Airtag Review: Can it track stolen bikes?

In this video we review Apple's Airtag as a GPS tracker alternative for bikes and ebikes. We tested the Airtags over multiple weeks in San Francisco. They're surprisingly good.
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[@Drewheeler]

You might want to blur the map more for his address. It took me 2 minutes to find his full address. I have the cross street and the city from video. Just saying

[@rainofrest7778]

what is it

[@jonash2248]

But why? Why would you do this?

[@glandberg1]

I picked up some Airtags when they first came out but I didn’t really run any real world tests with them. Thanks for showing me how they work for the same application I intend to use them for.

[@batterybikes]

Thanks for the comment stranger. I think these will be sort of an 80% GPS tracker with much less hassle. And at $29 why not hide two?

[@albondar]

Bro is a legend ! Thanks so much for the comprehensive testing !

[@nathanreyes8995]

Thanks for doing all the legwork! I'd feel comfortable putting one of these on my Trek!

[@alicejcw]

This is rad, thanks for testing! I have an old hand-me-down specialized cyclocross bike repurposed as a commuter, and yeah I definitely don't want thieves to take it.

[@batterybikes]

Thanks for watching/comment! Hell ya. Bike commuters are the people responsible for getting bike lanes. stay safe!

[@punker4Real]

@@batterybikes you did a bad job blocking out the the street 3:57

[@shillin2]

Looking forward to keeping my Canyon Ultimate safe with an AirTag when I get back to commuting later this year!

[@LoopsZ]

Great video man! Thank you very much for making it!

[@elisabethb.dek.2260]

It could definitely be a bike-saver. Thx for the review.

[@ReallyBroskii]

I have the specialized allez road bike and think this would be pretty neat!

[@lixinz.4708]

Thank you for running the giveaway! Great contents! I recently got a Rad mini step thru 2 and I'm so worried about leaving it outside because my apartment doesn't have enough space.

[@johngulino2651]

Do not do not do not leave it outside. It will disappear.

[@coffeehoneyrachel4671]

Oh this looks so nice!! KZbin recommends the video to me cause recently I am searching for GPS protective device. This one looks much better and more reliable! I just got a new electric bike! Really need this to prevent from losing it

[@beidlern]

Great job, killer review covered every question I want answered.

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks for watching - The video is a little old but mostly still applicable. Apple has gotten much more aggressive on letting the user know there is an AirTag around with the speaker chirp. Worth Googling but for $29 they're still super worth it.

[@Sam-cu2df]

I've been thinking about getting some Airtags and using one on my bike, glad to see they work well for that.

[@batterybikes]

Yeah I think they're worth it for the cost. I finally was able to get the anti-tracking notification to show up while with my fiancé. So, probably worth throwing a couple on there in tricky spots. Then, hope they give up after finding the first one.

[@vinsonfan8500]

I'm riding a Kestrel Talon, thanks for running this giveaway!

[@Uns_Maps_8]

Great review, answered most of my questions.

[@batterybikes]

Thanks maps!

[@therichshow831]

Informative Vid! Thanks

[@SuperSgtdan]

Nice, thanks. I am now gonna put this on my bike.

[@batterybikes]

Glad to hear it - you'll have 100x better chance of recovering your bike if it gets taken

[@MikeCheung1]

I have a Bullitt cargo bike! Cool to see this test, it’s exactly how I’d use the airtags.

[@batterybikes]

Nice. Do you GPS or anything right now? Looking forward to getting a box bike someday

[@MikeCheung1]

@@batterybikes no GPS, just a beefy chain and I try to keep an eye on it when I’m out and about. I also have a road and mountain bike, but those don’t get locked anywhere.

[@OliverWadeGUE]

Great video and production quality matching channels with thousands more subscribers! Looks like an affordable way to keep your bike safe.

[@batterybikes]

Thanks man, that's so kind of you to say. I'm trying to study all the KZbin stuff and the video editing stuff to improve quickly. My next video will be getting a bike stolen and recovered so I'm hoping it goes medium popular and I can get another chunk of subs.

