How to tell if there’s an AirTag in your car

If you think someone is stalking you, don’t disable the tracker yet. Photograph it and contact police. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and confidential 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.

Check with an iPhone

• Keep Bluetooth and Location Services on, and allow notifications from Find My. Tracking alerts are on by default.
• If you get an alert, tap it to see a map of where the item has traveled with you, and tap Play Sound to hear where it is in the car.
• On supported iPhones you may also see Find Nearby, which points you toward it.
• The Find My app’s Items tab also has options to identify a found item or check for items that could be tracking you.

Check with an Android phone

Android has Unknown Tracker Alerts built in, and they detect AirTags. To scan right now, sit in the car and open Settings → Safety & emergency → Unknown tracker alerts → Scan now. The exact menu name varies a little by phone maker.

Tile and Samsung SmartTag

Tile’s app has a Scan and Secure feature that looks for Tiles traveling with you. On Samsung phones, the SmartThings app can search for unknown Galaxy SmartTags nearby.

Where AirTags get hidden in cars

1. Under the front seats, often tucked into the seat rails or springs
2. Seat-back pockets and the gap between seat cushions
3. Glovebox, center console, and door pockets
4. Under floor mats or the edge of the carpet
5. Trunk side panels and the spare-tire well
6. Taped up under the dashboard
7. Inside bumper covers or wheel wells, which is less common because metal and water weaken the signal

Why an AirTag works without GPS

An AirTag broadcasts a Bluetooth signal. Any nearby iPhone, iPad, or Mac quietly relays its location to the owner. In a city that happens constantly. On empty highways, updates come less often. An AirTag that’s been away from its owner for a while also starts playing a sound on its own.

You found one. Now what?

• Identify it. Hold the top of an iPhone, or an NFC-capable Android phone, to the white side of the AirTag. A web page opens with its serial number, and sometimes part of the owner’s phone number. Police can request owner details from Apple using the serial number.
• Check it isn’t a family member’s. AirTags shared through Family Sharing or left in a borrowed bag can trigger alerts too.
• Disable it. Press down on the round battery cover, twist it counterclockwise, and remove the coin battery.

Found something that isn’t an AirTag, like a small black box or a device plugged in under the dash? See how to find a GPS tracker on your car.