Identifying and Locating Hidden AirTags Around You - Insights

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

An Apple AirTag can help you keep track of your most important items like keys, wallets , remotes , and even bicycles . Bad actors can meanwhile leverage AirTags to track people without their consent , casting a shadow on their use.

Also: The best AirTag for your wallet is flat, rechargeable, and isn’t made by Apple

This is why Apple has made significant changes to how AirTags can be used. The company now gives disclosures to AirTag owners, reiterating that these trackers are only for tracking their belongings and never for unwanted tracking of others, and lets iPhone users see when an AirTag has been detected to be moving with them. In fact, both iOS and Android devices now alert their owners when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is found moving with them.

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How to know if an AirTag is tracking you

What you’ll need: To get help locating an unwanted AirTag, you’ll need an iPhone or an Android phone . We detail below what it looks like on an iPhone when an AirTag tracks you.

If you suspect someone is tracking your movements using an AirTag, your iOS or Android phone may alert you before you have to do anything. If someone is tracking you without permission, and you feel you may be in danger, contact law enforcement to get more information on the AirTag’s owner from Apple .

Also: How to clear the cache on your iPhone

1. You may receive an alert on your iPhone

If you own an iPhone, and it detects an AirTag, your phone may alert you of an “AirTag found moving with you.” This will happen if these things are true:

The AirTag is separated from its owner.
Your iPhone is awake.

This can also happen with other Find My Network accessories, like AirPods , AirPods Pro , AirPods Max , and others. AirTags, second-generation AirPods Pro, and other Find My items can all play a sound when they’re moved while separated from their owners.

This is the notification you get when your iPhone notices an AirTag is moving with you.

Apple

2. Check that your Tracking Notifications are on

If you don’t receive an alert of an unknown AirTag nearby when you know there is one, you may need to follow these steps to ensure your tracking notifications are turned on:

Go to Settings and select Privacy & Security.
Tap on Location Services and turn on Location Services.
Go to System Services.
Turn on both Find My iPhone and Significant Locations.
Go back to Settings and select Bluetooth.
Turn on Bluetooth.
Finally, go to the Find My app and tap on yourself, the Me tab.
Turn on Tracking Notifications.
Make sure Airplane Mode is off, or you won’t get notifications.

In System Services, we’re going to enable Tracking Notifications.

Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET

3. Check the Find My app

When an AirTag is separated from its owner, it may play a sound to make it easier for others to find it. If you hear an AirTag – or another sound you can’t recognize that you believe could be an AirTag – open the Find My app on your Apple device and check to see if it found an AirTag.

Also: The best Bluetooth trackers you can buy

Check your belongings for the hidden AirTag, making sure to pat down jackets and bags, and thoroughly check your pockets, purse, and wallet.

Screenshot: Maria Diaz/ZDNET

4. Play a sound on AirTag

If you’re checking the Find My app after being alerted that an AirTag is traveling with you, you can tap “Play Sound” on the device to find it more easily.

Similar to how you would track your own AirTag, you can go to the Find My app by tapping on the alert on your iPhone, tapping Continue, and then Find Nearby. Move around your space, following the steps on the screen.

Also: The best GPS trackers for kids

The “Play a Sound” option is only available to you if the AirTag owner isn’t nearby and their Apple device isn’t within range. The precision finding feature is only available on iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 models with ultra-wideband technology .

If you can’t play a sound from the Find My app, there’s a good possibility that the unknown AirTag isn’t with you anymore and your iPhone can’t find it nearby.

If an AirTag is moving with you, you should be able to check the Find My app (Map has been distorted for privacy) to see where it was detected.

Screenshot: Maria Diaz/ZDNET

5. If you find an AirTag that doesn’t belong to you, check its information

Once you have eyes on the AirTag that doesn’t belong to you, you can use your iPhone or any other NFC-enabled smartphone to see the AirTag’s information. Just hold the top of your phone near the white side of the found AirTag.

