Apple and Google have developed a specification to help users detect unwanted Bluetooth trackers, a growing problem for individuals and law enforcement alike.

Apple unveiled AirTag in early 2021 as a way for users to easily keep track of items that are easily lost. Unfortunately, the devices quickly “the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers” who used them to track their victims. A lawsuit filed in late 2022 described the extent of the issue:

One of the products that has revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking is the Apple AirTag. Introduced in April 2021, this device is roughly the size of a quarter, and its sole purpose is to transmit its location to its owner.

What separates the AirTag from any competitor product is its unparalleled accuracy, ease of use (it fits seamlessly into Apple’s existing suite of products), and affordability. With a price point of just $29, it has become the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers.

With Google unveiling its own network designed to rival Apple’s Find My capabilities, the two companies have been working together to make it easy for users to know when they are being tracked against their will. Apple outlined the new feature in a post on its site:

Apple and Google have worked together to create an industry specification — Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers — for Bluetooth tracking devices that makes it possible to alert users across both iOS and Android if such a device is unknowingly being used to track them. This will help mitigate the misuse of devices designed to help keep track of belongings. Today Apple is implementing this capability in iOS 17.5, and Google is now launching this capability on Android 6.0+ devices.

With this new capability, users will now get an “[Item] Found Moving With You” alert on their device if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is seen moving with them over time, regardless of the platform the device is paired with.

If a user gets such an alert on their iOS device, it means that someone else’s AirTag, Find My accessory, or other industry specification-compatible Bluetooth tracker is moving with them. It’s possible the tracker is attached to an item the user is borrowing, but if not, iPhone can view the tracker’s identifier, have the tracker play a sound to help locate it, and access instructions to disable it. Bluetooth tag manufacturers including Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee have committed that future tags will be compatible.

While competing companies within the tech industry don’t always work well together, it’s good to see Apple and Google cooperating on such an important issue.