On Monday, Apple and Google collectively introduced a brand new privateness characteristic that warns Android and iOS customers when an unknown Bluetooth monitoring gadget travels with them.
Named Detecting Undesirable Location Trackers, the brand new characteristic began rolling out yesterday on Apple gadgets as a part of iOS 17.5 and to Google customers on Android 6.0+ gadgets.
This new characteristic was introduced in Might 2023, when the businesses disclosed they have been working collectively to create a joint draft specification titled ‘Detecting Undesirable Location Trackers.’
On iPhones, customers will now obtain alerts stating “[Item] Found Moving With You” if an unknown Bluetooth monitoring gadget is seen shifting with them over time, whatever the platform it is paired with. Android customers will obtain an analogous alert titled “Tracker traveling with you.”
“Apple and Google have worked together to create an industry specification — Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers — for Bluetooth tracking devices that makes it possible to alert users across both iOS and Android if such a device is unknowingly being used to track them,” reads joint bulletins from Google and Apple.
“This will help mitigate the misuse of devices designed to help keep track of belongings.”
Clicking on the alerts will show the tracker’s identifier and permit the consumer to play a noise on the tracker (if supported) to assist find it. The characteristic will even embody directions on the best way to disable the monitoring gadget.
Apple and Google say that AirTag and third-party Discover My community equipment are already appropriate with the brand new characteristic, with Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee committing to creating future merchandise appropriate as effectively.
Nevertheless, older monitoring gadgets that don’t help the specification will proceed to have the ability to observe individuals with out being detected by the brand new characteristic.
Whereas Bluetooth monitoring gadgets have authentic makes use of, they’ve additionally been abused by abusers and stalkers to trace an individual’s location with out their information.
As these gadgets are small, they’ll simply be slipped into an individual’s baggage, luggage, or jacket pockets with out their information.
Whereas Apple had beforehand included options that enable customers to search out close by AirTag gadgets that might be misused to trace people, victims reported that they have been generally warned with delays of as much as 12 hours, as a New York Instances report revealed.
