Apple‘s tiny AirTag tracking devices were meant to prevent lost items like keys or bags from going missing. But in practice, these coin-sized trackers have taken on a more sinister use case – as tools for stalkers to secretly track individuals without consent. As reports of AirTag misuse for stalking and harassment mounted, pressure grew on Apple to address the significant privacy and safety risks posed by their own product.

At just $29 a piece, AirTags have democratized tracking capabilities previously limited to specialized surveillance equipment. “When Apple released the AirTag, it offered tracking capabilities to all users with ease and for little expense,” says Jake Moore, a cybersecurity advisor at ESET. Inexpensive and readily available, AirTags have proven alarmingly easy to misuse.

AirTags rely on Apple’s crowdsourced Find My network to triangulate locations. But this very feature that enables accurate tracking also represents an oversight – AirTags were designed without robust privacy or security safeguards. “AirTags are small and work off a massive network of other users, but they were designed without a thought for privacy or physical security,” Moore adds.

Last year, over three dozen individuals filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were victims of stalking involving AirTags. The complaint described the trackers as “one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers.”

Apple has attempted to curb abuse through software updates enabling iPhone alerts when unknown AirTags are detected. However, these protections are limited since they don’t extend to non-Apple devices like Android phones, which make up the majority of the global smartphone market.

The new anti-tracking capabilities coming in iOS 17.5 represent Apple’s latest countermove – made possible through an unprecedented partnership with rival Google. The move aims to create an industry specification ensuring Bluetooth trackers from any vendor can be detected across iOS and Android.

For the first time, iPhone users will be alerted to tracking attempts by non-Apple devices like Tile or Samsung‘s SmartTags. Conversely, Android users gain stronger protections against potential AirTag stalkers through deeper operating system integration.

“When tracking devices are so simple to get hold of, the protections in place need to work in silo with each other and with just as much ease as it was to set up,” Moore says of the new cross-platform approach.

While the iOS 17.5 update marks a positive step, Moore cautions “Until newer devices are designed with better safety measures built into the design phase, future updates will need to be continually rolled out in order to keep all users safe.”

The Apple-Google partnership must continually evolve to stay ahead of those bent on abusing affordable tracking tech. But by bridging the iOS-Android divide, the tech giants have finally begun treating unauthorized tracking as the serious threat it represents.