Google is adding a couple of new features to Android’s safety alert system that will help users find unknown trackers moving with them. The new features cover all tags and tracking devices that support Google’s Find My Device service for locating lost hardware.
The first one is Find Nearby. This one will help users locate any hidden tracker. For example, if your Android phone flashes an unknown tracker alert, you can check for its presence using the Play Sound feature.
However, if the tracker is covered under layers, or its speaker system has been tampered with, it becomes nigh impossible to find it. For such scenarios, the Find Nearby feature opens a map that guides them in the direction of the hidden device.
“The shape fills as you get closer to the tracker and also displays a text that describes the status of the connection,” explains the company on a support page. Once you reach close to the indicated spot, you can tap on the Play Sound feature and try to find it using audio cues.
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As an extra layer of precaution for such scenarios, Google will also let users disable their phone’s location sharing for the Find My Device network. This temporary pause on location sharing lasts for 24 hours. It can be done by following this path: I can’t find the tracker > Temporarily pause.
Google assures that doing so will “prevent your device’s location from being used by a detected unknown tag for up to 24 hours.” Google’s tracker alert system for Android also helps users with tracker details, such as device identifier and owner’s hidden email address, and in some cases, the last four digits of the owner’s phone number.
Google’s support page also offers a resource table where you can find steps to disable trackers from different brands, including Chipolo, Motorola, and Apple, among others. It can be accessed here.
It is advised that when you find an unknown tracking device, move to a safe public spot and alert law enforcement officials as soon as possible. Moreover, take screenshots and save details of the tracking device that appears following the initial alert.
The unknown tracker alert system developed by Google kicks into action on its own. But if you have any suspicions, you can launch a manual scan from within the Settings app by following these steps: Safety & Emergency > Unknown tracker alerts > Scan now.
Back in 2021, Apple had to release a dedicated app called Tracker Detect so that Android phones could detect hidden AirTags. Google started working on an automatic tracker detection system and released it soon after.