[ale] Slightly OT: Android EUFY air tags limitations

Alex Carver agcarver+ale at acarver.net
Fri Feb 10 14:40:58 EST 2023


Given the issues Eufy has had just recently with security cameras 
violating what they claimed in their own FAQs and marketing material why 
would you even bother with them in the first place?

On 2023-02-10 06:54, Neal Rhodes via Ale wrote:
> FYI, there was a bit of a splash in the Android world when the EUFY 
> tracker tags were announced.    "Works with Android AND iPhone".
> 
> We jumped on that, primarily 'cause we have an upcoming cruise and were 
> hoping to give ourselves an edge if our bags were lost on the way to 
> Galveston the day before embarkation.
> 
> Well, We've been attempting to test them these last few days, and have 
> gone through 5 perky interchanges with their support people, who, while 
> not strictly speaking "hostile witnesses", are really trying to not 
> communicate the limitations.
> 
> To save fellow Android users, here is my last attempt to tease out the 
> facts:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, the limitations of the EUFY tag ought to be stated in a clear FAQ. 
> My goal is simply to locate my two pieces of luggage after I land in 
> Texas before I have to get on a cruise ship.
> 
> Here is what I am coming to understand:
> 
> A) For nationwide tag location, the android app is totally useless, as 
> there are insufficient numbers of devices running the android app.
> 
> B) The EUFY tag can be loaded into an Apple IOS smartphone via their 
> normal Find My capability.   This then makes use of a large number of 
> iPhones in use. Their collective Bluetooth range is what makes tags viable.
> 
> C) There is NO LINK between EUFY cloud services and Apple Cloud services 
> w.r.t. Tag location.
> 
> D) Your response below suggests that the EUFY app must be installed on 
> an iPhone.   Installing a 3rd party app is a lot to ask of a friend. It 
> is unclear what that EUFY app is going to accomplish.
> 
> Based on what I understand above, if all I want to do is occasionally 
> locate airline luggage, then what I should do is give these two tags to 
> my friend that has an iPhone, load them into Find My, and occasionally 
> borrow them for trips.  Then if lost, I have to call my friend Max and 
> say "Hey Max, where do you see my tags?".
> 
> You would have far fewer questions like this if you were clearer about 
> the limitations up front.
> 
> 
> 
> On 2023-02-10 06:07, eufylife support team wrote:
> -- -- -- -- --[#TNP606069047]-- -- -- -- -- Dear nea***,
> 
> Thank you for your reply.
> 
> Sorry, I am a little confused about "I visit my friend and identify my
> two tags on his iPhone". May I double confirm if you added the two
> tags on your friend's iPhone? If that's the case, the tag's location
> should be updated on your friend's iPhone. Also, please be sure to
> check the following:
> 
> 1. Make sure the user's eufy Security app location permission is set
> to "Always Allow".
> 2. The Android system needs to ensure that the eufy Security App is
> not under the battery optimization plan.The IOS system needs to ensure
> that the background refresh witch of eufy Security App is turned on.
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