Apple and Google’s joint initiative proposes an industry standard to combat unwanted tracking via AirTag and similar accessories. The move is aimed at curbing the unethical use of such devices for surreptitious tracking across iOS and Android platforms.
The newly developed specification is unique in its kind and enables Bluetooth location-tracking gadgets to integrate with unapproved tracking detection and warning systems on both iOS and Android platforms. Companies such as Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have shown their support for the preliminary specification, which provides manufacturers with guidelines and recommendations to incorporate these features into their products.
Ron Huang, Apple’s Vice President of Sensing and Connectivity, stated that the aim of AirTag is to provide users with the assurance of knowing the whereabouts of their valuable items. Apple designed AirTag and the Find My network to include proactive features that prevent unwarranted tracking, which is an industry-first. The company also continues to enhance these features to ensure that the technology is used as intended. The latest industry specification builds on AirTag’s existing safeguards and, in conjunction with Google, represents a significant milestone in addressing the issue of unwanted tracking on both iOS and Android platforms.
Apart from device manufacturers’ input, the development of the specification also incorporates feedback from several safety and advocacy groups. This specification has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which is a prominent standards development organization, as an Internet-Draft. Interested parties are invited to review and provide comments over the next three months, and such feedback will be taken into account by Apple and Google to refine the specification. The companies aim to release a production implementation of the specification by the end of 2023, which will enable alerts for unwanted tracking and will be supported in future versions of iOS and Android.
