Again in Might, Google and Apple collectively introduced that they have been teaming as much as stop undesirable monitoring by means of AirTags and related gadgets. As we speak, Google is saying that the rollout of unknown tracker alerts is now starting on gadgets working Android 6.0 and later. Proper now, this solely works with AirTags, however Google says it is working with tag producers to increase this safety to different monitoring tags over time.
Here is the way it works. If an unknown Bluetooth tracker is separated from its proprietor and decided to be touring with you, you’ll be notified in your Android machine. In the event you faucet the notification you possibly can study extra concerning the tracker and consider a map of the place it was seen touring with you. There’s additionally a “play sound” possibility that may make the tracker make a noise with the intention to find it with out the proprietor of the tracker realizing.
Moreover, once you convey the tracker close to the again of your cellphone, it would share its serial quantity or extra details about its proprietor, just like the final 4 digits of their cellphone quantity. You too can learn to disable the tracker utterly, so it can cease the proprietor from receiving any future location updates from it.
That is all meant to forestall stalking by utilizing AirTags and AirTag-like trackers, and it appears to be an excellent step in the fitting path. Google additionally constructed a guide scan characteristic that permits you to examine your environment for trackers with out having to attend for an alert.
To manually search, you want to go to Settings > Security & emergency > Unknown tracker alerts and faucet the Scan now button in your Android machine. The scan will take about 10 seconds.
Lastly, Google introduced that it is holding the rollout of its Discover My System community till Apple implements related protections in iOS. The corporate says the joint undesirable tracker alert specification needs to be finalized by the tip of this 12 months, after which the Discover My System community might be made reside.