[@OliverWadeGUE]

@@batterybikes I’m looking forward to your future uploads

[@micahrubin5521]

I've got a CAAD12; would be great to have just a bit more assurance it won't be stolen!

[@BrianHoJazz]

Thanks for the test! Great video.

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks Brian. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like tested

[@BrianHoJazz]

@@batterybikes - has there been any updates to the AirTags and is there ever any alerts that has popped up on a potential thief’s phone?

[@the_Monkee]

Awesome video. would love an airtag for my Specialized Demo (2012), can't afford a new bike so would be gutted to lose it.

[@a.123cupcake5]

This a great video very interesting💕 Thank you so much for sharing with us !!!

[@batterybikes]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@financetips]

Great in depth test! Best on KZbin

[@batterybikes]

Hey Asad thanks a lot. We spent a lot of time on it and I'm thrilled you liked it.

[@martybaier1279]

This is a great report. Look forward to more. I ride an aventon aventure ebike, in Las Vegas.

[@batterybikes]

Thanks! Appreciate it and goodluck.

[@daniellindquist9943]

Had a lot of fun with my Lectric XP until it was stolen earlier this year in Boston. 😭😭 Got a Rad mini and looking forward to use those Air tags to keep her safe!!!!

[@Doriamo]

I just bought a Lectric XP and I’m already researching ways to protect it from being stolen. Do you have any tips besides the Apple airtags? I got a free lock from Lectric but I’m not sure how secure it is. Also what made you decide on the Rad mini instead of another Lectric? Just curious :)

[@jnthomps]

Thanks for the video! Considering an Airtag for my Domane SL6!

[@batterybikes]

Thanks for watching! That is such an expensive bike you should definitely get something for it.

[@LoftechUK]

I removed the speaker. Very easy to do and hid it in the light. Works like a charm.

[@PixelPanterIJ]

My brother and I share a Scott addict and recently we both got into cycling. The plan is to get in some training and climb the mont ventoux in a few months, hopefully without it being stolen by then. Great video by the way!

[@batterybikes]

That's great. I think bike theft takes away 15% of the joy of my rides. Goodluck and thanks for the sub.

[@dannylilley88]

Probably one of the best videos I’ve came across !

[@batterybikes]

Very kind of you to say. I hope you’ll stick around

[@XSquik]

Cool video! I've been wondering about these. I have a 2014 Specialized Vita Sport EQ. This would be a huge peace of mind for when I'm biking around the city. 🙏

[@batterybikes]

Thanks! Yeah I think these are a big win. Win or lose I'd definitely grab one. They're way cheaper than a new bike.

[@sherlockholmes4707]

Just got into cycling, which I am so excited about. Was a big investment for me to get the Specialised Diverge E5. Really looking into airTags to have some peace of mind. Fingers crossed on the giveaway. Thanks for doing these tests.

[@rachelll4740]

Bought the Jetson Bolt after watching your video! It is incredible haha and my life becomes so much easier with it! Love it so much it fits me perfectly and definitely want to keep it safe:)

[@batterybikes]

Whoa that's crazy! The Jetson is a lot of fun and is also a good candidate for a GPS tracker with the big plastic case. Thanks and good luck

[@mythcrab6047]

Cool video. I just got a Priority Current e-bike and would use an Airtag on there 😀

[@chrxstxand7643]

great vid mate, i ride a 2016 voodoo bizango and am going to be investing in an air tag or two because of this review :)

[@batterybikes]

Thanks man. Good luck and good idea.

[@batterybikes]

Obligatory Addendum: I went walking through Chinatown with keys, Kailey and no iphone. As soon as we get home Kailey's iPhone notified her that the Airtag on my keys was tracking her around. I have no idea why the bike AirTag has stayed silent through all this. (Could be an issue with a single Airtag?) Update Aug 1: The random winner of the GPS/Airtag contest is Alton Dillon. "Moving to college soon, I feel like the invoxia tracker would give peace of mind with my Aventon Aventure." I'm going to be this guy's 11th subscriber and also reach out to ship him an Invoxia GPS. Congrats man. I'll do another one of these for the next video when we try and get a bike stolen and recover it with GPS and Airtags. Here's Alton's channel: kzbin.info/door/6-gZje84NGDdRiT2N9gP2A

[@batterybikes]

Obligatory Addendum: I went walking through Chinatown with keys, Kailey and no iphone. As soon as we get home Kailey's iPhone notified her that the Airtag on my keys was tracking her around. I have no idea why the bike AirTag has stayed silent through all this.

