Android now helps locate unknown Bluetooth trackers

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On the positive side, Bluetooth trackers make it easy to locate your bag or keys once they go missing; on the negative side, the gadgets have placed anonymous tracking tools in the hands of individuals who could misuse them. Both Apple and Google have added tracker alerts that inform users there is an unknown device nearby, but as part of a new update, Google is now allowing Android users to find those trackers too.

The feature is one of two new tools Google is bringing to trackers compatible with Find My Device. The first is “Temporarily Pause Location,” which you are supposed to activate when you receive a notification about an unknown tracker. It prevents your phone from relaying its location to trackers for one day. The second button, “Find Nearby,” allows you to determine where the tracker is if you cannot see it or hear it easily.

When you want to check out an unknown tracker notification, you’ll be able to see on a map where the tracker was last seen moving with you. From there one can play a sound to see if one can find it Pure stock image Google says the owner will not be notified. If for some reason you cannot see it on the map, Find Nearby will connect your phone to the tracker through Bluetooth and the shape will begin to fill in the more you get closer to it.

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It works in the same way Google provides for searching for trackers and devices you own, but usefully, you don’t necessarily have to use Find My Device or own a tracker. Just like with Google’s first notifications feature, any device running Android 6.0 and up can handle unknown Bluetooth trackers without issue.

The only thing that appears to be missing was already addressed yesterday in your Find Nearby idea, making Google the last place anyone needs to go to stop Bluetooth tracker abuse something Apple includes with its Precision Finding feature for its AirTags. The companies came out with a public list of signals for detecting what appears to be an unknown Bluetooth tracker, for both Android and iOS, in May 2024, after the introduction of Google’s Find My Device network in April. Google and Apple had their ways of handling the issue of unknown trackers before then to stop trackers from being used for everything including robbery and stalking.