AirTags burst onto the scene in 2021 as one of Apple’s most useful inventions in recent years. The small Bluetooth trackers allow you to locate lost items like luggage, keys, and even pets if you attach an AirTag to their collar.
However, it soon became apparent that these convenient tracking devices could also be used for more nefarious purposes.
AirTags and other Bluetooth trackers opened up new ways for stalkers to secretly track potential victims without their consent.
By slipping a small tracking device into someone’s bag or vehicle, stalkers could monitor their target’s location and movements. This emerging threat led Apple to develop anti-stalking measures in AirTags – but these measures are only useful if you have an iPhone.
The Problem of Cross-Platform Tracking Protection
There are many types of Bluetooth trackers beyond just AirTags, leaving Android users and those without iPhones vulnerable to unwanted tracking.
Industry leaders Apple and Google recognized the need to collaborate to close the gap. Earlier this year, at Google I/O 2023, Google and Apple announced that they were working together in a rare joint effort in order to reign in unwanted tracking via Bluetooth tags like AirTags, whether you have an Android or an iOS device.
Major tracker makers like Tile, Samsung, and Chipolo signed on to the collaborative effort to expand Bluetooth tracker protections. The announcement earlier this year was welcome news in the ongoing effort to balance convenience and privacy.
However, in the months since, there has been little word on the status of implementing the new standard.
Signs of Progress Towards Expanded Tracker Protections
This week brought new signs of progress, according to tech journalist Mishaal Rahman. He reported that version 01 of the specification for “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers” has been uploaded to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
Version 01 of the "Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers" specification has just been uploaded to the IETF! This is the unwanted tracker specification that Google and Apple are jointly developing.
Google already rolled out unwanted tracker alerts in Android earlier this year,… https://t.co/gK4pFEIuPy pic.twitter.com/g4w3JBZSDf
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) December 20, 2023
The upload indicates that Apple is potentially waiting for the standard to be finalized before rolling out enhanced anti-stalking measures to AirTag users. Meanwhile, Google says that it’s waiting on Apple to do that before it rolls out the Find My Device Network on Android.
The new cross-platform standard promises to greatly expand defenses against unwanted tracking by applying protections uniformly across iPhone and Android users.
While the timeline for implementation remains unclear, the latest update suggests expanded Bluetooth tracker protections could arrive in 2024.
As device tracking technology continues to advance, it’s encouraging to see industry leaders tackle potential misuse while preserving innovations that customers have come to rely on.
The years ahead are likely to strike an improved balance between enabling convenience and prioritizing user privacy.
