Apple and Google are lastly teaming as much as create a means so that you can detect undesirable Bluetooth trackers (corresponding to Apple Airtags) whether or not you’re on iPhone or Android.
The pair have introduced (by way of Apple’s Newsroom (opens in new tab)) that by the partnership they’ve proposed an “business specification to assist fight the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking units.” This specification additionally has the assist of Tile (behind trackers just like the Tile Mate), Samsung (which has its Galaxy Tags ), and different manufacturers like Chipolo, eufy Safety, and Pebblebee.
Stalkers who abuse readily-available Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags to observe unsuspecting folks have turn into a serious concern for a lot of. To try to fight this Apple’s iPhones can warn you if an unknown AirTag is following you – however there’s at the moment no computerized detection for those that use a special smartphone model (although there may be an Apple Tracker Detect app on Android that lets you manually scan for AirTags).
This partnership between Apple, Google, and different firms ought to scale back the stalking dangers related to Bluetooth trackers by introducing computerized detection for a wide selection of trackers to a broader unfold of smartphones.
Presently, this initiative is in its early phases, however in keeping with the announcement we should always see one thing applied earlier than the tip of 2023.
Is a Google Tracker on the best way?
As Google is behind the widely-used Android cell working system its involvement on this Bluetooth tracker partnership might purely be as a result of the answer would must be OS agnostic – however there’s an opportunity that this partnership additionally hints at a long-rumored gadget: Google AirTags.
They wouldn’t be known as AirTags, in fact, but it surely’s lengthy been believed that Google is growing its personal Bluetooth monitoring tags to rival the units made by Apple, Tile, and Samsung. Past that, not a lot is thought concerning the Google trackers, but it surely’s believed they’ll be revealed at Google I/O 2023 subsequent week (Wednesday, Might 10).
We fortunately don’t have lengthy to attend and see if the rumors are true, however for now, we are able to recognize that the newly introduced partnership signifies that if Google’s equal of Apple’s AirTags are revealed, we received’t have to fret as a lot about in the event that they’re getting used to secretly observe us.
