An "AirTag Found Moving With You" alert means your phone has spotted an AirTag that is away from its owner and has been moving with you over time. Switching off Bluetooth on your own phone won't stop it reporting its location; the section below explains why.
The alert does not prove someone is stalking you. A common case is ordinary: you borrow a friend's car or bag, it has their AirTag inside, and after a while your iPhone flags it. Apple's support page says the alert may be for an item you're borrowing, and Google's Android help page says you may get alerts if you borrow an item or travel with someone who has a tracker. Still, treat every alert seriously until you know whose tracker it is.
What triggers the alert?
According to Apple, the alert fires when a tracker separated from its owner is seen moving with you over time. The tracker may also play a sound on its own.
It isn't only AirTags. That's why you may see variations such as "AirPods Pro Detected" or "[Product Name] Found Moving With You."
Do Android phones get these alerts too?
Yes. Apple and Google worked together on an industry specification that alerts people on both iOS and Android when such a device is unknowingly tracking them, Apple says. Google's page says Android 6 and up gets alerts for Apple AirTags as well as Find Hub network-compatible tags and headphones. The feature arrives through background Google Play services updates, so you don't need to install anything.
The wording differs: Apple calls them "Tracking Notifications" on the "Find My network"; Google calls them "unknown tracker alerts" on the "Find Hub network." Same idea.
Does turning off Bluetooth or using Airplane Mode stop the tracking?
No. Both companies say this plainly. Apple says turning off Find My, Bluetooth or Location Services on your iPhone does not stop the owner seeing the tracker's location; you must disable the item. Google says Airplane mode, Bluetooth off or location off won't stop a tracker sharing its location, and you need to follow the manufacturer's instructions to turn it off.
The tracker doesn't depend on your phone's settings. Switching things off only stops you from getting warnings. Apple notes that in Airplane Mode you won't receive tracking notifications at all.
How do I find the AirTag on an iPhone?
- Tap the alert.
- Tap Continue.
The map shows red dots where the item was detected near you, with dashed lines showing the order. Apple is clear that the red dots do not show when the owner was viewing the item's location.
If Play Sound is unavailable, Apple says the item may no longer be with you, or it may be back in range of its owner. If it was with you overnight, its identifier may have changed. These trackers use Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently, which is a privacy feature that occasionally gets in your way here.
On a supported iPhone with Ultra Wideband, Precision Finding (Find Nearby) can point you to an AirTag or AirPods Pro 3 case. If none of that works, check jacket pockets, bag compartments and your car.
To review past alerts, open Find My, go to Items, scroll down, and tap Unknown Items Detected with You.
How do I find it on Android?
- Tap the notification to open a map.
- Check where the tracker traveled with you.
- Tap Play sound. Google says this does not notify the owner.
- Follow the sound.
- Tap Next steps once you find it.
If the sound doesn't play, the tracker may be out of range or its device ID may have changed. Move around and try again, and search pockets, bags and your car.
Two Android tools don't work with AirTags: Find nearby and "Temporarily pause" (which pauses your phone's location updates for up to 24 hours) are only for Find Hub-compatible trackers. For an AirTag on Android you get the sound and the tap-to-identify option below.
Can I scan for trackers on Android without an alert?
Yes. Go to Settings > Safety & Emergency > Unknown tracker alerts > Scan now. It takes about 10 seconds. The scan is a snapshot: it lists trackers near you right now that are separated from their owner, which may just be someone's misplaced keys rather than something that traveled with you. An alert, by contrast, needs movement over time.
Your alert history sits in the same menu, Settings > Safety & Emergency > Unknown tracker alerts, but Google deletes alerts after 48 hours. Screenshot anything you may need later.
Apple also points Android users to Google's Tracker Detect app, which looks for Find My-compatible trackers within Bluetooth range.
How do I find out whose AirTag it is?
Hold the top of your iPhone, or any NFC-capable phone, near the white side of the AirTag. On Android, Google says to hold it near the back of the phone and you may need to wait. Tap the notification that appears.
If the owner marked it as lost, a contact message may appear, per Apple. Take a screenshot as documentation.
For other Find My items on iPhone, scroll to the bottom of the Items tab in Find My and tap Identify Found Item.
Should I disable the AirTag?
First decide whether you're safe. If you feel at risk, Apple says to go to a safe public place and contact law enforcement. Police can request information from Apple, and they may need the item and its serial number. Apple lists the Safety Net Project and National Center for Victims of Crime (US), Refuge (UK) and WESNET (Australia) as resources.
Google is blunter about the tradeoffs. Its page says that depending on your situation you may want to keep the tracker on if turning it off could be unsafe. It also warns that some trackers may be factory reset when turned off and no longer linked to the owner, so law enforcement can't get owner details. And the owner may still see the last location recorded before you disabled it.
If you decide to disable it, tap "Instructions to Disable" on the iPhone alert and follow the steps it shows; After that, the owner gets no more location updates and you stop getting alerts for it. On Android, Google's page links to disable instructions for the Apple AirTag, Chipolo CARD and ONE, Motorola moto tag, and Pebblebee Card, Clip and Tag. Apple notes that instructions for third-party trackers come from their own finder networks and are not certified by Apple.
What does "Unknown Accessory Detected" mean?
Apple shows this when Find My can't connect to the item or to its server. It appears only for AirPods, Find My accessories or compatible trackers, never for an AirTag, and Apple says it's often borrowed or left-behind AirPods.
If a family member's item keeps alerting you and they're in your Family Sharing group, Apple lets you silence alerts for that item for one day or indefinitely.
How to make sure your phone will warn you
On iPhone or iPad, Apple lists these settings:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn it on. Under System Services, turn on Significant Locations.
- Turn Bluetooth on.
- Go to Settings > Notifications > Tracking Notifications and turn on Allow Notifications.
- Turn Airplane Mode off.
On Android, alerts are on by default. Check them at Settings > Safety & emergency > Unknown tracker alerts on Android 12 and up, or Settings > Google > Personal & device safety > Unknown tracker alerts on Android 11 and lower. Google warns that turning alerts off clears your previous alerts and that data can't be recovered.
What to do differently from now on
Leave the settings above switched on. When an alert arrives, play the sound, tap the tracker against your phone to identify it, and screenshot everything before Android's 48-hour history clears. Before you disable anything, think about your safety and whether police might need the tracker intact. For a wider look at what your devices give away, see What a VPN Hides, and What Your ISP, Websites and Google Still See.
