Apple also warns within the app that if the person feels their safety is at risk because of the item tracker, they should contact law enforcement. If the tracker identified is an AirTag, Apple will offer instructions within the app to remove its battery.

It may take up to 15 minutes after a tracker is separated from its owner before it shows up in the app, Apple said. If the Tracker Detector app finds an unexpected AirTag that's away from its owner, for example, it will be marked in the app as 'Unknown AirTag.' The Android app can then play a sound within 10 minutes of identifying the tracker. The devices also use encrypted communication. Apple also touted the device's security, with frequently changing unique identifying codes for each AirTag, to deter hacking and unintended tracking.

Apple imagined the devices as an easy way to find lost keys, book bags and other objects using Apple's Find My network technology. 'If you think someone is using AirTag or another device to track your location,' the app says, 'you can scan to try to find it.'Īpple's Tracker Detect app for Android marks another effort to bolster Find My network device privacy, and comes about half a year after its AirTags went on sale for $29 apiece, or $99 for a four-pack.

The new app, which Apple released on the Google Play store Monday, is intended to help people look for item trackers compatible with Apple's Find My network. Apple has released a new Android app called Tracker Detect, designed to help people who don't own iPhones or iPads to identify unexpected AirTags and other Find My network-equipped sensors that may be nearby.

Android find my friends apple