Thursday, May 6, 2021

AirTag Precision Finding Interface Includes Hidden 'Developer Mode'

A frustrated AirTag owner has inadvertently discovered the existence of a hidden "developer mode" in the on-screen interface that Find My displays when the Precision Finding feature is activated to help locate one of Apple's item trackers.


Precision Finding is a feature that provides users with specific on-screen directions for finding a nearby AirTag. iPhones with a U1 chip, which includes the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12 models, can take advantage of the feature, which combines, camera input, AR, sound, and haptic feedback to help locate the item tracker.

The hidden mode, which appears after tapping the item's name multiple times in the Precision Finding interface, displays real-time diagnostic and technical information about the feature's operation, including accelerometer and gyroscope coordinates, haptic feedback, screen resolution, tracking animations, and more.

Reddit user "cyem" stumbled upon the hidden mode after becoming frustrated with the performance of their AirTag, particularly when Precision Finding is activated:

My experience of AirTags thus far has been underwhelming - the first one out of the box failed to pair four times in a row when it was sitting on top of the phone. Now that it is finally connected, anything outside of 0.8m/2.6ft away shows as a weak signal and when I can get a signal, there is never an arrow. Funnily enough, I tapped on my name about five times in frustration, and found what appears to be a hidden developer mode. Even more interesting, the arrow appears to actually be working underneath - just not in the normal mode.
While the hidden mode is unlikely to be particularly useful to the average user, the discovery provides an intriguing peek under the hood at the hardware and calibration involved every time an AirTag's Precision Finding is enabled.
Tag: AirTags
Related Forum: AirTags

This article, "AirTag Precision Finding Interface Includes Hidden 'Developer Mode'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



via MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/3xTpqEz

No comments:

Post a Comment