Also: How I created my own Apple AirTag with a Flipper Zero

Tap on the notification that appears to access a website with the AirTag’s serial number and the last four digits of the owner’s phone number.

If this is a lost AirTag, the owner might have added their contact information to let the finder contact them.

Tapping an Apple AirTag with an NFC-enabled smartphone will let you see its information.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

6. Disable the AirTag

Disabling an AirTag means the owner will no longer be able to see its current location or get updates for it.

To disable an AirTag, just remove its battery. You can do this by pushing down on the AirTag, twisting the cover counterclockwise, and then taking out its battery.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

If you’re concerned about unwanted tracking or fear for your safety, take screenshots throughout this process, including the device’s serial number and owner’s information, contact local law enforcement, and give the disabled AirTag to authorities.

FAQs

How to find out if an AirTag is tracking me on Android?

An unknown AirTag can move with you and send tracking data to the owner, whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone.

If you are an Android user, Google offers “unknown tracker alerts” for Android 6.0 and newer. So, if an AirTag is tracking you, your Android phone should let you know without having to install a separate Android app from the Google Play Store. This feature is available for Apple tracking devices and other Bluetooth trackers.

Also: The best AirTag accessories

If your Android smartphone detects an AirTag moving with you that has been separated from its owner, it will let you scan for the tracker and play a sound to find it – all without ever letting the owner know it’s been found.

Do AirTags have GPS?

AirTags don’t have GPS . Instead, they use the Find My network of almost 2 billion iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs . AirTag tracking works by sending anonymous Bluetooth signals that can be picked up by any of these devices within 30 feet. Then, these devices send the AirTag’s location to iCloud, allowing you to see it in your own Find My app.

Also: The best AirTag wallets

With so many Apple devices worldwide, Apple’s Find My network has become very reliable. Each Apple device is a node that grows the network, so a lost AirTag can transmit an accurate location without GPS if it’s near Find My devices.

How long does an AirTag battery last?

AirTag batteries are designed to last over a year. These trackers use a CR2032 lithium 3V coin battery that is easily replaceable by twisting open the AirTag. If you’re the AirTag’s owner, your iPhone will alert you when the battery needs to be replaced.

Can someone use another tracker to track me?

This screenshot shows a Find My notification saying my iPhone found a Eufy tracker moving with me (Map has been distorted for privacy).

Screenshot: Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Yes, other Bluetooth trackers may or may not be compatible with the Find My network. If they use the Find My network for location tracking, you’ll be notified quickly that a tracker was found moving with you, whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone.

Also: Attention Apple AirTag users: Don’t ignore this warning

Apple’s Find My network isn’t the only one with this feature. If a Samsung Tag is found moving with you, you’ll also get a notification. Google’s newer Find My feature also gives you alerts when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is found moving with you.

How do I stop an Apple AirTag from tracking me?

Removing the AirTag’s battery is the easiest way to stop it from tracking you. This will disable the AirTag, and its owner won’t be able to see any additional tracking information or get a notification that their device has been disabled. The owner may only know it has been disabled if they try tracking it on the Find My app and see it’s disconnected. The owner can also see the AirTag’s last known location.

Also: This accessory lets you add an AirTag to your Apple TV remote

The Find My network connects different iPhones and Apple devices to AirTags, to track their location. An AirTag can continue tracking you unless you disable it by removing its battery or if you permanently stay outside the Find My network, a difficult task with as many iPhone users as there are in the world.

Can anyone track my Apple AirTag?

Apple AirTags are designed to change their unique Bluetooth identifiers frequently, and the Find My network, which allows you to track AirTags miles beyond Bluetooth range, features end-to-end encryption.

Also: 10 tiny ‘everyday carry’ tools and gadgets I keep on my keychain

Although someone else won’t be able to track your AirTag, they can hear it if it’s separated from you and moving, and they can see any contact information you choose to include if the finder uses NFC.

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Identifying and Locating Hidden AirTags Around You - Insights