Upcoming Apple iOS update will allow Google to finally launch their AirTag competitor

Google and Apple originally announced their standard to detect ‘unknown’ Bluetooth trackers following you around which Google implemented into Android not long after. Now Google wants more after they launched their ‘Find My Device Network’ overnight but until Apple introduce ‘unknown’ tracker detection they don’t consider it safe enough.

Unfortunately Apple has been extremely slow implemented this much needed safety feature into iOS and thus Google has done the right thing and not released their version of the AirTag. Whether this has been difficult to implement or deliberate on Apple’s behalf to prevent an AirTag competitor entering the market is unknown but it is coming.

In a beta version of the upcoming iOS 17.5 strings for detecting “unwanted” trackers were spotted by 9to5Mac. This is designed to prevent folks following or stalking you, something that unfortunately is necessary in this day and age.

With the update is expect to arrive some time in May we hope to see Google and partners announce and release their AirTag competitors very soon. With Google I/O set for May 14 we would expect Google to include this announcement during one of their keynote speeches there — if not before.

Apple weren’t the first to introduce these Bluetooth trackers to the world but the sheer size of their network made them difficult to beat. Android has an even bigger reach than Apple devices so you would expect their network of tags to work even better.

We hope that both Apple and Google team up to create a singular network with both types of devices working on each other’s networks but it seems that this is unlikely given the history between the two companies.

Overnight Google launched their “Find My Device Network” (in the US and Canada only at this stage) allowing for these Google Bluetooth tags to function as expected but at this stage it is unclear just when support for it will arrive in Australia. ‘Coming Soon’ can’t come soon enough in my opinion.