A mother of three employed her MacBook Pro as a makeshift tracker to recover her stolen Kia Sportage after thieves took the vehicle while she was attending a wedding. Vivi Kala, 38, had parked her car on a residential street in Chigwell, Essex, on August 20.
Upon returning from the wedding, Ms. Kala and her husband discovered the car, along with children's toys and her MacBook Pro, was missing. While her husband contacted the police, Ms. Kala utilized the 'Find My' app on her iPhone. This app leverages the vast network of anonymized Apple devices to help locate lost items.
Despite the stolen laptop not being connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile network, Ms. Kala was able to ascertain its location. The app showed the MacBook Pro was in the stolen car, which was parked elsewhere in Chigwell. Ms. Kala then enlisted the help of an Uber driver who, according to her account, assisted in recovering the vehicle.
The incident occurred just one day before the family was scheduled to drive to Scotland for a holiday. Ms. Kala noted it was fortunate the laptop was in the car, as she believed they would not have recovered it otherwise. She mentioned that they had almost removed all items from the car before the wedding but ran out of time.
After realizing the car was gone, and confirming it had not been towed, Ms. Kala used the 'Find My' app. She observed the laptop's location and immediately called an Uber. She informed the driver of the situation, showing him the app, and they proceeded to the car's location.
Upon arrival, they found the car but noticed the license plates had been swapped. Ms. Kala suspects this was an attempt to evade detection systems. The fake plates even bore the name of a Kia dealership, suggesting a professional operation. The car itself was undamaged and the family was able to proceed with their planned holiday to Scotland.
Ms. Kala is now considering purchasing a steering lock and an Apple AirTag for future security, noting that an AirTag would be a significantly less expensive tracking solution compared to a MacBook Pro, which can cost upwards of £1,999. She shared her experience to help others consider similar tracking methods.
Apple's Find My network operates by using a low-power Bluetooth signal from a lost device to ping nearby Apple devices. These devices then transmit the approximate location of the lost item to the Find My network, which relays it to the owner. The process is designed to be anonymous and encrypted, ensuring that neither the owner of the lost device nor the owners of the devices that helped locate it are identified.