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Query Apple's FindMy network with Python

(github.com)
378 points nkko | 30 comments | 21 Dec 24 12:14 UTC | HN request time: 0.646s | source | bottom
1. Galanwe ◴[21 Dec 24 13:39 UTC] No.42479604[source]▶
Fore those not familiar with the Apple ecosystem, what does "Find My" do? locate apple devices ?
replies(7): >>42479619 #>>42479637 #>>42479640 #>>42479656 #>>42479681 #>>42479791 #>>42480573 #
2. ◴[21 Dec 24 13:42 UTC] No.42479619[source]▶
3. simonw ◴[21 Dec 24 13:45 UTC] No.42479637[source]▶
A bunch of stuff:

- Find your Apple Watch, AirPods, laptop etc

- Find family member devices if they've granted you access to do that

- Find AirTags

- Show you the location of friends who have granted you access

4. kabirgoel ◴[21 Dec 24 13:46 UTC] No.42479640[source]▶
Correct. You can also share your location with friends. A lot of friend groups (at least my age) use Find My as a kind of social network.
replies(2): >>42479762 #>>42480407 #
5. latexr ◴[21 Dec 24 13:48 UTC] No.42479656[source]▶
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Find_My

> Find My is an asset tracking service made by Apple Inc. that enables users to track the location of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, tvOS devices, AirPods, AirTags, and a number of supported third-party accessories through a connected iCloud account. Users can also show their primary device's geographic location to others, and can view the location of others who choose to share their location. Find My was released alongside iOS 13 on September 19, 2019, merging the functions of the former Find My iPhone (known on Mac computers as Find My Mac) and Find My Friends into a single app. On watchOS, Find My is separated into three different applications: Find Devices, Find People and Find Items.

6. cube2222 ◴[21 Dec 24 13:53 UTC] No.42479681[source]▶
Importantly, it works in a peer-to-peer kind of way. Apple devices act as kind of beacons and nearby iPhones can notify Apple servers of any nearby devices they detect (in a way not decryptable by Apple, only by the owner of the devices).

So AirTags, MacBooks, and turned-off iPhones are findable via passing-by turned-on iPhones.

replies(1): >>42479728 #
7. lopkeny12ko ◴[21 Dec 24 14:03 UTC] No.42479728[source]▶
Is it not a glaring privacy and security hole that turned-off devices can still be located?

Maybe it's just me, but if I own an internet-connected device and I turn it off, I expect it to be off. That an iPhone's definition of "off" means "you can't use it but other random people's iPhones in the vicinity can still connect to and ping it" rubs me the wrong way.

replies(4): >>42479750 #>>42479760 #>>42480090 #>>42481974 #
8. anderiv ◴[21 Dec 24 14:06 UTC] No.42479750{3}[source]▶
The off-but-still-on functionality can be turned off, and the OS does disclose that by default the device is still findable on the power off screen.
9. jen20 ◴[21 Dec 24 14:07 UTC] No.42479760{3}[source]▶
It is not. If you don’t want your device to participate, you ca elect not to enable Find My during setup. The vast majority of people would rather a their couldn’t just turn off a stolen phone and render it unlocatable.
replies(1): >>42480140 #
10. gomoboo ◴[21 Dec 24 14:08 UTC] No.42479762[source]▶
How does that work woth your friends? Always on access or just occasionally?
replies(3): >>42479788 #>>42479794 #>>42480538 #
11. toomuchtodo ◴[21 Dec 24 14:11 UTC] No.42479788{3}[source]▶
Always on. You can see where your friends are at both in Find My and under their contact photo in your iMessages chat.
replies(2): >>42479969 #>>42484307 #
12. vasco ◴[21 Dec 24 14:12 UTC] No.42479791[source]▶
With the Apple and the Google ecosystems!
13. haliskerbas ◴[21 Dec 24 14:12 UTC] No.42479794{3}[source]▶
Always on, works as a great way to check in on close friends or have them check in on you (like someone going on a first date)
14. johnisgood ◴[21 Dec 24 14:44 UTC] No.42479969{4}[source]▶
Personally I do not find the idea comforting that someone (anyone) may know where I am at all times. I would not even trust Apple either.
replies(4): >>42480046 #>>42480353 #>>42480579 #>>42480625 #
15. rvnx ◴[21 Dec 24 14:59 UTC] No.42480046{5}[source]▶
It's a virtual leash for couples.
replies(1): >>42480195 #
16. rainsford ◴[21 Dec 24 15:19 UTC] No.42480140{4}[source]▶
Also the location is only accessible to you, the owner of the device. Not Apple or "random other people's iPhones".

