Apple And Google To Create Tech That Alerts iPhone And Android Smartphone Users About Unwanted Trackers

Apple and Google have agreed to work together on alerting iPhone and Android smartphone users about unwanted trackers. The two tech giants will create a "draft specification" for a standardized technology that alerts users about Bluetooth item trackers placed without their consent or knowledge.

To combat unwanted tracking by AirTags and other commonly available trackers, Apple and Google have forged a new partnership. Currently, both companies and a few others, have their own proprietary technologies, leading to incompatibility and limited scope of operation.

Apple's AirTags And Other Bluetooth Trackers Lack Cross-Platform Compatibility

Apple's AirTag is a powerful tracker, which helps locate objects, pets, and other things that can be misplaced. Several other companies, such as Samsung, Tile, and Chipolo offer their own version of Bluetooth-based trackers.

Most of these products have gradually gained the ability to alert people if they have a tracker in their close vicinity. For iPhone, Apple offers a robust set of features to thwart unwanted tracking and stalking with AirTag item trackers.

Apple's solutions, however, aren't open to third-party item tracker companies such as Tile. While Apple does offer an Android app to locate nearby AirTags, it has limited function and scope. The app doesn't scan for nearby accessories in the background. Users have to initiate a scan, and only then the app scans a user's surroundings.

Apple And Google To Jointly Develop Specification For Standardized Tracker Detection

The new technology, jointly conceptualized and developed by Apple and Google could significantly address those limitations. Enhanced cooperation could ensure that Bluetooth trackers, irrespective of the company making them, could alert people if they are being tracked.

Apple and Google have submitted a "proposed industry specification" to thwart the misuse of item trackers. The specification has been submitted as an Internet-Draft.

The technology jointly created by the two companies could allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to send alerts across iOS and Android. Companies who participate or join the Apple-Google alliance could ensure their products are compatible with unauthorized tracking detection.

Needless to add, companies including Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, Eufy, and Pebblebee have expressed interest in supporting this technology. If these companies can collaborate, any tracker could send an alert to an iOS iPhone or Android smartphone, presumably without needing a user to initiate a scan.