A step toward the future of augmented reality and a useful tool for locating everyday items—like your lost keys or a TV remote wedged between couch cushions—AirTag-style trackers have raised significant privacy and safety concerns. Cybersecurity experts have warned that these compact devices could be misused by stalkers and others seeking to track people without their consent.
Those warnings proved prescient: multiple women reported frightening encounters in which AirTags were used as covert tracking devices, slipped into purses or taped to vehicles. Police departments across the United States issued alerts about the potential criminal misuse of AirTags. Some Apple earbuds now include similar tracking capabilities, but the higher price of those devices limits their widespread use as surreptitious trackers compared with AirTags.
Apple released firmware updates late in 2022 aimed at curbing misuse. While competitors such as Tile offer alternate tracking products, Apple’s vast ecosystem gives its device a broader reach. From the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration using them to track international drug shipments to a Texas man who used one to locate his stolen car and help apprehend a suspect, AirTags have been deployed in a wide variety of contexts.
If you worry that a hidden AirTag could be tracking your location, several signs and steps can help you detect and disable the tracker.
Signs an AirTag Is Tracking You
The type of smartphone you carry affects how easily you can detect a hidden AirTag. iPhone owners running iOS 14.5 or later should receive a push notification when an unknown AirTag is traveling with them and appears separated from its owner for an extended period. Apple does not provide an exact timeframe for when this alert is triggered.
Owners of newer iPhones should enable Bluetooth and verify relevant settings so they will receive notifications. In Settings, open Privacy & Security and ensure Location Services is turned on. Scroll to the bottom, tap System Services, and enable Find My iPhone. Open the Find My app, select Me in the lower-right corner, and tap Customize Tracking Notifications to confirm alerts are active. Also ensure Airplane Mode is off; otherwise you won’t receive notifications.
Tapping the iPhone notification about an unknown AirTag typically offers an option to play a sound on the tracker to help you locate it. Owners of newer Apple devices may also be able to use precision finding to guide them directly to the hidden device.
Months after AirTag launched, Apple released the Tracker Detect app for Android phones, which required users to initiate scans. Since then, Apple and Google have worked to improve cross-platform detection so Android phones are better at spotting unwanted AirTags and iPhones are better at detecting Android-based trackers. Google has rolled out automated warnings for unknown Bluetooth trackers similar to the alerts iPhone users receive for AirTags.
Although some guides recommend using generic Bluetooth scanners to find AirTags, experts argue this approach is unreliable. “I have tried using various Bluetooth scanners to detect AirTags, and they don’t always work,” says Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Many Americans still do not own a smartphone. Without a device, you must rely on visible and audible clues to find hidden AirTags. The tracker is a small, circular white disk slightly larger than a quarter. Several real-world incidents illustrate how easily an AirTag can be concealed: The New York Times reported that a woman found an AirTag tucked under her license plate; a video she posted documenting the discovery received millions of views online.
When AirTag first shipped, the device would emit a chirping sound if it had been separated from its owner for more than three days. Apple has since shortened that interval to 24 hours or less. Even so, relying solely on sound may not be sufficient—YouTube videos show DIY methods to disable the speaker, and briefly some sellers listed modified, silent versions of trackers on online marketplaces.
What to Do If You Find One
The most effective way to disable an AirTag is to remove its battery. To do this, place the AirTag with the metallic side displaying the Apple logo facing you, press down on the logo, and twist counterclockwise. The cover will come off, allowing you to remove the battery.
Apple’s support page recommends contacting law enforcement if you believe you are in danger. “If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local police, who can work with Apple to request information related to the item,” Apple’s guidance explains. “You may be asked to provide the AirTag, set of AirPods, Find My network accessory, and the device’s serial number.”
You can discover an AirTag’s serial number by holding the top of an iPhone or any NFC-enabled smartphone against the white side of the tracker; a web card that includes the serial number will appear. That card may also show a partial phone number for the AirTag’s registered owner if the owner has marked the item as lost and provided contact information. If you do not want to scan the tracker or cannot, the serial number is printed on the AirTag’s interior beneath the battery.
If you find a tracker and feel threatened or uncertain, contact local authorities. They can help identify the device owner and take appropriate action. Disabling the tracker by removing the battery is a quick, practical step that prevents the device from continuing to report your location while you seek further assistance.