Unknown tracker alerts on iPhone and Android
Last checked: 23 Oct 2026
iPhones and Android phones can warn you when someone else's Bluetooth tracker, such as an AirTag, seems to be moving with you. Often there's an everyday reason. Here's what the alerts mean, how to find the tracker, and who to contact if you're worried. To check who can see your own location, see location history.
If you feel your safety is at risk: Apple and Google both say to go to a safe public place and contact the police. Apple says the police can ask it for information about an Apple tracker, so keep the tracker and its serial number if you can. In the UK, both point to Refuge, which runs the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. In the US, they point to the Safety Net Project, and Apple also to the National Center for Victims of Crime.
What the alert means
The alert appears when a tracker that's away from its owner has been seen moving with you over time. Apple and Google both say it may be on something you've borrowed, such as keys or a bag. Google adds that it may belong to someone you're travelling with, and Apple says borrowed AirPods can set it off.
The alert opens a map. Apple says the red dots show where the tracker was detected near you, not when its owner looked at its location. Google says the same: you can't tell when the owner checked.
Turning off Bluetooth or location on your own phone, or switching on aeroplane mode, doesn't stop the tracker sharing its location. Apple and Google both say so. An AirTag that's been away from its owner for a while also beeps by itself when it's moved.
iPhone and Android alert each other's trackers
Apple says it worked with Google on a shared standard so that people on both iPhone and Android can be alerted. Google says Android's alerts work with Apple AirTags and with trackers and headphones that use its own Find Hub network.
On an iPhone
Apple says you need iOS 17.5 or later for alerts about trackers made by other companies (iOS 14.5 for AirTags and other Find My items). The alerts you might see include "AirTag Found Moving With You", "AirPods Detected", "[Product name] Found Moving With You" and "Unknown Accessory Detected".
iPhone: make sure alerts can reach you
- Location Services
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → OnNeeded for tracking notifications.
- Significant Locations
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations (or Significant Locations & Routes) → OnApple says this lets you be notified when you arrive at a significant location, such as your home.
Apple's tracker article calls it Significant Locations; Apple's iPhone User Guide for the latest iOS calls it Significant Locations & Routes. Apple's Personal Safety guide names a different switch on the same screen, Find My iPhone, so it's worth checking both are on.
- Bluetooth
Settings → Bluetooth → OnYour iPhone finds trackers over Bluetooth.
- Tracking Notifications
Settings → Notifications → Tracking Notifications → Allow Notifications → OnLets the alerts appear.
Apple also says to keep Airplane Mode off: you won't get tracking notifications while it's on.
iPhone: find the tracker
- Play a sound
Tap the alert → Continue → Play SoundThe tracker makes a sound so you can follow it. You can play it again if you need more time.
If there's no option to play a sound, Apple says the item may no longer be with you, may be near its owner, or, if it was with you overnight, its identifier may have changed.
- Find Nearby (AirTag)
Tap the alert → Continue → Find NearbyShows the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag or AirPods Pro 3 charging case. Only on iPhone models with Ultra Wideband (a radio chip some iPhones have for finding things precisely nearby).
- See past alerts
Find My app → Items → Unknown Items Detected with YouLists the trackers you've been alerted about recently.
Apple's Personal Safety guide calls this Items Detected With You.
Can't play a sound or find it? Apple suggests checking places you don't look often: a jacket pocket, the outer pocket of a bag, or your car.
Apple's pages describe automatic alerts on iPhone and the list of past alerts, but not a way to scan on demand.
iPhone: identify it, or turn it off
- Serial number and owner details (AirTag)
Hold the top of your iPhone near the white side of the AirTag → Tap the notificationOpens a web page with the AirTag's serial number and the last four digits of the phone number of the person who registered it. If the owner marked it as lost, you may see how to contact them. Apple's Personal Safety guide says you may see an obscured email address instead of the phone number.
Apple suggests taking a screenshot. An Android phone that can read tap-to-pay style (NFC) tags works too.
- Other trackers and AirPods
Find My app → Items → Identify Found ItemShows information about an item that's been separated from its owner.
- Turn the tracker off
Instructions to Disable → Follow the on-screen stepsApple says that once it's turned off, the owner can't get updates on where it is, and you stop getting alerts for it.
For trackers not made by Apple, the steps come from the tracker's maker and haven't been checked by Apple.
On an Android phone
Google says alerts work on Android 6 and later and were added automatically through a Google Play services update. Your phone's location needs to be on for automatic alerts. Google says the location data used for alerts stays on your phone in encrypted form and isn't shared with Google. You get at most one alert per tracker a day, so if you're still worried, run a scan.
Android: scan, and find the tracker
- Scan for trackers now
Settings → Safety and emergency → Unknown tracker alerts → Scan nowTakes about 10 seconds and shows trackers near you that are away from their owner. Google says these may simply be lost, and may not have been travelling with you. Running more than one scan can make the results more accurate.
On Android 11 and later the scan works even with location turned off. Google gives this one path; on phones with a maker's own version of Android the menu may be laid out differently.
- Play a sound
Tap the alert → Play soundThe tracker makes a sound. Google says playing the sound doesn't tell the owner.
- Find nearby
Tap the alert → Next steps → Find nearbyA shape on screen fills in as you get closer. Only for trackers that use Google's Find Hub network.
- See past alerts
Settings → Safety and emergency → Unknown tracker alerts → Tracker alerts buttonGoogle says alerts are deleted after 48 hours.
- Serial number and owner details
Tap the alert → Next stepsFor an AirTag, hold it near the back of your phone and wait for the details to appear. For Find Hub trackers, follow the on-screen steps to see the device ID and a hidden version of the owner's email address. Some trackers have the serial number printed on them.
Google suggests screenshots of the alert, the map and the tracker's details.
Can't find it? If it's safe to do so, Google suggests checking things you had with you on the route shown on the map, such as your car or bag, and running a scan.
Before you turn a tracker off
Both companies explain how to turn off a tracker you've found. Google says to think about it first:
- Some trackers reset when turned off and are no longer linked to their owner. Google says the police then can't get additional information about them.
- The owner stops getting new locations, but may still see where it was last.
- Depending on your situation, you can keep it on if turning it off could be unsafe.
Apple says to consider the effect on your safety and privacy before making changes. To turn one off on Android, tap the alert → Next steps, or follow the maker's instructions, which Google links to for AirTag, Chipolo, Motorola and Pebblebee trackers. Apple and Google say the police may need the tracker and its serial number or device ID.
Google also says that if you turn off unknown tracker alerts on your Android phone, previous alerts are cleared and can't be recovered.
To check who can see your own location, see location sharing and family location apps.
Sources
- Apple: What to do if you receive an alert that an AirTag or other tracker is with you (published 24 Mar 2026)
- Apple Personal Safety User Guide: Detect unwanted trackers (Feb 2026)
- Google Android Help: Find unknown trackers
- Refuge: I need help now
This page describes your options and how organisations say they handle requests. It isn't legal advice. See About & sourcing, or report a correction.