Good news! Android users can now detect Apple AirTag tracking with AirGuard app!

Apple AirTag has become a threat due to its misuse by some miscreants. But now Android users too can detect the unwanted AirTag around them.

Apple AirTag can be detected by AirGuard app. (Jhinuk Sen/HT Tech)

Apple AirTag has proved to be a boon as well as a bane for some users! Why? Reason is simple, even good things can be put to bad use. AirTag is a great accessory that helps users keep track of their personal items such as keys, wallets, purse, luggage, or anything else that they want through the Apple Find My app. But it also brings along the ability to track people- stalking is what we are referring to here! Even the iPhone maker has accepted that the misuse of AirTags is happening in a statement that it released, “AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person's property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.” Well, Apple took measures to curb the misuse of AirTag by implementing and bringing safety measures with iOS 15.4 beta 4 which alerts users that the accessory has been linked to their Apple ID.

But for Android users, it still seems difficult to tackle Apple's AirTag tracking. But now, a small team of researchers from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany launched an app for Android users which will provide protection from AirTag tracking. AirGuard app is a fully automatic and passive detection anti-tracking solution, which scans the surrounding of the user and tries to find the any tracking devices. There was an Apple app dubbed ‘Tracker Detect' for Android users that was released back in December 2021 and is available on Google PlayStore. But there were problems with the app. It seems it didn't work well with the users as the app got 1.8 rating on the app store along with some bad reviews.

So how is AirGuard app different from ‘Tracker Detect' app? How does it work? Have a look here..

How AirGuard app works

The AirGuard app uses Bluetooth scans of the Android smartphone to find AirTags and Find My trackers and every tracker found will be saved locally on the Android device. Whenever a tracker is detected multiple times through the app, it will recognize it. Additionally, the app compares the locations where the tracker has been detected. If a tracker is detected at least 3 times and the locations have changed, then the app will sends a notification to the user. Besides that, if the trackers is an AirTag, then users can play a sound to find it.