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She found an AirTag under her car. Her iPhone never warned her.
Updated October 2026
A Medford, Oregon woman has sued Apple, saying her ex-boyfriend taped an AirTag under her car to track her and her iPhone never alerted her. The lesson for everyone else: phone alerts are a backup, not a guarantee.
Short answer
According to a federal complaint filed September 16, 2026, an AirTag taped under a Medford woman’s car tracked her for an extended period without her iPhone ever alerting her. She found it during a physical inspection. Your phone’s alerts help, but only a physical check of the car is reliable.
If this sounds close to home: don’t remove a tracker you find yet. Photograph it and contact police first. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and confidential 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
What the lawsuit says
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, says her ex-boyfriend hid the AirTag under her car, and that she discovered it on January 6 after he had been monitoring her daily travel. Medford police filed a stalking charge involving a GPS device against him. Her suit accuses Apple of negligence and selling a defective product, and asks for stronger anti-stalking safeguards. Apple says an iPhone should alert someone when an unknown AirTag moves with them for an extended period. The lawsuit says that didn’t happen.
Why phone alerts can miss a tracker
Alerts are software. They need the right conditions: the tag separated from its owner’s phone, your Bluetooth and notifications on, and enough time traveling together. A tracker hidden on a car can sit in the gaps. A physical check doesn’t have gaps.
How to check your car
- Underneath: feel along flat metal under the car, behind both bumpers, and in the wheel wells. An AirTag is a disc about the size of a large coin.
- Inside: under and between the seats, seat-back pockets, under floor mats, the glovebox, and the trunk.
- The OBD-II port under the dash, where plug-in GPS trackers go.
- Then scan: on iPhone, watch for “AirTag Found Moving With You”; on Android, run a manual unknown-tracker scan. Step-by-step for both phones.
The full list of 10 spots is in our guide to finding a GPS tracker. If you’re not in danger and the tag isn’t yours, you can disable an AirTag by twisting off the back and removing its battery.
Source: AppleInsider.
Check your car, physically
Our free one-page checklist covers the 10 spots trackers get hidden, plus the phone scans for iPhone and Android. About 20 minutes with a flashlight.
Common questions
+Will my iPhone always warn me about an AirTag on my car?
Not always. Alerts depend on conditions like the tag being away from its owner, your Bluetooth being on, and the alert actually arriving. A physical check of the car is the reliable backup.
+Where do people hide AirTags on cars?
Under the car on flat metal or taped to the underside, inside bumpers and wheel wells, under seats, in seat pockets, and in the trunk.
+What should I do if I find an AirTag on my car?
If you think someone is stalking you, don't remove it yet. Photograph it where it is and contact police first, because removing it can alert the person tracking you and it may be evidence.