Buzz
Discover how to find hidden tracking devices with the help of your iPhone’s safety alerts.
If you receive a notification indicating that an AirTag or another device is nearby, your iPhone is alerting you about a device that is sharing your location. Thankfully, Apple has built-in features to help you locate and disable the tracking device. Continue reading as we guide you through understanding tracking alerts, enabling them, and taking action when one appears on your iPhone.
How to Turn On iPhone Tracking Notifications
Enable Location Services and Find My iPhone from your iPhone’s Privacy & Security settings. Activate Bluetooth and ensure airplane mode is off. Then, navigate to Settings > Notifications > Tracking Notifications and toggle them on.
Steps
What are iPhone tracking alerts?
Tracking notifications detect nearby AirTags or other devices that may be traveling with you. Introduced with iOS 14.5, Apple’s tracking notifications can detect unknown AirTags, AirPods, and other Bluetooth devices in your vicinity. If your iPhone detects that someone else’s device is following your location, you will be alerted.
- This update was introduced as a security feature to prevent unauthorized tracking by others without your knowledge.
- The alert may also indicate that the tracker is attached to something you borrowed, like a friend's keys or bag.
How to Enable Tracking Notifications on iPhone
Find the Tracking Notifications settings in your System Settings. While tracking notifications are enabled by default, you can easily manage them by turning them on or off. Apple recommends keeping these notifications activated to enhance your privacy and security.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and ensure it’s turned on.
- In the Location Services menu, select System Services and enable Find My iPhone.
- Make sure Bluetooth is enabled in your Settings.
- Navigate to Settings > Notifications > Tracking Notifications and turn them on. You can also adjust these settings via the Find My app by selecting Customize Tracking Notifications from the menu.
- Ensure Airplane Mode is off to receive notifications.
What to Do When You Receive a Tracking Notification
Tap the notification to find the device. When a tracking alert pops up on your screen, tap it to launch the Find My app on your iPhone. Press Continue to see the initial location where your phone detected the device and where it has followed your movements.
- From here, you can select Play Sound to make the device emit a noise, helping you track it down.
- Alternatively, use Find Nearby to activate precise tracking, which will direct you to the device's location.
- If you missed the notification, open the Find My app, tap Items, and select Items Detected With You to view the devices that triggered the alert.
Pause safety alerts if you recognize the device's owner. If you’re borrowing something from a friend and don’t mind the AirTag or device, select Pause Safety Alerts from the menu. This will stop any tracking notifications from bothering you.
- You can pause alerts for a day or choose to turn them off indefinitely.
Scan the device with your iPhone to access its details. Hold the device near the top of your iPhone and wait for a notification to pop up. Tap on the notification to open a Safari window displaying details such as the serial number, the last four digits of the owner’s phone number, or a blurred email address.
- Take a screenshot of the page to save the information, so you don’t have to reopen it later.
Contact the owner if the device is marked as lost. Check the device’s info page to see if the owner has flagged it as lost. If they have, there may be a contact number or email provided for you to reach them. Inform the owner that you’ve found their device, and arrange to return it to them.
Turn off unknown devices and report to the authorities. If you don’t recognize the device and want to stop it from tracking your location, click on Instructions to disable to learn how to turn off the device. Follow the on-screen instructions to disconnect it from sharing your location. If you feel unsafe, contact your local law enforcement to report the tracking device.
- You might need to provide the device’s serial number so law enforcement can collaborate with Apple to identify the owner.
What are notifications for app activity tracking?
App activity tracking gathers app data for ads and personal information. Beginning with iOS 14.5, apps installed on your iPhone will request permission to track your activity across other apps on your device. This data is used to compile personal information for more targeted advertisements.
- App activity tracking is disabled on child accounts or when your Apple account is managed by educational or business organizations.
Turn off app activity tracking through your device’s Privacy settings. While you can opt to select Ask App Not to Track when the notification pops up, you can later adjust tracking permissions for individual apps.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
- Uncheck Allow Apps to Request to Track to automatically block tracking on new apps you install.
- Scroll through the list and uncheck individual apps to disable tracking.
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If you're using an Android phone with version 6.0 or higher, it will detect nearby trackers. Alternatively, you can download the Tracker Detect app to locate AirTags, AirPods, and other Bluetooth devices that may be traveling with you.
