Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel reportedly used Apple's Find My app to track drown thieves and recover his AirPods. The 'Find My' app lets users track the location of Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, MacBook, and AirPods. It is one of the most expansive tracking networks for consumer electronics gadgets, and is available in over a billion active iOS and macOS devices. In fact, the technology is now also pre-built in backpacks like Targus' new Cypress Hero, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022.
Sebastian Vettel drives for Aston Martin-Mercedes in the Formula One World Championships, and is one of the leading drivers of the modern era. During his illustrious career, Vettel has won more than fifty races and had more than one hundred podium finishes, most of them with Red Bull Racing. Vettel also won four successive World Drivers' Championship titles from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull before signing with Ferrari in 2015 and subsequently making the move to Aston Martin last year. While his driving prowess was well-known to motorsports fans, he is now making news for his tech-savvy and his presence of mind when faced with an emergency.
According to a report by the BBC, Vettel was in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend and was taking in the sights and sounds of the city a day after the race. Unfortunately, unidentified thieves stole a backpack containing a lot of important documents, including his passport, driver's license, credit cards, and more. It also contained his AirPods, which supports the Find My app and helped Vettel track the thieves.
The 'Find My' App Helps Track Lost Apple Devices
Once Vettel discovered the theft, he took a scooter and used the Find My app on his iPhone to track the bag instead of reporting the incident to the police. Eventually, Vettel recovered the earphones as they had been discarded in a haberdashery, but did not manage to recover the backpack with the important documents. Vettel has since reported the matter to the police, although the thieves have not been apprehended yet, nor has the backpack or any of its contents been recovered.
While the Find My app is mostly associated with AirTags and lost iPhones, it can also be used to track other Apple products, such as AirPods. However, not all AirPods models are compatible with the app. Only the third-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max can be located using the app. In fact, the app supports tracking AirPods even when they are nowhere near the iPhone as they use the same Find My Network as iOS devices, Macs, and AirTags. There are many instances of people recovering their lost of stolen luggage using Apple's Find My app, while some reports also claim that cars and trucks have been located using the technology.
Source: BBC