Google to Roll Out Update for Android 6.0+ to Detect Apple AirTags and Other Trackers

Following the release of Apple's AirTags, there have been instances where criminals used these trackers to follow their targets, placing them in bags or vehicles to continuously monitor their location. This has raised significant privacy concerns, leading Apple to introduce a tracker alert feature. This feature alerts iPhone users when a tracker not belonging to them is detected, prompting them to locate and dispose of the tracker.

However, there was no equivalent feature for Android devices, and although Apple released an alert app for Android, most users did not install it, leaving the issue of undetected tracking unresolved.

Google plans to alleviate this issue by launching a Bluetooth-based crowd-sourced finding feature. By collaborating with Apple to standardize related protocols, Google will push updates to provide system-level alert functionalities, eliminating the need for Apple's alert app.

Similarly, Apple has added detection for trackers utilizing the Android finding feature in iOS 17.5, so iPhone users will also be alerted if they are tracked by devices using Android's finding capability.

Third-party manufacturers like Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee, among others, have also committed to ensuring their upcoming Bluetooth trackers will be compatible with both Apple and Google's alert features.

It's worth noting that Google might deliver this alert functionality to Android 6.0+ devices via Google Play, which could mean devices that can't receive updates, such as those from certain domestic manufacturers, might not gain access to this new feature. This issue may require domestic OEMs to collaborate with Google to find a suitable solution.

Despite Google's finding network potentially not supporting the domestic market, if domestic Android phones could receive the alert feature, they would be capable of detecting trackers like Apple AirTags. Therefore, this update is seen as highly necessary.