The engineering and thought that went into the whole thing to be useful but also privacy protecting is actually pretty impressive, and exactly the kind of thing we should be encouraging companies to do if we care about privacy. Especially since as you point out, you can still easily turn it off at any point if you want.

17. toomuchtodo ◴[21 Dec 24 15:31 UTC] No.42480195{6}[source]▶
Blame the emotionally dysfunctional, not the tool. It’s only a problem if it changes how you would live your life or pressured or coerced (in which case, say no).
18. proteal ◴[21 Dec 24 15:54 UTC] No.42480353{5}[source]▶
This is actually one of the big differences between generations. It’s not just the norm for young people to share locations, but rather almost expected, with real social consequences for not. Yes it’s probably a little weird to have someone’s precise location 100% of the time, but since you’re sharing it with me there’s a good deal of trust implied (though this is not always the case as it has become more normalized). However, if we stop sharing locations, that usually implies a divorce of the relationship. People will shut you out of their life if you stop sharing your location with them, no matter the reason. From that lens, the choice is simple. You’ve gotta share your location, even if it’s a bit icky from a privacy perspective or you risk losing an entire cohort of friends. I will admit, there is a strange level of intimacy for having done it. In a world increasingly dominated by the pixels on this 4x8 screen, it is a nice reminder that the text bubbles on my phone actually come from real people that I can show you on a map.

(Obviously you can find friends who don’t care for it and you can live a normal life and be just fine. I’m privacy conscious but I still share my location with a handful of friends for the above reasons.)

replies(1): >>42481713 #
19. Nextgrid ◴[21 Dec 24 16:05 UTC] No.42480407[source]▶
Does it have any battery impact? I've never tried these always-on location tracking things partly due to (unfounded?) concerns about battery use.
replies(1): >>42480759 #
20. GeekyBear ◴[21 Dec 24 16:29 UTC] No.42480538{3}[source]▶
> Always on access or just occasionally?

You have quite a few granular choices.

> You can share your current location once, temporarily share your location while you're on the way to an expected destination, or share your ongoing Live Location... for an hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.

In Messages, you can use Check In to share your location... Your location is shared only if there's an unexpected delay during your trip or activity and you're unresponsive.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/105104

21. incanus77 ◴[21 Dec 24 16:36 UTC] No.42480573[source]▶
I don’t use the person tracking very often except on group vacations, but I track a vehicle with an AirTag after a car theft for a little peace of mind (along with other preventative measures). Every now and then it’s handy for my own devices, too, including alerting me when I’ve accidentally left one behind at a non-routine location.
22. ◴[21 Dec 24 16:37 UTC] No.42480579{5}[source]▶
23. sleepybrett ◴[21 Dec 24 16:45 UTC] No.42480625{5}[source]▶
you can control who you share your location with and for how long. I think the options are, just once, for an hour, for the day and forever.
24. msh ◴[21 Dec 24 17:02 UTC] No.42480759{3}[source]▶
its not always on in that way. It will report your location when requested, and optionally just before shutting down.
25. aniviacat ◴[21 Dec 24 19:40 UTC] No.42481713{6}[source]▶
> People will shut you out of their life if you stop sharing your location with them

Is the implication of this that such people just don't interact with Android users? That seems like a significant self-imposed limitation. Or are Android phones just extremely unpopular in your area?

replies(1): >>42482142 #
26. tzs ◴[21 Dec 24 20:16 UTC] No.42481974{3}[source]▶
Other phones in the vicinity don't connect to yours. Yours uses Bluetooth LE to periodically broadcast some data. Other phones in the vicinity relay that data along with the approximate location to Apple.
27. proteal ◴[21 Dec 24 20:41 UTC] No.42482142{7}[source]▶
Yeah, I switched to an iPhone solely for the blue text bubbles. Among young women in my bubble, 98% have iPhones. I’d get sneers at bars from girls when my first text on their phone was green. People would complain openly about my phone ruining their group chats. While I preferred android tech, switching to iPhone was a no-brainer because it removed a lot of friction in social settings.
replies(1): >>42482937 #
28. 47282847 ◴[21 Dec 24 22:45 UTC] No.42482937{8}[source]▶
It’s a bit sad that these days I can’t say if you are joking or not.
replies(1): >>42483116 #
29. toomuchtodo ◴[21 Dec 24 23:18 UTC] No.42483116{9}[source]▶
https://nypost.com/2024/10/07/lifestyle/are-iphone-users-pet...
30. ◴[22 Dec 24 04:01 UTC] No.42484307{4}[source]▶