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Apple is finally adding alerts for “unwanted trackers”. The new feature is part of the iOS 17.5 for the iPhone. The iPhone maker appears to have intentionally timed the feature to come out right before the Android ecosystem’s AirTag-style trackers start shipping to consumers.
Apple announces iOS 17.5, bringing revamped News+ app, and more
Apple officially released the iOS 17.5 this week. The update primarily focuses on the new Apple News+ app but it does have one more important cross-platform feature.
The new Apple News+ app brings offline mode. As the name implies, it ensures users have access to the Today feed and News+ tab even without an active internet connection.
Apart from the News+ app, Apple has also reportedly included cross-platform tracking detection for iPhone users. This is the first time the iPhone maker has included alerts for undesired trackers (irrespective of the make, model, and ecosystem) that may have been planted on the iPhone user.
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Apple officially adds 'unwanted tracker' alerts in iOS 17.5 as Android trackers near – 9to5Google. https://t.co/dnXY3eJdIe #Facebook #Meta #Egener— Egener (@Egeneroficial) May 13, 2024
Apple issued a press release explaining the cross-platform tracking detection:
“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. The tracker may be 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.”
Did Apple intentionally time the release of unwanted tracker alerts?
Apple has been alerting iPhone users about suspicious trackers for quite some time. However, the feature works automatically only for Apple AirTags. For non-Apple trackers, users need to open an app and start scanning manually, which is cumbersome.
Google implemented cross-platform unwanted tracking alerts and detections for AirTags last year. The company has been continually improving the feature, and it now works with the DULT (Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers) standard.
Google and Apple deliver support for unwanted tracking alerts in Android and iOS: Google and Apple have worked together to create an industry specification – Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers – for Bluetooth tracking devices that makes it possible to… https://t.co/7SHGciSrBO pic.twitter.com/thbNg5gMuu
— Shah Sheikh (@shah_sheikh) May 13, 2024
AirTag-like trackers for Android devices should start shipping this month. Companies such as Chipolo and Pebblebee have devices that work with the “Find My Device” network. Needless to say, Apple never truly offered a reliable, always-on unwanted tracker alert system for Android users. The company did release an Android app, but only after a public outcry. Google is currently rolling out the Find My Device network to all Android users. Hence, it seems Apple may have timed the release of its cross-platform alert system for unwanted trackers.