Apple, Google to alert smartphone users of nearby wireless tracking devices

May 13 (UPI) -- Android and iPhone smartphones will alert users to nearby location tracking devices, Apple and Google announced Monday.

The software update aims to address concerns about misuse of the devices, which were meant to find lost and stolen items. The devices sparked controversy and lawsuits after reports that they were being used to stalk and harass people.

Users will now be alerted if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is "found moving with you." Apple users will be able to play a sound to help locate the tracker and access instructions to disable it, the company said in a news release.

Apple released the AirTag in 2021 to compete with Tile and Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag. The devices display their location on a digital map, allowing users to track down the keys, luggage or other items they are affixed to. But reports of criminals slipping the small trackers into coat pockets and bags or attaching them to vehicles raised safety concerns.

Future tracking tags manufactured by Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola and Pebblebee will be compatible with the alert system, Apple said, adding that the collaboration across platforms is an industry first.

The Internet Engineering Task Force's Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers working group is working to develop an official standard for the technology.