It activates a manual scan rather than a constant search
Apple has released an app called Tracker Detect, which the company says will let Android users search for AirTags or other Find My-compatible trackers, such as the Chipolo One Spot tracking tag (via CNET). According to the app, it looks for devices that have been separated from their owners — if it finds any, it will let you play a sound on it so you can locate it, and it will give you instructions on how to figure out who the AirTag belongs to and how to disable it if need be.
Apple announced that this app was coming in June, promising that it would allow Android users to find potentially malicious trackers being used without their knowledge. Unlike on iOS, though, it doesn’t seem like this app will constantly do scans in the background and alert you if something is up — it’s purely a manual search. Tracker Detect also doesn’t help you keep track of the AirTags attached to an Apple account, so it’s not helping Android users actually use AirTags.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to request for comment from The Kupon4U, but told CNET that the app “gives Android users the ability to scan for an AirTag or supported Find My enabled item trackers that might be traveling with them without their knowledge. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow.”
For at least two Verge staffers, Tracker Detect didn’t show up in a Play Store search on our devices. However, you can install it by following this link to its store page.
