iOS Internals · Staying Safe on iPhone · Lesson 3 of 5

Unwanted Trackers & Safety Check

Handle an AirTag alert safely, then review who can see your info with Safety Check.

AirTag Found Moving With You

An AirTag is a small Bluetooth tag for finding keys or bags. It has no GPS of its own. Instead, nearby Apple devices on the Find My network quietly notice it and report its location to the owner, with encryption so nobody else can see it. That makes tags useful for lost luggage, and tempting for someone who wants to follow a person.

So iPhones watch for trackers that are away from their owner but keep turning up with you over time. When that happens you see an alert such as AirTag Found Moving With You. A separated AirTag also plays a sound when it's moved, to warn people nearby. In May 2024, Apple and Google released a shared industry specification, so iPhones (iOS 17.5 and later) and Android phones (Android 6.0 and later) can warn about compatible trackers from other brands too.

To make sure you get these alerts, keep Bluetooth and Location Services on, turn on Significant Locations under Location Services, System Services, and leave Tracking Notifications allowed in Settings, Notifications. Alerts don't arrive in Airplane Mode.

Tap the alert and Find My shows a map. The red dots are where the tag was detected near your iPhone, joined by dashed lines in order. They don't show when the owner is looking. From there you can:

• Play Sound to find the tag. Newer iPhones with Ultra Wideband can also point you to it with Find Nearby.
• Learn About This AirTag. Holding the top of your iPhone near the AirTag's white side opens a page with its serial number and the last four digits of the owner's phone number, plus a message if the owner marked it lost. Take a screenshot as a record.
• Instructions to Disable, which stops the tag sharing its location.

Apple notes that turning off Bluetooth, Location Services or Find My on your own iPhone doesn't stop the owner seeing the tag. Only disabling the tag itself does that.

On the simulated phone, tap the AirTag alert. Look at the map, play a sound, open Learn About This AirTag, then read the safety note before you go further.

Safety first, then Safety Check

Once you disable a tracker, its owner stops getting location updates, and a person who planted it may notice. You saw in the Android course that removing stalkerware can be risky for the same reason. If you think someone is following you, put your safety first. Apple's advice is to go to a safe public place if you feel at risk and contact law enforcement, who can ask Apple for information about the item. They may need the tag itself and its serial number, so keep the tag and your screenshot. A trained advocate can help you make a safety plan, and you can do that planning on a device the other person has never touched.

Trackers are only one way to be followed. Location sharing in Find My, shared photo albums or shared calendars set up long ago can reveal just as much. That's what Safety Check is for. It arrived in iOS 16 and lives in Settings, Privacy & Security, Safety Check. It needs an Apple Account with two-factor authentication.

It offers two paths:

• Emergency Reset immediately stops sharing with all people and apps, then helps you review your emergency contacts, the devices signed in to your Apple Account and your account password.
• Manage Sharing & Access lets you go person by person or app by app, covering things like Find My location, shared Photos, Notes and Calendars, and app permissions such as camera and location.

Apple warns that people may notice when you stop sharing, so think it through before you start. Every Safety Check screen has a Quick Exit button in the top-right corner that closes Settings at once if someone walks in, and the changes you've made so far are saved.

Safety Check only covers Apple's own features. It can't change other companies' apps, social media or non-Apple accounts, so check those separately, along with your phone carrier account.