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Learn it now before you get an AirTag!
I hate losing my gadgets. I lost track of my portable phone charger months ago, which makes zero sense as I’ve barely left the house in the past year. Besides the fact that small electronics like phones, tablets, and other miscellany can be expensive to replace, a lot of us rely on our stuff to get us through the day, whether it be by connecting us with our friends, getting work done, or monitoring our health. Thankfully, most of the major electronics manufacturers have wised up to the fact that people are prone to misplacing their stuff, which is why they’ve created lots of handy tracking methods.
One of the most prominent examples of easy tracking is Apple’s “Find My” app, which can be used to discern the location of an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirBuds, or, in mildly bizarre circumstances, an entire Mac computer. Plus, with the upcoming release of the AirTag, you’ll be able to track just about anything with the app.
To use Find My, launch the app from a compatible device or your computer. Surely you have at least one other device that can access the internet; worst case scenario, ask a friend or family member for theirs. In the app, click on the “Devices” tab and tap on the device you’ve misplaced. The app has four options available: checking a map, playing a sound, reporting it as lost, or erasing it.
AirTag location trackers are smart, capable, and very Apple https://t.co/wwguMsgxdY pic.twitter.com/vLSUK9O9Et
— The Verge (@verge) April 22, 2021
The map will give you a general location of the device in question on a GPS map. It can even give you directions to the device’s location. If you’re close to the device but still can’t find it, you can have the app play a small tone to alert you to the device’s presence. If you absolutely can’t find the device, you can report it as lost on the app. This will lock the device and display instructions on its screen on how to contact you in case a good Samaritan picks it up. If you don’t want your device and data in the hands of another, you can remotely wipe your device’s memory, clearing out any stored phone numbers, payment methods, and so on. Just remember that if you take that option, it will no longer be listed in your Find My list.
