Like keys, bags, or anything else you don’t want to lose, AirTags are a very simple method to monitor your belongings. At $30 each, they’re also affordable. If you misplace anything significant, these little trackers may provide great value and help you save time, money, and anxiety. AirTags’ convenience has a downside since they make it easy for criminals to follow you as well.
Although iPhones have a built-in mechanism to alert a user if an unfamiliar AirTag is tracking them, Android phone users were first kept in the dark. Fortunately, Apple published Tracker Detect, an app for the Google Play Store to solve this problem.
Google has now created its own Find My Device system with unknown tracker identification, however some may prefer having both applications operating concurrently. Below, we’ll explain how to find an unfamiliar AirTag monitoring you and what actions you may do about it.
For more, see how Apple’s Find My stacks up against Google’s Find My Device network and eight settings you should modify after iOS 18 update.
Scan for AirTags using Tracker Detect on Android.
Free in the Google Play Store, the Tracker Detect software lets you use your Android to look for and monitor objects that operate with Apple’s Find My network, such as AirTags, and are away from their owner for at least 15 minutes. An Apple ID is not necessary.
Screenshot of Apple’s Tracker Detect app
Simply press Scan and look for neighboring AirTags.
Download Tracker Detect, enable Bluetooth, launch the app, accept the terms and conditions, then press the blue Scan button to look for close by things. Tracker Detect will ask you to provide Bluetooth access if this is your first time using the app; it need this to locate any AirTags.
Your Android phone will search for up to a minute; if it discovers an AirTag close to you, it will show as “Unknown Airtag.” Especially since the tracker has to be apart from its owner for at least 15 minutes to show, you may do the scan again if you discover nothing.
Should I report an AirTag tracking me?
Should Tracker Detect identify an AirTag following you for at least 10 minutes, the app will let you play a sound from the AirTag to help you locate the actual tracker.
Should you locate the AirTag, it’s up to you how to go on. You may touch and hold your NFC-compatible Android to the white side of the AirTag to get further information on how to return it if it is with you accidentally, meaning it is not being used to track you, and “Lost Mode” is activated.
But, should the AirTag be tracking you, touching it with your phone would allow you to see the serial number, which might be helpful if you plan to call the police and need ID verification of who could be following you. The serial number may also be found by removing the rear cover and peering inside the AirTag.
CR2032 battery with Apple AirTag
Removing the CR2032 battery disables the AirTag.
CNET’s Patrick Holland
How can I turn off an AirTag?
Tracker Detect will provide a quick but clear guide on how to turn off the AirTag and prevent it from following you:
Push down on the AirTag’s stainless steel rear cover.
Turn the lid anti-clockwise until it stops.
Let go of your fingers and the lid will fall off.
Take out the button cell battery.
Removing the battery will alert the owner that the AirTag has been turned off; hence, be careful.
Sadly, Tracker Detect misses several of the capabilities naturally present on the iPhone, most notably automated background scanning. If you are always concerned about being monitored, Tracker Detect requires you to actively search for AirTags every time, which may be annoying. But once again, Google’s Find My Device system and Android’s capacity to do this suddenly make it a little less concerning.