According to a new APK, Google is Investigating into OS-Level Detection for Rogue AirTags and Tile Trackers.
It's possible that Google will include Bluetooth tracker detection in Android. With the increased use of gadgets like Tile trackers and Apple AirTags, there have been reports of bad actors installing one on someone else and using it to track their activities.
Apple introduced the AirTag in April of last year, and since then, it has added many more techniques to detect them. It has modified the device to play a sound if it is separated from its owner for more than 24 hours, while an iPhone would alert the user if it detects an unwelcome AirTag. Apple released an Android app in December that can scan for AirTags. Tile added a similar feature to its iOS and Android apps earlier this month.
However, there are several difficulties with the existing Android detecting algorithms. Users would need to be informed that Bluetooth trackers might be misused, as well as having programmes on their devices that can identify them. Users of the Apple and Tile apps must also manually scan for trackers, which can take up to 10 minutes.
The Android team has begun work on a tracker detection function in Play services, according to 9to5Google. The most recent APK code contains references to Tile trackers and "ATag" (likely AirTags), as well as clues that Android users may be able to ring devices that are discovered.
The function is claimed to be in early stages of development, so it will be some time before Google makes it available to the public (if at all). Automatic detection embedded into the operating system, or even a manual scanner with a warning to all users about the possibility of stalking, would undoubtedly assist in preventing people from being monitored. At Google I/O in May, we'll hopefully learn more about Google's tracker detection efforts.
