Google is working on automatic smart tag detection for Android
Google is working on automatic tracker detection for Android. It’s a feature that allows your phone to detect if there’s an unrecognized smart tracker near your phone for prolonged time.
This feature prevents malicious people from installing smart trackers, such as Tile’s trackers or Apple’s AirTags on uninformed individuals and using them for their location.
The functionality was discovered by 9to5Google after decompiling the Play services APK. The code revealed the line Unfamiliar device alerts, followed by a Unfamiliar Tag Detected Notification with three smart tag options – Tile tag, Finder tag and ATag – two of those are clearly aimed at Apple’s AirTags and Tile’s trackers, we haven’t a clue what Finder refers to.
If your phone sees an unidentified tag near you, it may be able to call it and inform you.
Apple already has this functionality built into iOS, where an AirTag will play a sound if it’s separated from its owner for more than 24 hours. Both Apple and Tile have Android apps that can detect an unauthorized smart tag near your phone – but those require manual scanning and it could take up to 10 minutes.
Having automatic detection in Android is the best option. We expect Google to share more about the feature at its I/O conference in May.
