University researchers have created an Android app that they claim is better than Apple's at finding an unknown AirTag or other Find My-enabled tracker. The AirTag is meant to be used for locating one's lost items. However, the advanced location technology Apple's beacons contain makes them attractive to thieves, who might hide an AirTag in a vehicle or other expensive item as a target to be located and stolen under the cover of darkness when the owner is away or asleep.
Apple does provide an alert to iPhone owners if an unknown AirTag is detected nearby and traveling with the person, suggesting that unwanted tracking might be taking place. Apple also released an Android app with similar capabilities. However, Apple's Tracker Detect app for Android must be open and manually triggered to locate an AirTag. This means the user would have to be expecting a hidden tracker and remember to use the app for it to be of use.
AirGuard is an Android app that finds not only any nearby AirTag but also other Find My enabled devices. AirGuard is also much faster, detecting trackers within half an hour in most cases, while Apple's solution was found to take up to four hours. Spotted by Bleeping Computer, the app was made by researchers working in the Secure Mobile Networking Lab at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and is free with no subscription or advertising. Instead, the developers request participation in their project, which uses anonymous data not tied to the user's identity or personal information, according to the privacy policy, which is visible within the app's settings.
Finding Hacked AirTags
It has come to light recently that some AirTag owners have modified the devices to prevent them from making a sound. With an iPhone, an AirTag can be located with both a range and heading provided, so the sound isn't critical for this purpose. However, the Android app can't use this 'Precision Finding' feature since it requires a phone that supports Apple's ultra-wideband technology, meaning an iPhone 11, 12 or 13.
AirGuard, on the other hand, can help find a muted AirTag since it can narrow down the location of the tracker by checking its relative signal strength. A stronger signal generally indicates it's closer. It is somewhat similar to the approach used by Tile's app to estimate the distance to its Bluetooth beacons. With background checking and distance estimates along with a manual scan option and the ability to play sound on a fully functional AirTag, AirGuard seems to be the superior Android app for finding unwanted trackers.
Source: Google Play Store, Bleeping Computer