[@prinzrob]

Hi guys this is Robert, Education Director with Bike East Bay, across the Bay from you in Oakland. My daily commuter is a black Public D8i, bought at their old warehouse location here in Oakland before they sold their business to Mike’s Bikes. We operate a lot of free bike theft prevention classes and trainings, and have been getting lots of questions from folks about the effectiveness of Airtags for stolen bike recovery, so thanks for doing these tests and putting together the video! Thanks as well for the raffle. If I win I’ll try some of my own tests here on the sunny side, and maybe re-raffle them off to class attendees to hopefully boost participation.

[@batterybikes]

Whoa hey Robert. Thanks for the comment. I had no idea Public even got bought out. They used to be THE bike to have when I moved here. They always had good design. I used to live in west Oakland. I"ll definitely check out Bike East Bay. I hope to be a similar ish KZbin resource. I think people need more stories of recovery before people will bite on GPS/Airtags. Also... we need to come up with tamper proof ways to hide them.

[@tandago7281]

Subscribed & commented :) thanks for the review. I'm going to rewatch that bit on how to remove the speaker...

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks much TanDaGo. Yeah it seems a bunch of people have tried it - let me know if you go through with it. I think I could do it it just seems a bit like a project. If you stick it under a tire it's not silent but I don't think thieves would think about it unless they knew where to look. kzbin.info?search_query=remove+airtag+speaker

[@tandago7281]

@@batterybikes Thanks for the recommendations. It seems to me that Apple hasn't really thought about the bike thief application of their product - let's hope they'll see it as a low hanging fruit and design a new version that is targeted for this function...

[@wizards-themagicalconcert5048]

Any advice what I could use to track down my kid in case he got lost ? Living in a country were there is still a lot of bad things happening if you leave your kid playing out alone !

[@altondillon9464]

Moving to college soon, I feel like the invoxia tracker would give peace of mind with my Aventon Aventure. But I just wanna say, thumbs up for the great content and A+ camera quality 📸

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks Alton. Goodluck and appreciate the kind words.

[@batterybikes]

Hey Alton, you're the winner of the contest. Are you in the US?

[@altondillon9464]

@@batterybikes Thank you so much!! It's going to be very useful. I do live in the US

[@batterybikes]

@@altondillon9464 Nice! Can you email me a good address to mail it to through [e-mail] and I'll try and get it shipped out in the next few days.

[@alameda888]

I have a Carbonda 696 and I've been experimenting with airtags already. One thing that foiled my plan a bit is that carbon fiber nearly completely blocks the signal if you stuff the tag inside of a frame!

[@batterybikes]

Ah yeah. I was thinking carbon handlebars on any bike would be great, but had Googled and read the same thing. Bike manufacturers could create some secure plastic place to store these things. Eventually they need to own up to the issue and just integrate their town tamper-proof gps trackers.

[@mihneaadrian6637]

I ride a Santa Cruz Nomad v4 which I bougth second hand, but still had to save several years for it so I started researching GPS trackers. I also have an old Cube Aim 26 inch mtb which I use for commuting to school. The Airtags seem the best solution, you can partially bypass the safety sound alert by simply removing the speaker. The thief could still get a notification on his iphone, but will have trouble finding the airtag if you conceal it in the seat tube or fork tube.

[@batterybikes]

Yeah I think both of those locations work, but I'm not sure if you'd get enough signal through the metal for it to be worth your while

[@cramesplays]

I've got a 2012 Fuji that's not worth all that much, but it looks nice and I don't want thieves to take it!

