Misplacing items. One of life’s big frustrations. From the TV remote to your wallet or even your car keys - in most people’s hectic lifestyles, they don’t have time to start searching for it.
According to research by Pixie , a locator app for iPhones, 28% of Americans misplace their car and house keys every week - although, for me, it’s far more frequent than that. I’m a serial loser - which is why I view location trackers, such as Apple’s AirTag and Tile , as one of the best tech inventions of the 21st century.
They can be attached to your possessions, so if you can’t remember where you left the item you can use an app on your smartphone to make the tracker emit a noise to help you nose it down, as well as using an iPhone to guide you to the location (in the case of an AirTag).
Late last year I lost my AirTag at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in the south east of England when it slipped out of the third-party holder I’d purchased.
Maddeningly, its location was constantly being updated as hordes of visitors with iPhones passed within close reach of the AirTag while taking part in a festive light trail.
However, even though I’d put the AirTag in lost mode - which means a message and phone number can be displayed if the AirTag is tapped on an NFC-enabled smartphone, which is most modern handsets - clearly the AirTag wasn’t visible as no-one rang me to say they’d found it.
Of course, I could have headed back to the forest and used the precision-finding feature, which uses Ultra Wideband radio technology to identify the distance and direction the iPhone is from the AirTag and displays a counter on screen to help you track it down.
However, the fact the forest is an hour’s drive away, coupled with the fact the AirTag was clearly buried deep in the undergrowth, meant I didn’t think it was worth the time and effort.
So I resigned myself to the fact that it was gone for good. However, more than two months later, it’s back in my possession and it's all thanks to Lost Mode and an extremely helpful member of staff.
So, how did I get my AirTag back?
Last Sunday morning, I received a phone call, and being an unknown number I let the call go straight to voicemail - the last thing I wanted was to deal with cold callers on what was supposed to be a restful day. However, I soon got a voicemail notification - meaning it must be more than an unsolicited sales call.
The caller was Carl from Forestry England at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest visitor center, enquiring if I had lost anything, so I immediately rang back and explained I had indeed misplaced my AirTag there back in November.
Carl told TechRadar it has been handed in by another member of the public visiting the forest, although they didn’t provide any details about where they had found it.
I can only assume the finder either didn’t know what the AirTag was - but perhaps saw the Apple logo and assumed it was a gadget someone was missing - or they knew it was an AirTag but their phone didn’t support NFC.
“I didn’t know it had any value at first, but I realized it was something Apple-ish,” Carl told TechRadar.
He started searching the web and soon discovered the white disc was in fact an AirTag, and then was able to find instructions on how to interrogate it and discover any contact details associated with it.
Carl said he used the Tracker Detect app for his Google Pixel 4a initially but that didn’t provide much information.
“The app confirmed there was an AirTag nearby, but didn’t offer up any contact details,” Carl said.
He then held the AirTag near the NFC reader on the Pixel 4a, which loaded a web page explaining the AirTag had been lost and a request to call the telephone number on the website, so he did just that.
When I called back and confirmed I had indeed lost an AirTag, Carl said he would place the AirTag in an envelope marked with my name, and said I was free to collect at any point.
As I know exactly where the AirTag is now, I’ll be jumping in my car and heading straight to the visitors center to collect the envelope containing my location tracker and once again, pass on my thanks to Carl for taking the time to get in touch. This is far preferable to scabbling around on my hands and knees in dense forest trying to track down the AirTag myself.
This really does prove that lost mode can be vital in getting your AirTag back if you do misplace it.
Had I not switched it on, there would have been no way of knowing how to contact the AirTag’s owner, so the only way I would have been reunited with it was if I headed back to the forest to look for it myself - something which I’d deemed not worth the time and effort.
It takes just a few taps to switch on lost mode - open the Find My app, tap on the AirTag you have misplaced, and under the section marked lost mode, press enable and enter your phone number - but it could make all the difference in seeing your lost AirTag again.
