What you need to know
- Apple launches Tracker Detect app for Android phones.
- The app will allow Android phones to locate AirTags and other Find My devices.
- The app includes instructions on removing the battery from an AirTag.
Six months after announcing that it was working on a privacy app for Android users, Apple has finally released its Tracker Detect app aimed at locating unknown AirTags.
The new app, which was first spotted by CNET, works by allowing owners of the best Android phones to scan for nearby trackers that are separated from their owners. The app can help users locate the tracker by prompting it to play a sound at least 10 minutes after being separated.
If you think the AirTag is being used to track you, the app includes instructions on how to disable it by removing the battery. Otherwise, if the tracker is in Lost Mode, users can tap the tracker with their NFC-enabled phone, and it will present the owner's contact details.
Source: Play Store
The new app is a response to privacy concerns that arose after Apple launched the new item tracker earlier this year, with many fearing that the tracker could be used as a way to silently stalk people.
Apple has since been working to address privacy concerns and updated the AirTag to reduce the time it took to ring an alert when it's away from its owner. This makes it easier for anyone to be alerted of any unknown AirTags that might be nearby.
With the new Tracker Detect app, Apple is giving Android users more power to find nearby AirTags without waiting for an automatic alert.
"AirTag provides industry leading privacy and security features and today we are extending new capabilities to Android devices," an Apple spokesperson told CNET in a statement. "Tracker Detect gives Android users the ability to scan for an AirTag or supported Find My enabled item trackers that might be traveling with them without their knowledge. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow."
Tracker Detect is available now on the Play Store and can locate any tracker connected to Apple's Find My network.
Stop following me
Apple's new Tracker Detect app is a handy tool that lets Android users scan for nearby AirTags that are away from their owners. This will make it easy for users to determine if they're being tracked.
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