1 yr. ago • 97%

AirTag stalking protection is live on Android — here’s how to set it up

www.tomsguide.com AirTag stalking protection is live on Android — here’s how to set it up

Android users finally have a tool to fight AirTag stalking

77 comments

Google took its time stepping up, but it’s better late than never

So Apple completely fails to give any kind of fuck that some people don't use their products but might be affected by them... and Google is the bad guy for not being timely enough to account for Apples douchebaggery? I mean, I'm no google fanboy, but jesus christ that's some shitty logic.

217
- Apple created an app to detect airtags for Android but...
  
  It takes 2 full minutes to do a scan (only manual scans are supported)
  
  For some reason you need to wait a timer of TEN FUCKING MINUTES before make the tracker beep (close the app and you need to wait the ten minutes again)
  
  It's the most minimum viable product that they could ship, I think the long waits are all artificial because there's no way that someone actually waits all that time each time that wants to check if he's stalked by an airtag. It's clearly designed for compliance "see? We made a detection app for Android users" and not for being actually used
  
  107
  
  Any form of Android compatibility must be maximally enshittified to encourage switching -- see iMessage. Unless of course it generates revenue for Apple -- see Apple Music. Not being stalked/murdered using Air Tags does not generate revenue for Apple: next time buy an iPhone.
  
  45
  
  The waits are by design. Without them, it would be trivial to find an airtag in something you are going to steal and remove it.
  
  22
- Google took its time stepping up, but it’s better late than never
  
  And Google is postponing the launch of their trackers compatible with Google Find My network (Chipolo Point, PebbleBee) because Apple didn't get around with adding stalking detection for these in time.
  
  In this case if someone needs to step up and get their shit together, it's Apple.
  
  22
Google has already confirmed that Unknown Tracker Alerts is only compatible with AirTags for the time being, but didn’t specify why

It would seem like the “why” is pretty obvious. Most active iPhones now have AirTag tracking installed on them. That’s not the case for trackers like Tile.

That means Apple has the biggest tracking network right now. It dwarfs the others. FindMy network devices should be the clear priority. They’re more precise, encounter fewer dead zones, and in other words, are likely a stalker’s preferred tracker.

36
- Don't you have it backwards? It's not the phones, its the trackers.
  
  And the obvious reason is apple and google built it, so of course Tile is behind. If google already had trackers, that sentence would say AirTags and googleTags*
  
  7
  
  Tile is not as useful if you are trying to stalk someone because its network is much, much smaller. Therefore it is less dangerous than the Airtags.
  
  8
  
  That is also likely a factor. There are more AirTags in the wild than Tiles.
  
  That said, my point is that AirTags present more risk because they’re a better product. And they’re a better product because of the substantially bigger network.
  
  3
  
  You mean AITags?
  
  1
- Think they're referring to Tile tags.
  
  3
  
  I am as well. AirTags have outsold Tile significantly, and they’re waaaay more accurate because of the much bigger network.
  
  3
- I fail to understand where the "why" comes in. You gave some disparate conclusions. yes airtag is installed on iPhone and tile isn't. So what? Yes, airtags is a big network. Again, I repeat, so what? Are you saying they did the largest network first? Whatever it is, you forgot to state the obvious part of your claim. It definitely isn't obvious.
  
  2
  
  I think the thing is that, in order to have a successful and reliable Tile network, you need as much people as possible to install the Tile app so their phones can communicate with their trackers.
  
  Whereas with Find My, you have everybody’s Apple devices being part of the network without them doing anything, their devices just do it, without intervention from other users. That’s a massive advantage for Apple’s offering.
  
  On similar note, if Google comes up with something similar where they can leverage all of the Android devices out there, it’d be an enormous network.
  
  6
  
  My point is that AirTags are more dangerous from a stalking perspective compaired to Tiles. AirTags provide much more precise tracking data than a product like Tile. And they provide more precise data because of the much bigger client network.
  
  0
I can't find it on Android 12

It is following the usual Google release schedule "USA first, fuck the rest of the world"?

