The release of Apple’s AirTag has greatly expanded the market for Bluetooth trackers, but it has also exposed some undesirable applications. Criminals have begun secretly placing these devices in victims’ cars or bags, using them as stalking tools, despite their intended purpose of assisting people in keeping track of their possessions, including pets. The tech giants, Google and Apple, have been working together to develop a unified industry standard against unknown trackers because the warning signs have been going off for a while. They may soon release this standard.
The Cupertino company implemented patented countermeasures at the beginning of the year that were specifically intended to prevent the use of AirTags in the context of stalking, as those of you who have followed the earlier installments of this significant and complex tale will undoubtedly recall. The complexity of these countermeasures, however, made it challenging to duplicate them using third-party Bluetooth trackers and in an Android environment.
During Google I/O 2023, the host revealed a pivotal moment: Google and Apple were collaborating to develop a unified standard that would be compatible with both iOS and Android, applying to all trackers on the market, regardless of brand. Note that we are simply discussing a portion of the problem’s answer, even in this instance.
Nevertheless, the much anticipated advancements could soon arrive: Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers is a particular standard that was initially discovered by the tipster, Mishaal Rahman, in the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) database. That is the exact final component Apple needed to get ready to release its own version of this crucial feature. With the year almost gone, it is quite likely that the more sophisticated Find My Device network for Android and iOS unidentified tracker detection will only be available in 2024. Since we are very close to the mentioned time frame, this will not look like a long wait.
