- Apple and Google said they are working together to prevent lost item trackers like Apple’s AirTag from being used to track people without their permission.
- Tuesday’s announcement indicates that Android phones will also soon gain the ability to warn their users if they’ve been tracked by an AirTag.
Apple AirTag
Todd Haselton | CNBC
Apple and Google said on Tuesday they are working together to prevent lost item trackers like Apple’s AirTag from being used to track people without their permission.
The companies have met to craft a new industry standard that would add the ability to alert victims to unwanted trackers in Android and iOS, the companies said.
Apple’s AirTag aims to help people find lost items like keys by showing the item’s location in near real time within the iPhone app. But there have been many reports of the $30 device being used to stalk people since it went on sale in 2021.
In response, Apple previously built detection features into iPhones that allow users to detect unfamiliar AirTags in the user’s area.
Tuesday’s announcement indicates that Android phones will also soon gain the ability to warn their users if they’ve been tracked by an AirTag.
Apple and Google said the features would be completed by the end of 2023 and then implemented “in future versions of iOS and Android.”
The change would also allow other missing items, such as those made by Samsung or Tile, to be tracked to create similar iPhone and Android alert features.