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Canada vs USA live stream: how to watch World Cup 2022 qualifier from anywhere
A Canada win over local rivals USA in this massive World Cup 2022 soccer qualifier could see the Canadians move one step closer to reaching their first World Cup in 36 years. Historic wouldn't even cover it. Can the Canucks pull it off? Read on to find out how to watch a Canada vs USA live stream and watch this World Cup 2022 qualifier online no matter where you are.
Canada currently find themselves on top of the CONCACAF third-round standings, one point ahead of their opponents this afternoon.
With three places for Qatar up for grabs in the eight-team group, and Mexico and Panama both breathing down their necks, its a potentially crucial game in the race for qualification for this winter's tournament.
Canada kept on track on Thursday with a professional 2-0 win over Honduras with star striker Jonathan David on target, while a goal from Fulham defender Antonee Robinson was enough for the USA to see off El Salvador in midweek.
With temperatures at Tim Hortons Field set to drop to -6C by kick-off, its likely to be an unpredictable encounter that you won't want to miss - here's how to live stream Canada vs USA and watch this World Cup 2022 qualifier online from anywhere.
US: How to watch Canada vs USA without cable
How to live stream USA vs Canada from outside your country
Our guide below gives detailed instructions on how you can watch this Gold Cup 2021 match live in the UK, Australia and Canada. However, if you're abroad at any point during the tournament, you won't be able to live stream the soccer via your usual domestic broadcaster.
This is down to geo-blocking, which restricts certain services and content to specific parts of the world. However, you can get avoid geo-blocks by using a VPN , or Virtual Private Network. It's completely legal, very affordable and easy to use - and it also encrypts your browsing, offering protection against cybercriminals and government snooping.
Use a VPN to live stream Canada vs USA from anywhere
Canada: How to watch a Canada vs USA live stream
Can I watch a USA vs Canada stream in the UK?
Can I watch a Canada vs USA World Cup 2022 qualifier live stream in Australia?
Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream: how to watch the Carabao Cup semi-final online, second-leg, TV channel, team news
Something has got to give tonight in the second leg semi-final of the Carabao Cup when Liverpool travel to North London to play Arsenal. After a 10-man Gunners scraped a 0-0 draw in the first encounter, the stage is set for a thrilling decider at the Emirates Stadium under the lights. Make sure you know how to watch an Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream wherever and what TV channel it's on by following our guide below.
Returning for Arsenal in tonight's home starting XI are Tomiyasu, Odegaard and Smith Rowe. Liverpool go with an experienced line-up but with Kelleher between the sticks and the young Kaide Gordon in attack alongside Jota and Firmino.
The first leg highlighted the Gunners' new found grit under boss Mikel Arteta, with his side forced to sit deep for the majority of the match following Granit Xhaka’s early red card.
Conversely, the match also served to show how much Jurgen Klopp's side are missing attacking duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, with the two out on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations .
Both key men will once again be unavailable for the away side for this Covid-19 delayed last-four clash, which will give confidence to a home side looking to set up an all-London final with capital rivals Chelsea.
Here's how to watch an Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream wherever you are in the world.
How to watch Arsenal vs Liverpool from outside your country
We've set out below all the ways you can watch Arsenal vs Liverpool in a number of countries around the world. However, if you're away travelling for work or pleasure, you probably won't be able to tune in like you normally would at home.
That's because of the pesky digital restriction that is geo-blocking, which prevents certain streaming services from being used outside a specific area.
Help is at hand however if you run into this issue with the option of using a VPN to tune to your preferred coverage no matter where you are in the world.
Use a VPN to stream Arsenal vs Liverpool from anywhere
How to watch the Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream in the UK
How to live stream Arsenal vs Liverpool in the US
How to watch a Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream in Canada
How to watch Arsenal vs Liverpool in Australia
How to watch a Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream in New Zealand