Google Rolls Out Apple AirTag Detection With Unwanted Tracking Alerts on Android Devices

Google is rolling retired its unwanted locator discovery characteristic connected Android devices, weeks aft nan institution announced nan characteristic astatine Google I/O 2023. Users who are moving caller versions of Android will person alerts erstwhile they are being tracked by an chartless Bluetooth-based tracker. The first instrumentality to beryllium supported by nan characteristic is Apple's AirTag tracker. The hunt elephantine has besides decided to region nan rollout of its upcoming Find My Device web until Apple implements protections for search devices connected iOS.

The Android shaper announced successful a blog station connected Thursday that it was rolling retired support for automatic alerts for chartless trackers connected Android devices. If your smartphone detects a adjacent instrumentality that it thinks is "traveling pinch you", past it will popular up an alert connected your screen, allowing you spot a representation of wherever nan locator has travelled pinch you. You tin besides take nan Play sound action truthful you tin easy find nan tracker.

Android's caller search protection characteristic is akin to nan protective feature introduced by Apple that warns iOS users erstwhile an AirTag that is separated from its proprietor is pursuing them. When you spot an alert astir an chartless tracker, your Android telephone will show you specifications astir nan tracker, specified arsenic nan serial number of nan device, aliases nan past 4 digits of nan telephone number of nan personification who owns nan tracker.

Once a locator is detected, your telephone will besides show you really to manually unopen it down and forestall it from search you. Similarly, you tin execute a manual scan of your surroundings. This will show you a database of trackers that not connected to their owners device, but are adjacent you. This will fto you proactively disable immoderate trackers astir you.

An alert is shown erstwhile an unwanted locator is detected

Google says that nan search protection features will beryllium disposable connected Android smartphones moving Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) aliases newer. This indicates that nan characteristic will beryllium rolled retired via Google Play Services, which is faster than relying connected Android manufacturers to rotation retired updates to their phones.

Unfortunately, this besides intends that 2.5 percent of Android users who are moving connected nan outdated Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and Android 4.4 (KitKat) will not beryllium capable to entree nan features. Apple, connected nan different hand, provides unwanted search alerts to users on iOS 14.5 aliases iPadOS 14.5 aliases newer versions.

Google besides announced that it has paused nan rollout of its Find My Device network until Apple implements akin protections for its customers. Earlier this year, Google and Apple announced nan improvement of a joint specification that would let instrumentality manufacturers to build successful protection against unwanted tracking. Android's caller chartless search protection characteristic presently useful only pinch Apple's AirTags, but nan institution says it is moving pinch different tag manufacturers to protect users from being tracked without their consent.

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