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| Apple launched an Android app to find AirTags |
Apple has released a new Android app called Tracker Detect, which is designed to help people who don't have an iPhone or iPad identify unexpected AirTags and other Find My equipped sensors that may appear nearby.
Apple's new app on the Google Play Store is designed to help people find Find My Network compatible article trackers.
The app says, if you think someone is using AirTag or other devices to track your location, you can scan to find them.
Another attempt to improve data protection for "Find My" network devices is the Tracker Detect app for Android. About six months later, the AirTag sold for $29.
Apple makes these devices an easy way to find lost keys and other things with Find My Network technology.
The company is also enhancing device security and frequently changing the unique identifier code for each AirTag to prevent hacker attacks and accidental tracking.
These devices also use encrypted communication. For example, if the Tracker Detector app finds an unexpected AirTag far from its owner, it will be flagged as an unknown AirTag in the app.
Then the Android app can play a sound within 10 minutes of recognizing the tracker. Apple said that once the tracker is separated from its owner, it can take up to 15 minutes for it to appear in the app.
If the specific tracker is AirTag, Apple provides instructions on how to remove the battery in the app. The company also warned in the app that a person should contact law enforcement if their safety feels threatened by an object tracker.
Apple makes good on its privacy promise
"AirTag offers advanced data protection and security features," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. We're expanding our new functionality to Android devices. Tracker Detect allows Android users to search for AirTag or Find My supported trackers that can be taken with them without their knowledge. We are working to improve data protection standards for our users and we hope more will follow.
Privacy advocates warned earlier this year that AirTag could be used to track and trace people.
Critics point out that the situation is the same where the Find My network has one billion active iPhones and other devices that subscribe to AirTags or the location of other Find My devices nearby. Its coverage can be greater than any other device tracking service.
They also noted that Apple issued an active warning to nearby AirTag on iPhone. But it did not support other phones at that time.
In June, the company updated AirTag with new software designed to prevent abuse. It does this by setting the delay before AirTag reminds non-owners of its existence and shortening it to 8-24 hours instead of three days.
The Tracker Detect app requires the user to actively search for the device to be detected. The company does not require users to have an Apple account to use the Tracker Detect app.
When AirTag Tracker is in loss mode. Anyone with an NFC-enabled device can touch it and receive instructions on how to return it to its owner.
The company said all communications are encrypted so that no one, including Apple, knows the location or identity of people or their devices.