Detecting unwanted trackers

Unwanted tracking notification software availability:

• Unwanted tracking notifications for AirTags and other Find My accessories are available on iPhone or iPad with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, or later.

• Unwanted tracking notifications for unknown Bluetooth tracking devices that are compatible with the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers industry specification are available on an iPhone with iOS 17.5 or later.

• Google provides unwanted tracking detection on devices with Android 6.0 or later. Those with earlier operating systems can update or use the Tracker Detect app.

To receive unwanted tracking notifications on an iPhone or iPad with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, or later, make sure that you:

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, and turn Location Services on.

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, and turn Find My iPhone on.

• Go to Settings > Bluetooth, and turn on Bluetooth.

• Go to Settings > Notifications > scroll down to Tracking Notifications, then turn on Allow Notifications.

• Turn off airplane mode. If your device is in airplane mode, you don’t receive tracking notifications.

Follow these steps to find the item:

1. Tap the notification.

2. Tap continue and then tap Play Sound, or, if available, tap Find Nearby to use Precision Finding to help you locate the unknown item.

   

If the option to play a sound isn’t available or if you’re unable to locate the item with Precision Finding, the item may not be near you anymore. If you believe the item is still with you, look through your belongings to try to locate it. Check on your person, or in anything in your possession that could contain the device. It could be in an item that you don’t check often, like a jacket pocket, the outer compartment of a bag, or your vehicle. If you can’t find the device and if you feel your safety is at risk, go to a safe public location and contact law enforcement.

Follow these steps to get information about it:

1. Hold the top of your iPhone or near the item until a notification appears.

2. Tap the notification. This opens a website that provides information about the item, including:

   • Serial number or device ID

   • Last four digits of the phone number or an obfuscated email address of the person who registered it. This can help you identify the owner, if you know them.

3. If the owner marked the item as lost, you might see a message with information about how to contact the owner.

IMPORTANT: Before making changes, consider potential impacts to your safety and privacy. If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement. If the item is an Apple product, law enforcement can work with Apple to request information related to the item. You may need to provide the AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory, and the device’s serial number.

1. Take a screenshot of the item and owner information for your records.

2. Disable the device and stop it from sharing it’s location by tapping Instructions to Disable and following the on screen steps.

3. If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement. If the item is an Apple product, law enforcement can work with Apple to request information related to the item. You may need to provide the AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory, and the device’s serial number.

After the item is disabled, the owner can no longer get updates on its current location. You will also no longer receive any unwanted tracking notifications for this item.

See the Find Unknown Trackers support page for more information on how to check for unwanted tracking on Android devices.

When moved, any AirTag separated for a period of time from its owner makes a sound to notify those nearby. If you find an AirTag after hearing it make a sound, you can use any device that has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, such as an iPhone or Android phone, to see if its owner marked it as lost and help return it.

IMPORTANT: If you feel your safety is at risk, you can contact your local law enforcement, who can work with Apple. You may need to provide the AirTag or its serial number.

If you try to set up AirPods, an AirTag, or another Find My network accessory and see a message that it’s paired to another Apple Account, the device or item needs to be removed from that Apple Account first. To learn more about removing or unpairing your item or device, or to set it up with a different Apple Account, see the Apple Support article If an item or device is connected to another Apple Account.

Item Sharing allows AirTag owners to share the item with up to five people at a time. Borrowers can:

• See the location of the AirTag in Find My

• Use Precision Finding to locate the AirTag

• Play a sound if the AirTag is lost

• Be notified when someone new has joined the sharing group

• See each member of the sharing group’s Apple Account or Contact Information if the other member is saved to their Contacts

Because everyone in the sharing group can see the location of the AirTag, unwanted tracking notifications for that AirTag are suppressed for all sharing group members. When someone leaves the sharing group or when the item owner removes them from the group, they’re unable to view the location of the AirTag, and unwanted tracking notifications resume.

To learn more, see Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone in the iPhone User Guide.

If you want to remove yourself from a sharing group, you can use Find My or Safety Check.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check.

2. Tap Manage Sharing & Access.

3. Tap Items > Stop Sharing.

To remove yourself using Find My:

1. Open the Find My app .

2. Tap Items, then tap the item you’d like to remove yourself from.

3. Tap Remove.

To remove yourself using Safety Check:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check.

2. Tap Manage Sharing & Access.

3. Tap Items > Stop Sharing.

As an owner, you can remove other people from a sharing group using Find My.

1. Open the Find My app .

2. Tap Items, then tap the item name.

3. Tap the name of the person you want to stop sharing with.

4. Tap Remove > Stop Sharing.

As an owner, you can remove other people from a sharing group using Safety Check.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check.

2. Tap Manage Sharing & Access > Continue.

3. Tap the name of the person you want to stop sharing with, then tap Review Sharing.

4. Tap Items, then tap Stop Sharing.