Your Android Phone Will Now Tell You If Someone Has Planted An AirTag On You
Luke Pollak / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Google has issued a warning about anonymous tracking of Android devices.
- Alerts notify you when an unknown Bluetooth tracker travels with you.
- Users can get more information about the tracker and the actions they can take.
- Users can manually scan for nearby trackers.
Update: August 10, 2023 (3:12 am ET): Google is now rolling out unknown tracking alerts on Android after announcing this feature last month. Available through Google Play Services on devices running Android 6.0 and up. However, it only works when it finds AirTags that can be attached to you or travel with you.
You can go to Settings app > Security & Emergency to access the Unknown Tracking Alert menu. Those who are still using Android 11 or earlier versions of the operating system will find this feature in the "Privacy" section of the settings.
Original article: July 27, 2023 (2:40 pm ET): Bluetooth trackers have pros and cons. While it makes things easier to find, they can also be used to track your location. But Google is releasing a tool to help reduce the harm caused by Bluetooth trackers.
Google announced a new feature today that helps you protect yourself from unwanted Bluetooth tracking. Android users will reportedly get alerts for unknown trackers this month. This feature is available for all devices running Android 6.0 or higher. Google says the Unknown Tracking Alert offers three ways to protect yourself from unwanted tracking: notifications, actions, and scans.
When this feature is enabled, you will be notified (by notification) that an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with you independently of its owner. If you click on the alert, the tech giant will let you know that you can learn more about the tracker and see a map where the tracker is going with you. Additionally, there will be a "Play sound" option that will let the player play the audio of the tracks you've found without the owner's intervention. This device already works with Apple AirTags, but will expand to other brands over time.
In practice, this feature provides information about the tracker, such as the serial number and the last four digits of the owner's phone number, if the tracker is on the back of your phone. You will also receive advice on what to do next and how to physically disable the tracker.
The ultimate use of this feature is to allow you to manually scan for nearby trackers. You can go to Settings > Security & Emergency > Unknown Tracking Alerts and click the Scan Now button. Google says the scan will take 10 seconds and you'll be presented with a list of nearby owners of individual trackers.
The news comes after Google announced a delay in launching the Find My Device network. The decision was reportedly made to give Apple time to implement security for iOS.
