Apple launches Tracker Detect app so Android users can find unknown AirTags that could be secretly tracking them

Apple introduced a new app on the Google Play Store for Android users called Tracker Detect. As its name suggests, its main purpose is to help Android users scan their surroundings and find out if an unknown AirTag is being used to secretly track them.

When Apple introduced AirTag last April, it meant that the use of tracking devices for everyday items would become even more popular. However, its increased popularity came with concerns that the device could be used in illicit activities, such as stalking.

The AirTag is primarily designed to be used with other Apple devices since it leverages Apple’s Find My network. So if someone were to use an AirTag to stalk a person who does not have any Apple device or use an Android phone, their chances of discovering an unknown AirTag quickly drop. But Apple aims to change that with the release of the Tracker Detect app.

The app is now available to download and install from the Play Store. It only needs 19MB of storage space and it is compatible with devices running on Android 9 and up. The official app description indicates that the Tracker Detect app can find other tracking devices aside from AirTag, as long as they are compatible with Apple’s Find My network.

Based on the screenshots provided in the Tracker Detect’s Play Store page, the app will also allow Android users to make the AirTag play a sound so they can find it easier. Upon finding an unknown AirTag, Android users can also utilize the app to identify the tracking device.

Another app screenshot shows that Android users can find out an AirTag’s serial number if they have an NFC-compatible phone. However, one downside to the Tracker Detect app is that it does not automatically scan the user’s surroundings. That means users will have to manually scan for any unknown AirTag of tracking devices nearby.

The launch of the Tracker Detect app comes less than a week after the York Regional Police in Ontario, Canada issued a warning about car thieves using AirTag to target high-end vehicles. The authorities recorded five incidents since September where small tracking devices were planted in the vehicle so perpetrators could track them.

“Brand name ‘air tags’ are placed in out-of-sight areas of the target vehicles when they are parked in public places like malls or parking lots,” the York Regional Police said in a press release. “Thieves then track the targeted vehicles to the victim’s residence, where they are stolen from the driveway.”

Photo by Anh Nhat on Unsplash