Also, is it possible to dismiss warnings like "I know, that's mine"?

Edit: after a reboot I got the option in settings

21
- I think this is a rare time that Google remembers the rest of the world exists. In here in Hungary, android 13, and the setting was available and was already on.
  
  13
- I don't have it, Germany, on Android 12.
  
  (edit)
  Nevermind, showed up after a restart, so I guess it was just waiting to install the relevant google service update.
  
  12
  
  Cool, I just rebooted and now I have it too, thanks
  
  3
- I have it, and I'm not in the US.
  
  7
Been using this open source app for a while now. AirGuard

16
- Seems to be pretty good, it found my tiles I have. Not bad!
  
  1
I got an alert yesterday when I traveled by Bus. I see false positives scaring people using public transport.

10
- Shouldn't really happen because it only alerts for Airtags that are not with their owner. Then again, they only just released the ability to share an Airtag among multiple iPhone users, so false positives in public transport could be shared Airtags that are with people who haven't set up that feature yet.
  
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  Permanently Deleted
  
  3
  
  AirTag sharing is in iOS 17 which isn’t released yet
  
  1
Didn't need to set up anything, it was on and worked by default.

10
This is great! My phone doesn't get updates very often, but this feature is already available and was turned on by default. (Moto G31)

6
- Yep, it was enabled by default on my Pixel 6 Pro, too. Glad to see that it's on by default, and not something that only a savvy user would ever find to enable on their own.
  
  6
This is fantastic

5
Pixel 4xl. Don't have it.

4
- Your Google Play Services might not have updated yet.
  
  2
Restarted my phone, but s21u in Australia - can't find the setting. I'm updated on everything on gplay and sappstore so... 🤷🏻‍♀️

3
I was waiting for Google tags to put one in my bike and car as an andi-theft measure instead of paying for GPS services (for my car only). But I see that it will soon be completely unusable for such a use case....

2
I thought there was already an app for this? Good that it's a default part of Android now though

2
- There's AirGuard. A FOSS app that detects more than AirTags.
  
  12
- Yea but now it'll be turned on by default on newer androids
  
  4
available on Samsung devices running OneUI 5.1.1, like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but not those running OneUI 5.1 like the Galaxy S23

I have the setting on Galaxy A34 running latest stable firmware with OneUI 5.1, but it is called "notifications for unknown bluetooth trackers", slightly different from the post.

0
Tapping the AirTag icon on the screen will bring up information about the tracker in question — including a button to make it Play sound to help you track down its exact location.

This doesn’t seem like a good thing to have the ability to do? You can just click search and then force any AirTag that you find to play a noise?

-1
- I think i get what you're stabbing at. This could be used as a nuisance for everyday normal air tag users. Pranks in class or wherever... in the end, it's the few stalkers that ruined air tags for everyone.
  
  3
  
  Bingo.
  
  Reading some other comments it appears that maybe you can only do this to airtags that aren’t currently “with” the owner at the time, but I can’t confirm.
  
  3
- AirGuard, the android app, seems to have this ability too but tbh I have never had the chance to play a sound on the train. You have to be in range for I think at least 15 minutes before you can ring a tag
  
  2
  
  Still not great. Means anyone in a classroom, a plane, a train, a stadium, a workplace, etc can just start setting off AirTag at will.
  
  1
Why should I use my battery and my electricity bill to fix an Apples issue?

Apple has to address the issue with they money. If they can't fix it as people are using the product correctly (tracking), they shut it down as a temporary or permanently solution.

-2
- I'm not sure what you're expecting Apple to do or why you think they'd want to just shut something down entirely because some people misuse it. Misuse applies to nearly everything.
  
  7
  
  Im expecting nothing coming from them. They don't care about privacy and personal datas. Otherwise, they would have fixed it.
  
  The misuse was clear from the beginning. They knew about this type of misuse. But, they make money on this service and this matters to them.
  
  We come back to the regulation problem. We need more regulations on these topics.
  
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- Permanently Deleted
  
  1
- They're not going to do that.
  
  1

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