Sebastian Vettel, the German Formula One driver, had his backpack stolen outside a hotel in Barcelona. Instead of heading straight to the cops, he had another plan.
The racer used the Find My app on his iPhone to track the whereabouts of his belongings in real time.
He Tracked Down His AirPods Using Find My App
According to Apple Insider, Vettel parked his Aston Martin at a hotel in Barcelona with his family on Monday morning after the Spanish Grand Prix and got out. Thieves took advantage of the chance to steal a backpack from the car before fleeing.
The report (via iPadizate) said that the four-time Formula One champion did not immediately inform the police and instead opted to handle the crime himself. Vettel got on an electric scooter and launched the Find My app to look for his AirPods hidden inside a bag.
Vettel was eventually joined by police as he pursued the thieves through the city, advising him to file a complaint at a station rather than continue the chase.
As per the report of the 9to5Mac, despite the chase, it appears that the robbers were aware that the Find My app can monitor AirPods, so they tossed the earbuds on the street and fled with the bag and what was inside.
Vettel collected his earbuds and informed the authorities of the incident.
The robbers are yet to be found, but the police hope to identify them using CCTV footage from the hotel.
Apart from the AirPods, the backpack had a variety of personal items, including his driver's license, passport, and several canceled credit cards.
9to5Mac noted that even if your third-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max aren't near your iPhone, you can use the Find My app to locate them.
Why? You ask. Because they work with the same Find My Network as iOS devices, Macs, and AirTags. In other words, they're compatible.
Not All Stories Featuring AirTags Leads to a Happy Ending
As previously reported, after realizing that the Apple tracking device had been following them while visiting Walt Disney World, an AirTag stalker "terrified" a family from Tennessee.
It took the family many hours to realize that a surveillance device was tracking their movements.
It was reported (via Fox 35 Orlando) that after receiving a shocking notification on her phone, the teen daughter of the family discovered that an AirTag was following them on their Disney World vacation.
The alert notably said that the owner of the Apple tracking device was following the 17-year-old girl.
It didn't help that the phone alert also informed her that the device had been tracking them to Disney World for over four hours, from 7:09 pm to 11:33 pm.
The notification also revealed additional information on the AirTag tracking activities that were utilized to track them to the huge theme park.
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