Track your devices via Apple FindMy network in Go/TinyGo

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A Go/TinyGo project that lets hobbyists build their own Bluetooth beacons to piggyback on Apple’s Find My network is drawing interest for enabling very cheap, DIY item tracking without official AirTags or even a Mac. Commenters weigh the benefits of this massive crowdsourced location network against privacy and surveillance risks, debating how Apple’s cryptographic design limits abuse, whether the company could still backdoor or weaponize it, and the danger of account bans for heavy use. The thread also compares Apple’s approach with Google and Samsung trackers, and explores practical use cases from finding lost items at home to recovering bags and valuables while traveling.

Use of Find My via Go/TinyGo and Apple Accounts

  • Many are impressed by leveraging Apple’s Find My network from Go/TinyGo, including “macless” use.
  • Concern: Apple might eventually crack down or ban accounts used with unofficial clients.
  • Suggested mitigations: use burner Apple IDs, attach once to a device/hackintosh, reuse phone numbers or prepaid SIMs.
  • Heavy querying of location reports can trigger account bans.

How the Find My Network Works (as Discussed)

  • Tags broadcast rotating public keys; nearby Apple devices upload encrypted location reports for those keys to Apple.
  • Master secrets are generated when pairing and stored in iCloud Keychain; Apple doesn’t see them directly.
  • Anyone can download encrypted reports, but only holders of the corresponding private keys can decrypt them.
  • System is designed for finding lost items, not tracking people or stolen goods.
  • One comment notes two “networks”:
    • Crowd network (other devices reporting tag sightings).
    • Direct device-to-Apple location reporting for your own devices.

Privacy, Security, and Surveillance Concerns

  • Some see Find My as a potential surveillance nightmare and are leaving the ecosystem.
  • Others argue the cryptographic design prevents Apple (or governments) from simply querying tag locations without redesigning the system and pushing malicious updates.
  • It’s emphasized that Apple supposedly doesn’t know which tags belong to which users in the crowd network and can’t link rotating keys to accounts.
  • Skeptics counter that closed-source software and iCloud infrastructure ultimately require trust; “provable trust” claims are challenged.

Law Enforcement and Corporate Trust

  • Past Apple resistance to government backdoor demands is cited as partial reassurance.
  • Transparency reports and HSM-based key escrow are mentioned as mechanisms limiting Apple’s own access.
  • Others stress that telcos and other platforms already provide extensive location data to authorities; Find My is just one piece of a broader landscape.

Third-Party & DIY Tags vs AirTags

  • This project uses DIY beacons without rotating keys, avoiding the need to extract keys from AirTags.
  • Custom tags aren’t tied to Apple accounts, and Apple can’t easily distinguish them from official ones.
  • Cheap third-party Find My–compatible tags exist, though often without UWB and with shorter battery life.

Alternatives and Ecosystem Comparisons

  • Non-Apple users discuss Samsung SmartTags, Google’s network, Tiles, and Pebblebee.
  • Mixed reviews: some Samsung tags seen as unreliable or too ecosystem-locked; Tiles described as flaky/quiet.
  • Google’s tracker system is described as extremely privacy-focused, sometimes to the point of reduced practicality.
  • Debate over which large vendor (Apple, Google, Samsung) is “less evil,” with consensus that none are fully trustworthy.

Precision Location, UWB, and Everyday Use Cases

  • UWB-based precision finding on iPhone 11+ with AirTags can locate items within roughly a foot, which is valuable for people with ADHD/ADD who frequently misplace things.
  • Discussion of future Bluetooth “channel sounding” and DIY UWB systems for indoor positioning (e.g., tool tracking at events).
  • Some Android users consider buying a cheap used iPhone solely as a UWB/AirTag locator.

Real-World Tracker Stories

  • Multiple anecdotes describe successfully recovering lost or misplaced items (bags, purses, iPads, luggage, cars) thanks to AirTags/Find My.
  • Some users embed tags in valuables and “honeypots” against theft, sometimes disabling speakers for stealth.