Android Beefs Up Bluetooth Tag Stalker Protections

Google is rolling out two new features to help Android users evade stalkers who abuse Bluetooth tags to surreptitiously track them.

The Temporarily Pause Location feature lets users halt location updates sent to Bluetooth trackers via their phone for up to 24 hours. In Google's view, this will allow users to quickly take action against a tag without having to stop and search for a hidden device, which may compromise safety.

When users feel safe enough to search for the device, the Find Nearby feature is introduced to help locate it. Android users could already activate a sound on a tracker placed on them, but the feature employs a visual aid – a shape that fills as the user nears the tracker – to simplify locating it. A text prompt will also describe the status of the connection to the tag.

Both features build on the existing protections Google has made available to users for years, more of which it said will continue to be rolled out over time.

However, these features work exclusively with trackers compatible with Android's Find My Device Network, which launched earlier this year after much anticipation and was met with its fair share of naysayers.

Critics' main gripe was that the network defaulted to activation only in high-traffic areas, although this can be manually changed to enable it everywhere. It meant tracker locating performance was limited in low-density areas.

Another issue lies in the limited number of devices compatible with the network. Only Pebblebee tags and Chipolo ONE Point and Chipolo CARD Point devices are fully compatible, benefiting from the bonus features that come with it.

Apple's AirTags, among the most popular devices of their kind, are compatible but with limitations. Android users will be alerted if an AirTag is being used to track them, but the Find My Device Network features announced this week, for example, won't work.

Other network features include gathering additional data about the tracker device itself. Once located, users can hold the tag near the back of their Android phone to retrieve data like the device identifier and the owner's hidden email address. The data can be saved via screenshots and forwarded to law enforcement in extreme cases.

Both Apple and Google have been working for well over a year on a common device specification to allow trackers from all manufacturers to benefit from the advanced features on their respective networks.

Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers – the proposed specification name – was rolled out in May 2024 and Apple said that devices made by major players such as Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee will adopt it in the future.

Serious and ongoing concerns

Consumer-grade Bluetooth trackers have been on the market for over a decade, but it was the release of Apple's AirTags in 2021 that renewed concerns about people's safety.

• Woman uses AirTags to nab alleged parcel-pinching scum
• Organized crime and domestic violence perps are big buyers of tracking devices
• Google, Apple gear to raise tracking tag stalker alarm
• Three dozen plaintiffs join Apple AirTag tracking lawsuit in amended complaint

It took just over a year before the very worst offenses were carried out with the assistance of the tags, which were designed to help locate lost keys and pets.

Andre Smith was killed by his ex-girlfriend who tracked him using an AirTag concealed within his car's bodywork. She would go on to be sentenced to 18 years in prison for manslaughter.

Numerous other grisly cases have been reported over the years, from women stalked after separating from their partners, to celebrities tracked while on holiday. Charities such as Refuge and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust have reported an uptick in reports of AirTag and other Bluetooth tracker abuse since.

Apple has routinely and vehemently condemned abuse of AirTags. It said in a 2022 statement: "Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many."

Apple's anti-tracking features mirror Android's in that not all tags work with its Find My network. Tags adhering to the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers standard but not compatible with Find My will also trigger unwanted tracking notifications on iOS 17.5 or newer. ®