Apple and Google launch a cross-platform feature to deal with unwanted Bluetooth trackers

Apple and Google’s long-running effort to warn people about unwanted Bluetooth trackers that may have been planted on them come to fruition. Companies have developed an industry standard called Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers. This makes it possible to alert someone via iOS or Android if they are being tracked by one of these devices.

When an unknown Bluetooth device is seen moving with someone over a period of time, they will receive an alert that says “[Item] Found Moving With You”, regardless of the platform the tracker is paired with. Apple and Google are rolling out the feature on iOS 17.5 and Android 6.0 and later devices starting today.

The companies announced a partnership to resolve this issue last May with the support of industry partners like Samsung and Tile. Apple says Chipolo, Eufy, Jio, Motorola and Pebblebee are among the companies claiming their future Bluetooth tags will work with the new standard.

Not long after Apple started selling AirTags three years ago, stories of bad actors using the devices to track people It is steal cars began to emerge. Apple got off to a quick start working on ways to make it harder for stalkers to use AirTags illicitly and improved your approach to do so over time. The company also launched an Android app in late 2021 to help people find out if an AirTag has been planted on them, but the new approach will take an OS-level approach to alerting people to unwanted trackers on both platforms.

Apple has been hit with legal challenges over AirTag harassment. In March, a San Francisco judge rejected the company’s effort to reject a class action lawsuit on the matter.

The timing of the implementation of the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers alert is intriguing. There is have been rumors for a long time that Google was working on its own Bluetooth tracker. With its I/O developer conference will take place on Tuesdayperhaps such a device is about to come to light.