[@mathismuller6033]

I put one of these in my 80 Euro second-hand bicycle and it just gives me peace of mind (admittedly it is a little overkill for that cheap of a bike). I put mine in the saddle, which was already torn at the side and so I just stuffed it in there and covered it witch duct-tape. Now it really just looks like an old, damaged saddle (which, technically, it is). I also attached a loop of tape around it, so I can pull it out if need be. I also disabled the speaker so a thief won`t find the thing as quickly should he get notified. Ideally he just thinks it is not worth the hassle of finding the AirTag or is even "scared" because of the notification and puts the bike back on the street for me to find. I deliberately hid it in plain sight, because I thought that thieves would probably know about all the common hiding places like under the water-bottle holder, in a modified bell or directly under the saddle. But maybe we give thieves way to much credit in terms of creativity.

[@abelb3501]

this was an amazing video im shocked to see you guys only have 920 subscribers

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks much Abel. This video took a while to shoot and we really wanted to put it through its paces. I hope you'll check out the bigger theft recovery video too.

[@abelb3501]

@@batterybikes i just saw it at work and kept in my mind for later, thank you so much

[@rinosanchez2150]

I have a BMC road bike and Lynskey gravel bike. I'll try to hide some airtags in them. Thanks!

[@rafidoesitbetter]

Great video. I ride a 2005 Giant OCR3.

[@batterybikes]

Very cool! good luck!

[@BL-jr8tk]

Great job guys.

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks for watching 85. The newer video puts it through its paces a bit more

[@dariusteter5284]

I ride a commuter bike to work, and have a road bike for weekend warrior activities. Want to try the airtags

[@Djh1997212]

Would love to be able to track my trek fatbike with either the airtag or GPS tracker

[@strawberries429]

I’ve got a lectric xp and I want to make sure it’s not stolen, thanks!

[@batterybikes]

Good luck!

[@sharonbaker5961]

I am still undecided on which bike to choose. I am going to Escapees' gathering in a few weeks in Wyoming. Hoping I can try out some bikes there.

[@batterybikes]

Yeah there are a ton of options out there. Find a shop with lots of bikes and try out as many as you can!

[@kylios]

Cool video! I have a motobacon trekking bike with gravel tires and some custom mods. It'd be a real shame if thieves took it.

[@squidnortty6235]

*Foreshadowing*

[@wolf3755]

What a great video. Answered the questions I was wondering. If only I could win one in a giveaway

[@rodyoakum1194]

Thanks Best I Seen GetOn This

[@batterybikes]

Thanks!

[@lukewturner]

Great video. Do you know if there is a way to be notified if the bike and AirTag are stolen - I’m thinking for when you park your bike up in a public place and get notified if it moves. Siri shortcut maybe? Thanks

[@batterybikes]

Thanks Luke. With the latest iOS update you can setup leave behind notifications that work pretty well. They end up being a bit noisey in my experience, but definitely worth it. There isn't anything that is bump/movement specific like the Invoxia tracker though. This only notifies you once it has already left the area. This is a pretty nice little guide: appleinsider.com/articles/21/10/10/keep-your-bag-near-you-by-enabling-notify-when-left-behind-for-your-airtag

[@lukewturner]

Thanks Andrew, will check that out. Much appreciated!

[@bobbyle2610]

Found this from Reddit, thanks for testing this! Never knew airtags worked that great. I'm a Samsung user, I hope Samsung's smartstags worked this way! Bike: multiple

[@batterybikes]

Thank you. Reddit seems to be most of these views. I'm interested in the Samsung tags but wasn't sure if the network was expansive enough to work. Have you tested them or just used em casually so far?

[@potatoO0o]

Just bought a Trek dual sport bike for my brother's birthday. This would be a great thing to give him as well.

[@batterybikes]

Heck ya. Good luck and happy birthday to him.

[@potatoO0o]

@@batterybikes Thank you!

[@ThePanshow10]

Great video was really engaging forgot i was watching a video on AirTags😂

[@kayleeford2082]

I gotta pretty nice orange power lite 😉 at least that wasn’t stolen out of my car the other night!

[@danielsmitia1411]

You can remove speaker in it btw

[@racheltsai6227]

friend recommended this video to me! love this and think it would be a great protective device for my new bike!!

