Apple’s AirTag trackers have become a handy, inexpensive, and effective method of stalking individuals since they were launched in April 2021, despite the company’s best efforts.
- How to tell if an AirTag is stalking you — and what you can do about it
- how iPhone users, Android users and even people without smartphones can detect rogue AirTags
A nearby iPhone or iPad may pick up the signals from Airtags and pass them along to Apple, along with the location. The location of the AirTag is then sent to the owner.
A person with an AirTag may be found exactly anyplace there are other individuals using iPhones, including underground or in buildings, thanks to the almost one billion iPhones in use throughout the globe.
Apple has promised to upgrade its applications to make detecting and discovering rogue AirTags more effective in light of recent customer concerns about AirTag stalking, articles showing how simple it is to follow someone using AirTags, and, most recently, two state attorneys general.
It’ll be months before most of those modifications are available, but For now, here’s what you can do to ensure that someone else’s AirTag is not following you.
Check to see whether an iPhone’s AirTags are visible to you before proceeding any further.
If you have an iPhone 6s or later, make sure you have the most recent version of iOS installed on it.
AirTags and other devices that utilise the location services of Apple’s Find My network will be alerted to nearby devices running iOS 14.5 or later. This means that if your iPhone or iPad has been disconnected from its associated iPhone or iPad for a few hours, you will get alerts.
These notifications may be used to deactivate detected AirTags wirelessly on iOS devices that have at least iOS 15.2 installed.
Notifications regarding new Find My devices should be enabled. Make sure “Item Safety Alerts” is enabled in the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad by tapping the Me button at the bottom right and scrolling down.
Make sure your Android phone can read AirTags.
Install the AirGuard app and enable Bluetooth on your Android phone if you have it. It is compatible with Android 5.0 Lollipop and later, thus most Android devices produced after 2012 should be able to use it.
As iOS 14.5 does for iPhone users, AirGuard will regularly scan the area around you and alert you to rogue Find My devices. You can’t use it since it doesn’t scan automatically and needs a phone with Android 9 Pie installed.
Installing and updating AirGuard puts iPhone and Android users on a level playing field for the time being. The anti-stalking enhancements Apple has promised for later in 2022 will mostly benefit iPhone owners.
No smartphone or an old one? Here’s how you find AirTags
Only if you don’t have a smartphone or if you’re using one that can’t upgrade to iOS 14.5 or Android 5 can you get a constant chirp as a notice that someone else’s AirTag is near you.
Within 24 hours of being apart from its associated iPhone or iPad, an AirTag will begin chirping. In other words, it’s not required to be “moving with you.”
People without cellphones, Android users without AirGuard, and iPhone 6 and older users who want to be warned about probable stalker attempts via AirTags have to wait 24 hours longer than newer iPhone users who receive alerts within a few hours.
Notifications on your iPhone indicating that an AirTag may be following you.
When it comes to AirTags, Apple’s notification system might be a little perplexing. Any Find My devices, such as AirTags or third-party accessories like as dog leashes or electric bikes, that have been removed from their associated iPhones for a period of time and are tracking your iPhone’s movements will be picked up by this feature.
“Unknown Device Detected” may appear in the alerts.
You may get messages like “Unknown AirTag Detected” or “Item Found Near You” in addition to others like “Unknown Accessory Detected.” In addition, a map of your approximate vicinity will be shown to demonstrate how the device has moved along with you.
However, you’ll need to determine whether or not the identified gadget is a serious danger first. As an example, a “Unknown Device Detected” notification, which has shown in some claims of AirTag stalking, might simply be a pair of AirPods that have been left on your train or bus.
Although it is possible to monitor yourself with a pair of AirPods, the cost of a $29 AirTag is prohibitive. A notice in the iPhone’s notification area may tell you how to get in touch with the legitimate owner of the AirTag, AirPods, or other monitoring gadget.
As quickly as possible, Apple intends to provide as much information as possible about what your iPhone is sensing. Messages that indicate “AirPods Pro detected” may appear in the near future, but your phone should already let you know whether the device is an AirTag.
Unknown Device Detected” or “Unknown Accessory Detected” notifications appear even if an AirTag is genuinely being detected by the iPhone.
Notifications on your Android phone indicating that an AirTag may be following you.
A “tracker was identified!” notice will appear in the AirGuard app on Android. When you tap on the notice, the MAC addresses of any devices that have been discovered will be shown to you (i.e, the unique ID of its Bluetooth chip).
On the map and timeline, you’ll be able to observe how the gadget has mirrored your movements over time, as well as the date and time when it was first discovered.
The Tracker Detect app from Apple for Android is more basic. When you leave a busy public area, such as a bar, restaurant, retail mall, or music venue, it may be a good idea to manually start the scan.
Tracker Detect will show the words “Unknown AirTag” if it detects a suspected rogue AirTag. It will also inform you how long ago the AirTag was detected. Nevertheless, you won’t be given a map or a chronology.
Sounds like you’re being followed by an AirTag
The AirTag will begin chirping after it has been away from its associated iPhone or iPad for more than 24 hours, as previously indicated. In order to identify an AirTag, you must not have access to a smartphone or if your smartphone has died.
Nonetheless, the chirp isn’t really audible.. If the AirTag is in a coat pocket, a large handbag, a suitcase, or on the exterior of a vehicle, it may be difficult to hear. AirTags with their speakers removed are already being resold on the black market.
In the coming months, Apple promises to make the lost-AirTag noises more identifiable, if not louder.
What to do if an AirTag goes wild
After receiving an alert on your phone or hearing the AirTag’s beep, the following step depends on whether you’re at home or not.
If you’re on the road, don’t rush back to your lodgings just yet. To begin, you’ll want to track down the device and, if possible, deactivate it. The faster you can locate your residence if it is already yours, the better. A variety of options are available.
The chirps of the birds are the most clear clue. Depending on the situation, you may be required to remove cushions from couches, remove items from coat pockets, or even look at the car’s outside. A registration plate or a gas-cap door may provide a clue.)
It’s possible to make your iPhone chirp from the notifications on your phone if you’re running iOS 14.5 through 15.1 on an iPhone. The same is true for Android phones using AirGuard or Tracker Detect, albeit the former allows for instant force chirps while the latter requires a 10-minute delay.
Using the notification screen on your iPhone, you may turn off the AirTag wirelessly without having to locate it.
Be cautious, though, since the AirTag (or other device) may have been lost in good faith and its rightful owner will no longer be able to utilise Find My to find their missing item if the AirTag is disabled.
After that, you have to discover the real thing and that entails listening for chirps.
Apple is expected to release a new Precision Finding feature for iPhone 11 and subsequent devices later this year. As of now, only AirTags that have been officially linked with your iPhone may utilise this function. This will use those phones’ UltraWideBand processors to show you how distant you are from the AirTag and which direction it is facing.
A rogue AirTag, what to do about it.
After finding the AirTag, don’t obliterate it. The first step is to retrieve the serial number, which can be discovered in the rogue-AirTag alerts you receive on an iPhone; the serial number can also be found by pressing an NFC-enabled Android phone against the AirTag.
Having completed this, you may turn off the AirTag by pressing down on the rear panel’s centre and rotating it counterclockwise. You may remove the panel and find a regular CR2302 watch battery within.
The rear panel has a serial number printed on it as well. A police report containing the AirTag serial number will let Apple to hunt down its legitimate (and maybe mistaken) owner, as recommended by Apple.