Tech giants Apple and Google have collaborated to develop a new industry standard called “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers”. This feature will alert iPhone and Android users when an unknown Bluetooth device might be tracking them.
The feature is being rolled out with the iOS 17.5 update for Apple devices and on Android 6.0+ devices. Users will receive an “Item Found Moving With You” alert if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is detected moving with them, irrespective of the platform the device is paired with.
This development comes in the wake of numerous instances of Bluetooth trackers, such as Apple’s AirTags, being misused for stalking. To counter this, Apple released a “Tracker Detect” Android app in 2021 to help non-Apple product users identify unexpected AirTags near them. The new industry standard takes this a step further by implementing an operating system-level approach to address the issue of unwanted Bluetooth trackers.
Several Bluetooth tag companies, including Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee, have committed to making their future tags compatible with this new industry standard. Apple and Google are also working with the Internet Engineering Task Force to develop the official standard for this technology.
Read more: techcrunch.com