using apple devices without apple account (midwest.social)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by orionsbelt@midwest.social to c/saltycaramelapple@sh.itjust.works

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recently, i've been trying to make my way out of the apple ecosystem. im on the verge of deleting my apple account, but cant find a way to use airtags wo an apple account. i think that may be the only constraint.

ive logged out of my iphone and all apps i need are already loaded & are still working properly.

no issues on my macbook either since use terminal for most things. i cant remember using the app store at all on the macbook.

anyone have tips, tricks, notes? please and ty!

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[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

According to my research, using AirTags without iOS isn’t realistically feasible. They’re hard-locked to an Apple ID during setup, and registration requires an iPhone or iPad. The Find My network is end-to-end encrypted and closed, so even if you captured the Bluetooth broadcasts (which rotate frequently), you wouldn’t be able to resolve them to a location without an Apple device relaying those data. There’s no current jailbreak or firmware hack that bypasses this, and while researchers have reverse engineered parts of the protocol, it hasn’t led to any usable method for Android or other platforms to fully integrate with or control AirTags.

[-] orionsbelt@midwest.social 2 points 1 month ago

i really appreciate the info, thanks!!

this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025

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