Photo: Google Play Store
At first glance, the Apple AirTag is a pretty cool gadget that makes it much harder to lose your belongings, such as the car keys.
But on the other hand, the AirTag has ended up becoming a very valuable tool for thieves out there, as they’re using this device to track their targets and eventually steal their cars.
Several reports that surfaced lately described the very simple technique thieves turned to in order to steal luxury cars. The thieves just placed AirTags on the cars they wanted to steal, often under the bumper, and then tracked the location of the device on their iPhones.
Once the vehicle ended up being parked in front of the owner’s house, the thieves could proceed with the actual theft using various methods that allowed them to run away with the car almost unnoticed.
The police also issued a warning that AirTags could be used for tracking victims, and it looks like Apple got the messages as well.
The company has launched an Android app called Tracker Detect and whose purpose is not hard to figure out. The application allows users owning mobile devices powered by Google’s operating system to scan for nearby AirTags, therefore being able to tell if they’re being tracked or not.
This comes in handy to drivers as well. If you suspect someone’s tracking your location in an attempt to steal the car, just launch the app and perform a quick scan to find out if they’re using an AirTag for the whole thing.
Needless to say, this new application comes in very handy, especially to Android users who until now had absolutely no method to detect a nearby AirTag. Of course, it’s not as convenient as having an iPhone, but at least there’s now a way to find out if someone is using such a cool device for a nefarious purpose.
Several reports that surfaced lately described the very simple technique thieves turned to in order to steal luxury cars. The thieves just placed AirTags on the cars they wanted to steal, often under the bumper, and then tracked the location of the device on their iPhones.
Once the vehicle ended up being parked in front of the owner’s house, the thieves could proceed with the actual theft using various methods that allowed them to run away with the car almost unnoticed.
The police also issued a warning that AirTags could be used for tracking victims, and it looks like Apple got the messages as well.
The company has launched an Android app called Tracker Detect and whose purpose is not hard to figure out. The application allows users owning mobile devices powered by Google’s operating system to scan for nearby AirTags, therefore being able to tell if they’re being tracked or not.
This comes in handy to drivers as well. If you suspect someone’s tracking your location in an attempt to steal the car, just launch the app and perform a quick scan to find out if they’re using an AirTag for the whole thing.
Needless to say, this new application comes in very handy, especially to Android users who until now had absolutely no method to detect a nearby AirTag. Of course, it’s not as convenient as having an iPhone, but at least there’s now a way to find out if someone is using such a cool device for a nefarious purpose.
Google News