[@simonmarechal2455]

I've got a Triban rc520 gravel and want to keep it away from thieves. It's my daily commuter and I'd be overjoyed that if my bike would be stolen I'd find it back . I'm an android user so I could only use the envoxia tracker.

[@chiaras4858]

I’ve the same bike. Where did you put the AirTag?

[@johnbeard7404]

excellent -- thank you

[@batterybikes]

The video's a little old John - but I think it still mostly applies. The only new consideration is how quickly Apple notifies the user of potential stalking. Still worth it for $29 though

[@rainofrest7778]

@@batterybikes so how quick is it now

[@paulie22hill]

I would love some air tags for my fat tire all wheel drive ebike 😎

[@straws]

I ride a bullitt and a 90 stumpy with a clydesdale fork. I found this video on reddit and actually found it really interesting.

[@batterybikes]

Hey sweet. I hope to get a box bike once kids start popping out. You should have dozens of places to hide an Airtag or small gps tracker. goodluck

[@VilniusTV]

Would like to attach it to my Cube bike! Great video btw

[@batterybikes]

You should! Thanks and good luck

[@diogogalhetoleal8228]

I have a self built ebike 1000w motor 48v system :) it's y second bike my first one already got stolen

[@Scrumbly]

I ride an old Cannondale R1000 with chipped paint but I'm still always nervous riding it down Grizzly Peak road in Berkeley.

[@batterybikes]

Is that the road where the people got robbed? Pre pandemic we loved doing bike staycations to the Berkeley Marina

[@VictorBStan]

If the owner is tagging along, it won't notify you.

[@dirtyminds1]

What if the theft has no cellphone?

[@QramiTT]

I’m planning on getting an e-cargo bike later this summer. Given the cost, gps tracking would give good peace of mind.

[@batterybikes]

Goodluck! You've got a lot of options. The cargo bike reddit can be a great resource for slimming down options.

[@QramiTT]

@@batterybikes thanks!

[@bearmerica6668]

I'm no longer in the bay area but back in Houston. Would put this in my Honda Element and see what it'll do down here.

[@batterybikes]

Yikes. I hope the camping champ sticks around. A car would definitely have plenty of great places to hide some some tags. Goodluck

[@faustosantovito7106]

Hope the Invoxia tracker is gonna help me track my motorcycle better than an Apple Airtag :)

[@lilrockstar77]

Great video

[@patrickbyr]

Great video! I have a specialized bike.

[@batterybikes]

Very cool! Goodluck and thanks for comment

[@golddiamondsgdpc3035]

Just got my 4 ok airtags and I haven’t set them up yet but your video was very good it made some good points that everyone else left out…

[@batterybikes]

Hey thanks a bunch Diamonds. I'm trying to really test this stuff and not just sit at a desk. That always seems to bring up new considerations/imperfections.

[@siriosstar4789]

IMO finding the bike may be secondary to getting the bike under your control without encountering physical confrontation . also the police most likely won't be there to help you

[@josephtaye1750]

Does this mean if a thief steals my bike it notifies him right away now? What good is that?

[@batterybikes]

It isn't quite right away, but it can theoretically be as soon as they arrive home. If you want to use AirTag you want to 1. hope the thief doesn't have an iPhone and 2. Use more than one AirTag so if he finds one he doesn't look for another. But yeah... If you can swing it a GPS tracker is better. I think best practice is to just use both. Compared to buying a new bike they're cheap. I've got a follow up video to this where I really got a bike stolen and the thief had my bike for two hours and never was alerted or found the tracker.

[@jacobdiaz3752]

I came across with your video while researching for a Bike GPS alternative. Great video content and great camera quality. Would love to have them air tags on my Giant bike. Keep up the good work!

[@batterybikes]

Thanks Jacob appreciate it. fwiw I did finally get the anti tracking thing to pop up which slightly worries me. Still, cheap and tiny unless you can fit a full size gps.

[@jacobdiaz3752]

@@batterybikes so have you picked the winner yet?😬

[@batterybikes]

@@jacobdiaz3752 I’m running around a bit today but will pull a comment tonight!

