How do I find a Bluetooth tracker that’s following me?

The short answer

Your phone may already warn you. iPhone alerts to an unknown AirTag since iOS 14.5, and to any standards‑based tracker since iOS 17.5. Android 6+ has Google’s “unknown tracker alerts”. Keep Bluetooth, location and notifications on, and airplane mode off.

Scan on demand: the open‑source AirGuard app AirGuard (seemoo-lab) (Android and iOS) and, on Android for AirTags, Apple’s own Apple Tracker Detect (Android).

Found one? Make it play a sound, tap it with NFC to read owner info, screenshot everything, follow “Instructions to Disable”, and contact police if you feel unsafe — don’t just destroy it.

What the trackers are

These are coin‑sized Bluetooth tags that report their location by piggy‑backing on other people’s phones:

  • Apple AirTag — uses Apple’s Find My network (BLE service 0xFD44). The largest network, so an AirTag updates often.
  • Tile — its own network (company ID 0x00C7). Historically weaker anti‑stalking features.
  • Samsung Galaxy SmartTag — the SmartThings Find network (service 0xFD5A).
  • Chipolo and other Find My accessories — third parties that ride Apple’s network, so they look like AirTags to detectors.

You can check any Bluetooth identifier you capture against our surveillance‑signature lookup.

Built-in alerts (the first line of defence)

iPhone. Notifies you about an unknown AirTag or Find My accessory moving with you since iOS 14.5, and about any tracker that follows the cross‑platform standard since iOS 17.5. Past alerts live in Find My ’ Items ’ Items Detected With You. Apple Personal Safety

Android. Google’s unknown tracker alerts work on Android 6.0 and later and cover Find My Device‑network and compatible tags; you can also run a manual scan from Settings ’ Safety & emergency (wording varies by phone). Google: unknown tracker alerts

Requirements: Bluetooth on, location services on, tracking notifications enabled, and airplane mode off — otherwise the alerts can’t fire. Apple: unwanted tracking

Why your phone can catch a competitor’s tracker

In 2024 Apple and Google agreed a cross‑platform standard, Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers (DULT), now carried forward at the IETF. IETF DULT working group It means an iPhone can warn you about an Android‑network tracker and vice versa, and sets common rules for alerts, sounds and owner lookup. Compliant trackers from Tile, Chipolo, Pebblebee, Motorola, eufy and others are covered. The catch: a tracker that deliberately ignores the standard — or a cheap clone — may not trigger an alert, which is where manual tools come in.

Manual detection tools

  • AirGuard AirGuard (seemoo-lab) — a free, open‑source app from TU Darmstadt’s SEEMOO lab for Android and iOS. It scans continuously, catches trackers the built‑in alerts miss, and shows where a tracker was seen with you. The best general recommendation.
  • Apple Tracker Detect Apple Tracker Detect (Android) — Apple’s own Android app for finding AirTags, useful on older Android without Google’s built‑in alerts.
  • A manual Bluetooth scan — any BLE scanner app shows nearby devices; a tag that moves with you across locations is the thing to notice. Our signature lookup helps you read the IDs.
  • Hardware: if you carry a Flipper Zero, GhostTag (Flipper Zero) hunts AirTags/Tiles/SmartTags travelling with you, listen‑only. A MaxIntel Scout’s NEARBY/Trackers views do the same passively.

You found a tracker — what to do

  1. Make it play a sound. Tap the phone alert ’ Continue ’ Play Sound, or use Precision Finding on a recent iPhone, to locate it. Apple Personal Safety
  2. Read the owner info. Hold the top of any NFC phone (iPhone or Android) to the tracker; it opens a page showing the serial and the last four digits of the owner’s phone number or an obscured email.
  3. Screenshot everything — the alert, the map of where it was seen, and the owner page. This is evidence.
  4. Disable it. Follow “Instructions to Disable” in the alert (for an AirTag, twist off the back and remove the battery). Once disabled it stops reporting.
  5. If you feel unsafe, contact local law enforcement before or instead of disabling it — they can work with Apple using the serial number, and a live tracker plus its data can matter to a case. Don’t simply smash it.

Safety note. If the person placing it may be an abuser, think about timing: removing it can signal that you know. A domestic‑violence advocate can help you plan.

Sources

Read on 25 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.

  1. Apple Personal Safety: Detect unwanted trackers
  2. Apple Support: unwanted tracking
  3. Google: find and manage unknown tracker alerts
  4. AirGuard (seemoo-lab) on GitHub
  5. AirGuard project site
  6. IETF Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers (DULT) WG
  7. Apple Tracker Detect (Android)
  8. GhostTag for Flipper Zero

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if an AirTag is tracking me?

If you have an iPhone on iOS 14.5 or later with Bluetooth, location and notifications on, it will alert you when an unknown AirTag has been moving with you. You can also open the alert and make the AirTag play a sound, or scan on demand with the free AirGuard app. Past alerts appear in Find My under Items Detected With You.

Will my Android phone detect an AirTag?

Yes. Android 6.0 and later has Google unknown tracker alerts that cover AirTags and other standards-based trackers, and you can run a manual scan. On older Android, install Apple Tracker Detect or the open-source AirGuard app.

What if the tracker never plays a sound?

Some trackers have the speaker removed or disabled, which is a known abuse tactic. Rely on the phone alert, a scan with AirGuard, and the map of where the tracker was seen with you rather than sound alone. If you believe one is on you but cannot find it, contact law enforcement.

Does airplane mode stop tracker alerts?

Yes, and so does turning off Bluetooth or location. The detection needs those radios on to see the tracker and to know it is following you, so leave them enabled if you are worried about being tracked.

Can a phone detect a Tile or Samsung SmartTag, not just an AirTag?

Increasingly, yes. The Apple and Google cross-platform standard, DULT, means compliant trackers from Tile, Samsung, Chipolo and others can trigger alerts on either platform. A tracker that ignores the standard may not, which is why a manual scan with AirGuard is a good backup.

Is it legal to disable a tracker I find on my things?

Removing a tracker someone hid on you or your vehicle is generally reasonable, and Apple provides disable instructions. But preserve evidence first and, if you feel unsafe, involve police before destroying it, since the device and its data can support a stalking case. Laws vary, so this is not legal advice.

Next step

Turn on the alerts, then scan. Make sure Bluetooth, location and tracking notifications are on, install the free AirGuard app, and check any Bluetooth ID you capture in our signature lookup.

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