Google is bestowing some more powers on your smartphone. Your Android phone will now be able to send you alerts in case someone has planted a tracker on you. After announcing the feature last month, Google is now finally rolling out its “unknown tracker alerts” feature to Android phones. The feature help you stay safe from unwanted Bluetooth tracking on Android.
Google’s unknown tracker alerts feature will warn users if they have an unidentified Bluetooth tracker on them. This unknown tracker can be an Apple AirTag or other Bluetooth device that is used to track people’s movements. However, the feature currently works with Apple AirTags only.
Bluetooth trackers, or tags, are small devices that can be attached to any item to help you locate them if they get lost. In some cases, it is used to track people without their knowledge.
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How does Google unknown tracker alert feature works?
The Unknown Tracker Alerts feature works by constantly scanning for Bluetooth devices in the vicinity of the user’s phone. If a tracker is detected that is not paired with the user’s phone, the phone will send an alert. The alert shows the name of the tracker, time when it was first detected, or additional information about the owner of the device, like the last four digits of their phone number.
You can also manually scan for the unknown trackers. It can be done from the Settings > Safety & emergency → Unknown tracker alerts and tap the “Scan Now” button. Your phone will in about 10 second will perform a complete scan and show you a list of trackers that are near you and are separated from their owner’s device.
Once detected, you can switch off these trackers. In some cases, these trackers can be disabled by factory reset. You can also physically disable them. This feature is currently rolling out to Android phones and is compatible with Android phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later.
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