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Apple and Google announced Monday that updated iPhones and Android phones will show alerts warning users that there is a wireless location tracking device nearby, in case the user was not aware they were being tracked and wants to stop it.
The move is the latest sign that the two major platforms are working to fix the downside of wireless trackers — such as Apple’s AirTag — that can be useful for finding lost or stolen objects by displaying their location on a digital map, but can also be used by criminals to track people.
IPhone and Android devices with up-to-date software will receive a message telling them that a Bluetooth tracker is “found moving with you.” Users can then have the tracker play a sound to make it easier to find, and access instructions on how to disable it.
When AirTags were first introduced by Apple in 2021, they quickly found an audience among users who would attach the tiny devices to their keys, luggage or even their car, allowing them to use Apple’s global network of devices and crowdsourced Bluetooth signals to quickly locate their lost objects, such as checked baggage that never arrived after a flight.
The move is the latest sign that the two major platforms are working to fix the downside of wireless trackers — such as Apple’s AirTag — that can be useful for finding lost or stolen objects by displaying their location on a digital map, but can also be used by criminals to track people.
IPhone and Android devices with up-to-date software will receive a message telling them that a Bluetooth tracker is “found moving with you.” Users can then have the tracker play a sound to make it easier to find, and access instructions on how to disable it.
When AirTags were first introduced by Apple in 2021, they quickly found an audience among users who would attach the tiny devices to their keys, luggage or even their car, allowing them to use Apple’s global network of devices and crowdsourced Bluetooth signals to quickly locate their lost objects, such as checked baggage that never arrived after a flight.
