’s wrap it up. You might find yourself wondering: “Can AirTags actually help me keep track of my car, in real time?” Sure, they can. But remember, with benefits come drawbacks. While they offer peace of mind for lost or misplaced items, they also pose privacy risks if misused. We live in an age of rapid technological evolution. It is important to be aware and cautious about how we use transformative technologies such as Apple’s AirTags. Being geeky doesn’t mean you can’t be smart and responsible, right? That’s our strength! Don’t forget, nothing replaces common sense and respect for others’ privacy!

Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.

At ipoki.com we only mention the products that we’ve researched and considered worthy. But it’s important to mention that we are a participant of several affiliate programs, including Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate ipoki.com earns from qualifying purchases. 

You might also want to read this:

  • Can You Disable Airtag Sound? Stop Beeping on Apple Device
  • How Do Apple AirTags Work Without Internet Connection?
  • How Can I Track My iPhone from Android?
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About IPOKI.com

Hi! My name is Ana, and I am the editor of IPOKI.com. I am a long-time fan of all things geeky: from disrupting technologies and apps to cool new gadgets. I love to research and write. Also, I don’t like to spend a lot of money on useless or poorly made things. And I am striving to combine all of those passions while writing articles for this blog to make it worthy for you.

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