rogue AirTags may be detected in a variety of ways by iPhone, Android, and even those without smartphones
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.
A nearby iPhone or iPad may pick up the signals from Airtags and pass them along to Apple, along with the location. A notification is sent to the AirTag owner letting them know where the AirTag is.
Nearly one billion smartphones are in use globally, thus an AirTag can be tracked by its owner anywhere there are iPhones in the vicinity, even when they’re hidden underground or behind buildings.
Apple recently promised to update its apps to make detecting and finding rogue AirTags more effective in light of near-constant local-news reports of apparent AirTag stalking, stories showing how easy it is to stalk someone using AirTags, and, most recently, two state attorneys general issuing consumer warnings about AirTag stalking.
Many of these modifications will not be implemented for months. When it comes to AirTag stalking, here’s what you can do in the meanwhile.
Check to see whether an iPhone’s AirTags can be detected.
Please upgrade your iPhone 6s or later to the most recent iOS version.
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.
Make sure you’ve activated alerts for new Find My devices that you don’t recognise. Toggle on “Item Safety Alerts” in the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad by tapping the Me symbol in the lower right corner.
Check to see whether your Android phone can detect AirTags
Download the AirGuard app from the Google Play store, install it, then enable Bluetooth on your Android phone. Since Android 5.0 Lollipop and newer are compatible with AirGuard, it should work with almost all Android smartphones and tablets that were produced after 2012.
As iOS 14.5 does for iPhone users, AirGuard will regularly scan the area around you and alert you to rogue Find My devices. Because it does not scan automatically, Apple’s own Tracker Detect Android app is less helpful than the Android version of the software because it needs Android 9.0 Pie.
For the time being, iPhone and Android users will be on equal footing once AirGuard is installed and upgraded. Anti-stalking measures Apple has promised in 2022 will primarily benefit iPhone users; however.
For those who don’t own a smartphone, here are some tips on how to identify AirTags
A persistent chirp is the only notice you’ll get if you don’t have a smartphone or if you’re using a device that can’t upgrade to iOS 14.5 or Android 5.
An AirTag will start chirping 24 hours after it’s been disconnected from its attached iPhone or iPad. “Moving with you” doesn’t have to mean “lost.”
People without cellphones, Android users without AirGuard, and iPhone 6 and older users who want to be alerted to probable stalker attempts via AirTags are at a disadvantage since they must wait 24 hours longer to get alerts than newer iPhone users.
Notifications from your iPhone that suggest that an AirTag is monitoring your movements
Apple’s alerting mechanism for rogue AirTags might be a little puzzling at first glance. Gadgets such as AirPods and third-party devices like as dog collars and electric bicycles that have been removed for at least a few hours from their associated iPhones may now be tracked using Find My Device, which is compatible with all Find My Device devices.
An “Unknown Device Detected,” “Unknown Accessory Detected,” “Unknown AirTag Detected,” “Unknown AirTag Found” or anything similar will appear in the message. In addition, they will show you a map of your approximate location to show you how the gadget has been following you.
However, you’ll have to determine whether the discovered gadget is indeed a danger. “Unknown Device Detected,” a notice that has shown in some claims of AirTag stalking, may simply be a misplaced pair of AirPods on your train or bus.
However, it is possible that a pair of AirPods may be used to monitor you, but it is doubtful since they cost at least six times as much as the $29. A message may appear in your iPhone notification on how to contact the owner if the legitimate owner of the AirTag, AirPods, or other tracking device has identified them as lost.
As quickly as possible, Apple intends to provide as much information as possible about what your iPhone is sensing. Some months from now, your phone will display alerts that indicate “AirPods Pro detected” if the device is likely to be an AirTag.
Regardless of whether it’s an AirTag, if the iPhone can’t determine what it’s looking at, the notice will still read “Unknown Device Detected” or “Unknown Accessory Detected.”
Notifications on your Android phone indicating an AirTag may be following you
A “tracker was identified!” notice will appear in the AirGuard app on Android. The MAC address of the discovered devices will be shown when you tap the notice (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.
Tracker Detect for Android is a stripped-down version of the iOS app. It’s up to you to start the scan manually, but if you’re leaving a busy public location like a bar, restaurant, shopping mall, or music venue, it’s a good idea to do so.
Tracker Detect will show the words “Unknown AirTag” if it detects a suspected rogue AirTag, and it will also inform you how long ago it was noticed. However, you won’t be given a map or a schedule to follow along.
Sounds that may indicate the presence of an AirTag.
If an AirTag has been disconnected from its attached iPhone or iPad for more than 24 hours, it will start chirping. Regardless of whether it’s merely misplaced or actively following you. 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. In a coat pocket, handbag, baggage or on the exterior of a vehicle, the AirTag may be difficult to hear. There is already a black market for AirTags that have been unplugged from their speakers.
In the coming months, Apple promises to make the lost-AirTag noises more identifiable, if not louder.
Actions to do in the event of the discovery of a rogue AirTag
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, defer returning home for the time being. To begin, you’ll want to look for the device and see whether it can be disabled. In the event that you’re already at home, you must locate it promptly. There are a variety of options.
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. Inside the gas-cap door or on the back of a registration plate, look for clues.)
Using the notification alerts on your iPhone, you may have it start chirping straight away if you’re using iOS 14.5 or later. With AirGuard or Tracker Detect installed, Android phones may also be set to chirp, but you have to wait a full 10 minutes to do so with Apple’s software.
From the notification screen, you may turn off the AirTag wirelessly without having to physically locate it.
For everyone else, you’ll have to track down the gadget itself, which for the time being entails listening for the chirping sounds.
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.
What to do if you come across a rogue AirTag.
Don’t destroy the AirTag after you locate it. To begin, you’ll need to locate the AirTag’s serial number, which can be determined by pressing an NFC-enabled Android phone against the AirTag with your finger.
After that, you may turn off the AirTag by pressing down on the rear panel’s centre and rotating it counterclockwise. You may remove the front panel to reveal a normal CR2302 watch battery, which can be removed in the same manner.
Disabling the AirTag (or equivalent device) may prevent its rightful owner from using Find My to find their misplaced item, therefore you should think seriously before doing this.
Besides the serial number on the rear panel, it’s also printed there. A police report containing the AirTag serial number will let Apple to hunt down its legitimate (and maybe mistaken) owner, as recommended by Apple.
Corrected: The number of methods to disable someone else’s AirTag was exaggerated in a previous version of this article. At this time, the battery is the only means to do so. There was a mistake made by Tom’s Guide.