Item trackers are meant to help find keys, bags and suitcases. But the same technology can also serve someone who wants to follow another person: a small tag hidden in a bag, car or clothing broadcasts its location through the phones of strangers passing nearby. With the launch of Google's Pixel Tag, joining Apple's AirTag and dozens of tags from other makers, it is worth knowing the tools that protect you.
On iPhone: Apple automatically alerts you when an AirTag or compatible tag that is not yours moves with you over time. The alert appears as 'Item Found Moving With You.' To make sure the protection is on, check in settings that Find My and location services are enabled and that Find My notifications are allowed. From the app you can also make the tag play a sound to find it.
On Android: Google added detection of unknown tags that also works against Apple's AirTag. In settings, under Safety & emergency or Find Hub, there is an option for unknown tag alerts, and a manual scan tool that searches for tags nearby right now. Run such a scan if you have a suspicion, for example after someone has been near your car or bag.
Found a tag? Don't throw it away immediately. Photograph it and where it was found. With most tags you can see identifying details by holding it near your phone, sometimes including part of the owner's phone number. If you fear for your safety, go to the police with the tag and the information: tracking a person without their knowledge may be a crime, and the tag itself is evidence. If there is no concern, you can disable it by removing the battery.
A final tip: these protections are good but not perfect. Counterfeit or modified tags can bypass some alerts. If something feels wrong, an unfamiliar sound from your bag or a person who always knows where you are, trust the feeling and check. A few minutes of checking beat weeks of tracking you didn't know about.
