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Found an AirTag or tracker that isn't yours? What to do

Stay safe first, identify the tracker by its serial number, keep the evidence, and only then disable it. What Apple and Google advise, step by step.

First, your safety

Apple: "If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement, who can work with Apple to request information related to the item." Google: "Go to a safe public location and contact law enforcement or a trusted contact if you feel that your safety is at risk." If you are in danger now, call the emergency number.

Think before you disable it

Disabling a tracker ends its reports. Apple: "After you disable the AirTag, set of AirPods, Find My network accessory, or compatible Bluetooth location-tracking device, the owner no longer gets updates on its current location." A person who placed it may notice that. If you think someone is tracking you, contact the police or a support service before you remove or disable it, and keep the tracker: it may be evidence.

Step by step

  1. Identify it. Apple: "If you have found an AirTag, hold the top of your iPhone or NFC-capable smartphone near the white side of the AirTag until a notification appears. Tap the notification. This opens a website that provides information about the AirTag, including its serial number and the last four digits of the phone number of the person who registered it." An Android phone with NFC switched on works too. Write the serial number down or take a screenshot.
  2. Record what you know. Where you found it, when, and since when you think it was there. If TrackerScan warned about it, export its history from the tracker's screen: every sighting with time and place, as a file you can hand over.
  3. Get help. Contact the police or a support service. As Apple says above, the police can ask the maker for information about the tracker.
  4. Disable it, when it is safe to. Google: "To turn off the tracker, you need to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer." For an AirTag, the page its NFC tag opens has the instructions; Apple's show how to remove the battery.

Sources

  • Apple Support, "What to do if you get an alert that an AirTag, set of AirPods, Find My network accessory or compatible Bluetooth location-tracking device is with you", support.apple.com/en-us/119874, read 13 November 2026.
  • Google, Android Help, "Find unknown trackers", support.google.com/android/answer/13658562, read 13 November 2026.
  • How to look for trackers on Android: How to check your Android phone for AirTags and other trackers (trackerscan.app/editorial/check-for-trackers-android).