[@jacobdiaz3752]

@@batterybikes Awesome! Can't wait to hear whos the lucky one!!

[@sebsl9665]

I’ve got a canyon Pathlite 7 and I don’t want thieves to take it.

[@j2simpso]

I'm a bit concerned that the person you're using to test this feature is a friend. Perhaps they are on a friends list or something to prevent immediate notifications? At the same time if you or him met up with the bike that may temporarily disable the feature. Would also be interesting to see if what the location services are like on your friends iPhone. One other thing to consider is whether the type of item set for AirTags impacts how quickly you receive a notification. Obviously, for bikes, I would expect it to be slower to notify than say keys where the relative cost of losing of the item is minimal.

[@batterybikes]

Hey j2. Yeah lot's of great points. We're definitely on a friends list, but I don't think Apple does anything explicitly to prevent friends or spouses from tracking each other. Yesterday I walked around Chinatown without my phone with my fiancé, and when we got home she immediately got a notification on her iPhone that an Airtag was tracking her around (I had one on my keys). So I don't think it alerts strangers but permits friends to track friends. I still have no idea what the issue was. It would be interesting if they tracked different devices differently, or if you could set those frequencies yourself, but as far as I know they're device-they're-tracking agnostic. Definitely let me know if you see anything otherwise.

[@729bgray]

I’ve got a Trek Kaitai and I don’t want thieves to take it.

[@AlexSquared]

dont wanna lose my GT hybrid! its my only mode of transport!!!

[@lcruz1544]

I've got a trusty salsa mountain bike and I don't want thieves to take it!!

[@MarkMayhew]

why not drop it in the bike, thru the seat post for ex?

[@batterybikes]

Metal/carbon fiber will block the signal 😬

[@thats-so-random]

I have a Brompton and I want one or four

[@inoribettor]

Today, my $2000 ebike was stolen. Im an idiot for never installing a GPS on it. Now I won't make that mistake! Looks like Airtag is the way to go

[@r62aguy85]

Did you have your bike chained up

[@marvingentry3425]

I think the airtag will be great for E-bikes, but I will take the extras from the 4 pack and put them in camera bags.

[@batterybikes]

Have done the same - hoping I never have to track it down because my camera usually never leaves my sight

[@moisessalazar6609]

Nice video 🙌🏽

[@batterybikes]

Thanks 💯

[@shiroo891]

i wanna protect my BMW because i live in a quite "urban" location with a lot of crime, seeing where it is from anywhere would be very comforting and helpfull for tracking it down

[@scottmacs]

I ride a Public V1.

[@joseysantana]

I’m searching for an option to track my Ducati Hypermotard. I’ve been very lucky but have had friends lose their motos to thieves in the Bay Area. It’s looking like Invoxia is the way to go.

[@batterybikes]

Shoot man - really? It seems like those would be easier to track down. But maybe they're the same as ebikes - mostly taken apart and sold for parts. Theft is gross.

[@fondeuterio6256]

Couldn’t thieves just check their Bluetooth to see if there are any AirTags to be removed from stolen item??

[@GungleJeorge]

Have Rad Wagon and need some tracking!

[@batterybikes]

Yes you do! Win or lose definitely put something on there. You should be able to find plenty of places to hide it.

[@maytingliu4441]

This is so cool…. Wanted to get the tag for my bike … but realised that I have a older iPhone 😂

[@batterybikes]

Oh dang. Too old for latest iOS? Maybe gotta get a phone upgrade first

[@ruzzcraze1862]

I’d put it in a diy DH ebike.

[@Sfumatura]

I can't decide between this and gps for my Suzuki.

[@batterybikes]

If you've got the room and can keep it charged once a month I'd do the Invoxia GPS. I'm not sure if this Airtag was a dud or what, but my fiancé constantly gets notified now if we go for a walk and I forgot my iPhone but bring my keys with an Airtag. So unfortunately thieves may get notified more readily on a typical Airtag if they iPhone

[@neilwatson3022]

Why once every year pls upload more