This Monday, both tech giants Apple and Google officially announced that they will be rolling out a new feature that notifies users across both platforms (iOS and Android) if a Bluetooth tracking device is being used to sneakily keep tabs on them without their knowledge or consent.
This will help mitigate the misuse of devices designed to help keep track of belongings.
The proposal for a cross-platform solution was originally unveiled about a year ago by the two companies.
The capability – dubbed “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers” (DULT) – is available on Android devices running versions 6.0 and later, and on iOS devices with iOS 17.5, which was officially shipped yesterday.
As a part of the industry specs, Android users will be getting a “Tracker traveling with you” alert if an unidentified Bluetooth tracking device is detected as moving along with them over time, irrespective of the platform it’s been paired with.
While iOS users will get an “[item] Found Moving With You” message on their screens. But still, regardless of the OS, users who receive such notifications have the option to see the tracker’s identifier and play a sound to locate it, as well as access instructions to disable it.The move is in reaction to allegations that bad actors are abusing trackers like AirTags, which are frequently used as devious tracking devices by domestic abusers to stalk their victims, for nefarious or illegal purposes.
