Show HN: Undetectag, track stolen items with AirTag
34 pompidoo 39 5/15/2025, 3:46:26 PM undetectag.com ↗
I developed a device that turns an Airtag on and off at specific intervals.
Current Airtags are detectable right away and cannot be used to track stolen property. That device allows you to hide an Airtag in your car, for example, and someone that steals your car will not be able to use some app to detect it.
The Airtag will also not warn the thief of its presence. After some hours, the Airtag turns on again and you can find out its location. It’s not foolproof, as the timing has to be right, but still useful.
What do you think?
> "(thiefs use apps to locate AirTags around, and AirTags will warn the thief if an unknown AirTag is travelling with them, for example if they steal your car)"
The reason this was introduced is exactly because people used AirTags to stalk others. Advertising that your product turns that off is basically targeting that specific demographic.
Neat trick to avoid responsibility.
There were anti-stalking features from the start. It didn’t stop the media hysteria however.
Not trying to be creepy, I’m just trying to demonstrate how we all need to think like adversaries (eg creeps) when designing products.
imo no level of stalking is appropriate. while this device might not do everything a stalker wants it to, it surely makes it easier for them
I once donated an infant car seat to a coworker but forgot I had put an AirTag on it. After she had taken it home, her iPhone told there was an unknown AirTag and she texted me. I apologized profusely and she wasn't bothered by it. Nonetheless had I been nefarious, I would have been able to get her home address.
I fully understand why you would want to do this, but as a consumer I would never buy this product with this clause.
Nobody has a right to a successful business but when consumers can trust their purchases they are more likely to make additional purchases.
And the police shouldn't either? Seems like knowing the location of your stolen property would help with getting it back in most cases.
Police won't or can't do anything if it could be in multiple units or would require any kind of warrant for the building as well as the specific unit you think it's in.
If you're "lucky" some might chaperone you knocking yourself, which itself is not something most want to entertain.
On account of police policy, AirTags are effectively useless for actually getting anything stolen back. You'll get more use out of them in filing your insurance claim if the theft of the item is covered under for example your homeowner's insurance policy.
why should protecting my belongings from thieves be illegal?
> You shouldn't go get back your belongings from a thief anyways.
you can also send the police to the thieves if you know where they are
seriously, there are like 10 stalkers worldwide but 2 billion thieves. most likely any stalking story was made up by thieves because they hate if people get their stuff back...
In the UK 1 in 7 has been stalked. Usually the victims are women or young people. The second link says that in the western world 2-15% of the population have been stalked.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeand...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10515444/
Making tracking devices illegal does not make it illegal to protect your belongings from thieves.
>there are like 10 stalkers worldwide
Given how many women I know who had issues with stalkers, all ten must live near me.
A concealed tracker doesn’t protect you at all. It only aids in recovery.
> you can also send the police to the thieves if you know where they are
No, you can’t. The police do not recover stolen property based on an AirTag ping. They won’t lift a finger.
Have you experimented with a setup (more complicated to package) where you have two AirTags and alternately power one at a time? Could that bypass apples detection whilst also broadcasting location?
Edit: at sufficiently small time durations to run under apples detection radar, but for long enough to be picked up as a location
I don’t know how Apple detects the tracking; this would easily be solved by them.
My only feedback would be re: the site, specifically this part:
“ Airtag is a trademark registered by apple and we have nothing to do with apple.”
Might want to capitalize Apple; just a nitpick.