Google to soon make it easy to spot unknown trackers - Techlusive

Location-tracking tags have also raised significant safety concerns as these devices can be used to track and stalk any human without his knowledge. 

A wireless location-tracking tag such as Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag is a device that can be attached to an object or a person to track their location and movement in real-time using wireless technology. These devices are popular as they help users to track and locate missing items. 

However, location-tracking tags have also raised significant safety concerns as these devices can be used to track and stalk any human without his knowledge. 

For this reason, Apple and Google collaborated recently to make sure that phones can detect Bluetooth trackers that may be tracking a human, no matter what operating system it uses. 

Android researcher Mishaal Rahman recently shared a glimpse of how these alerts for unknown trackers will function on an Android device. 

Android's upcoming unknown tracker alerts feature, which is expected to launch later this summer, is meant to notify users of possible unwanted tracker tags nearby. The feature will work regardless of the platform and will send alerts even if they were made by Apple, Tile, Samsung, or another brand. The screenshots show how this feature will work, displaying alerts about unknown trackers and options to see more details or dismiss the alert.

"Here are some screenshots of Android's soon-to-be-released unknown tracker alerts feature, which alerts you of potentially unwanted tracker tags near you," Mishaal tweeted while sharing the screenshot. 

Here are some screenshots of Android's soon-to-be-released unknown tracker alerts feature, which alerts you of potentially unwanted tracker tags near you.

Screenshots: @AssembleDebug pic.twitter.com/zoMM8Iw1vp

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 26, 2023

This feature will automatically alert users if their phone senses an unknown tracker moving with them. Users will be able to view the device on a map, see where it has been spotted travelling with them, and play a sound on the tracker to help locate it. If users are still worried about their safety, they'll be able to read instructions to physically disable the tracker and prevent it from updating its location.

Google has also added manual scanning, so users will be able to actively look for unknown trackers that might be near them. This feature will work with many common Bluetooth trackers, including Apple AirTags and all trackers compatible with Google's new Find My Device network.

The above-mentioned unknown tracker alerts feature is in line with the Google-Apple Bluetooth tracker draft, which says that the tracker should have a "sound maker" or speaker that plays a sound when separated from the owner and a way to safely disable an unwanted tracker if you find one.

In addition to this, the draft also mentions encrypted serial number payload delivery. It means if you find a lost AirTag, you can look up the serial number to see part of the owner's identity. This is done to stop anyone from reading the owner's full details just by knowing the serial number.