Tracker Detect, a new Android application from Apple, aims to assist users who do not have an iOS device in determining whether or not someone is using an AirTag or other Find My-compatible devices to monitor their position. A nearby AirTag that has been separated from its owner will be flagged by the program as an “Unknown AirTag” when it is discovered by it. The tracker can then be instructed to play a sound if it has been following you for more than 10 minutes. This will make it simpler to locate. At that time, you may touch the device with your NFC-enabled phone to get instructions on how to remove the device’s battery or otherwise deactivate it.
It is not necessary to have an Apple account in order to use the app. As previously stated, it is capable of detecting Find My-compatible trackers such as the Chipolo One Spot. ‘AirTag delivers industry-leading privacy and security features, and now we are expanding these capabilities to Android smartphones,’ says the company. Tracker Detect “allows Android users to check for AirTags or other compatible Find My enabled item trackers which may be traveling with them without their awareness,” according to an Apple spokesman quoted by Engadget. Our users and the industry benefit from us raising the bar on privacy. We hope that others will follow our lead.
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This application was developed in response to several reports of malicious actors utilizing AirTags to stalk people, prompting the development of Tracker Detect. In Canada, for instance, authorities have just warned people about thieves who are using the device to steal high-end cars. In a further effort to limit abuse, Apple changed its trackers in June to play a sound between eight and 24 hours after they’ve been separated from their owner, rather than after three days as was the case at release.
How good Tracker Detect will help people with this issue will be determined by the number of people who download it. In contrast to iOS, which issues proactive alerts when errant AirTags are identified, you must download and install an app on your Android smartphone in order to use this feature. At least for the time being, Android does not include this security feature yet.