Want to use AirTag with your Android phone? Apple designed AirTag for use with iPhones, so users can't use it with Android devices. However, it does support basic tracking on Android to prevent unauthorized tracking. Here's everything you need to know about using AirTag on Android .
Unable to set up AirTag with Android phone
Like many other Apple products, AirTags are not compatible with Android. Therefore, AirTags cannot be set up using an Android device; an iPhone connected to Apple’s Find My network is required to do so. Additionally, AirTags are not compatible with Google’s Find My Device network, meaning you can’t use an Android phone to track an AirTag set up using an iPhone.
AirTags rely on Apple’s Find My network to relay their location. They periodically send out Bluetooth LE pings that other Apple devices on the Find My network can pick up. This data is then transmitted to Apple’s servers, allowing the original AirTag owner to see its location.
For security reasons, the Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag are randomly selected periodically, so that malicious actors cannot monitor and track them.
While AirTags require Apple's Find My network, Android phones can identify unwanted AirTags around you, helping to thwart any potential stalking attempts.
You can also scan an AirTag with an NFC-enabled Android device to find out more information about its owner. So if you find something tagged with an AirTag that you’ve lost, tap the back of your Android phone against the tracker. A page will open with details about the AirTag and its owner, which you can use to contact the owner.
If you’re an Android user looking for a Bluetooth tracker, Tile is a great AirTag alternative. Google will roll out its Find My Device network for item and accessory trackers starting in 2024. Once it’s available globally, you’ll be able to buy third-party item trackers for Android that offer similar functionality to AirTags.
How to Scan for Unwanted AirTags on Android
While AirTags are great for keeping track of items you frequently misplace, they can also be used by people with bad intentions. Thankfully, for the safety of users and to ensure they are not tracked by unwanted AirTags, Apple and Google have teamed up to bring unknown tracking alerts to Android 6.0+ devices.
Initially, Apple provided an app called Tracker Detect to detect unknown AirTags. However, the app required manual scanning for unwanted trackers in the background, which significantly limited its usefulness. Eventually, Google built unknown tracker warnings directly into Android and rolled out the feature to all Android 6.0+ devices.
Just like the iPhone, if your Android phone detects an unwanted tracking device moving with you, an alert will appear on your phone. You can then use the Play sound option to make the tracking device ring and find its exact location. The owner will not be notified of this. Once you find the tracking device, tap it against the back of your phone to find out more information about the owner.
There is also a manual scan option in Settings > Safety & emergency > Unknown tracker alerts > Scan Now .
If the app detects an unknown AirTag around you, you can use the Play Sound option to make sure the device isn't being used to track you. The tracker will beep for 10 minutes after selecting this option.
Limitations of using AirTag with Android devices
Even after setting up an AirTag on an iPhone, you can’t use it with an Android phone to track its location. You can’t even use iCloud.com from a web browser on an Android phone to track an AirTag. That’s because an AirTag can only be tracked using the Find My app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. That app isn’t available for Android devices.
Scanning for unknown AirTags in the surrounding area is quite limited. You can use this feature to avoid being tracked or return a lost AirTag to its original owner.
Given these limitations, buying an AirTag for an Android device is pointless. Instead, you should wait for Find My Device-compatible trackers from Tile and Chipolo to hit the market. However, if you have a Samsung phone, you can buy the Galaxy SmartTag 2, which works with Samsung’s SmartThings Find network.
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