AirTag or Hidden Tracker: How to Tell If You Are Being Followed and What to Do
Quick answer
An AirTag (or another Bluetooth tracker, such as the Samsung SmartTag or Tile) can be hidden in a car, a bag, a coat or a toy to follow someone. The quickest way to detect it is your own phone: an iPhone warns you with "AirTag Found Moving With You" and Android has unknown tracker alerts. If you get an alert, do not throw the tracker away: photograph it, keep it and treat it as evidence. GPS trackers with a SIM card do not trigger these alerts and can only be found with a physical inspection or a technical sweep.
AirTag, Bluetooth tracker and GPS: what is the difference
It matters what you are dealing with, because each one is detected differently.
AirTag (Apple), SmartTag (Samsung), Tile and similar: small, cheap and with a long-lasting battery. They have no GPS of their own. They use the phones of people passing nearby to report their location to the owner. They work very well in cities and busy areas.
GPS trackers with a SIM: have GPS and a data card. They send their position directly, in real time, to an app. They are slightly larger and are the most common in cars. They do not depend on nearby phones and do not trigger iPhone or Android alerts.
For GPS trackers in cars, we have a dedicated guide: How to detect a GPS tracker in your car.
How your phone warns you
On iPhone
An iPhone detects AirTags and other compatible trackers that are travelling with you while separated from their owner. You may get the notification "AirTag Found Moving With You" (or "[Product Name] Found Moving With You" for trackers from other brands).
For this to work, check that:
Bluetooth is on;
Location Services are on;
Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › System Services › Significant Locations is on;
Settings › Notifications › Tracking Notifications has Allow Notifications turned on;
iOS 17.5 or later is installed;
Airplane Mode is off.
When you tap the alert, you see a map of the route the item travelled with you, and you can make the tracker play a sound to find it.
On Android
Recent Android phones have built-in unknown tracker alerts (Settings › Safety & emergency › Unknown tracker alerts; the path may vary by brand). You can also run a manual scan from that menu, using the "Scan now" button, which lists nearby trackers that are not linked to you. Apple and Google adopted a common standard, so the alerts cover AirTags and compatible trackers from several brands.
If you don't have a smartphone or want to double-check
An AirTag separated from its owner for some time starts playing a sound on its own. If you hear a short, repeated beep with no obvious source, look for it.
Ask someone you trust with an iPhone or Android phone to run the check around you and your belongings.
Where they are usually hidden
In the car
inside or under the bumpers;
in the wheel arches, fixed with a magnet or tape;
under the seats or inside the seat-back pockets;
in the glovebox, the centre console or the door linings;
in the boot, next to the spare tyre or under the mat;
plugged into the OBD port (under the steering wheel), for GPS trackers powered by the car.
In personal belongings
the lining or inner pockets of bags, backpacks and coats;
key rings and phone cases;
toys or school bags belonging to children, in the context of a separation;
sewn into soft toys or cushions.
What to do if you find an AirTag or tracker
Stay calm and do not confront anyone. If the person knows you found it, they may change their behaviour or destroy evidence.
Photograph the tracker where it was, before touching it, and note the date, time and place.
Check the AirTag's information. Hold the top of an iPhone, or the back of an NFC-capable Android phone, near the white side of the AirTag. An Apple page opens showing the serial number and the last four digits of the phone number of the person who registered it. Take a screenshot of that page.
Keep the tracker. If you do not want it to keep transmitting, you can remove the battery (on an AirTag, by twisting the metal cover), but keep all the parts together. If you plan to report it, ask the police first whether they would prefer you to keep it active.
Report it to the PSP, the GNR or the Judicial Police (PJ). Apple can provide the authorities with the data linked to the serial number, following a lawful request.
Check your phone and accounts. Someone who hides a tracker often also tries to access the phone. See How to tell if your phone is being spied on.
If the tracker is part of a pattern of control or stalking, your safety comes first. Read Stalking and technological control: trackers, cameras and spyware, which also lists support lines.
Is putting a tracker on someone else a crime?
Following someone with a tracker without their knowledge can be a crime in Portugal, namely invasion of privacy and, depending on the context, stalking or domestic violence. This also applies between spouses and ex-partners. The explanation is in Wiretaps, recordings and trackers: what is a crime in Portugal.
When you find nothing but are still suspicious
Phone alerts do not detect GPS trackers with a SIM, and a search by someone who does not know where to look leaves many places unchecked. In these cases, we carry out a technical sweep of the vehicle and personal belongings, with radio-frequency detection equipment, physical inspection and phone analysis. At the end, we provide a written report of what was found, with our recommendations.
Assignments are booked 24 hours in advance.
If your phone needs to be analysed, it stays with us for about 12 hours.
Find out more about our electronic sweep and GPS detection service.
Who carries out the sweep
Our teams are coordinated by Alexandre Ribeiro, a private detective with experience since 2001 and a member of WAD (no. 1687), APDPE (no. 1326), LIDEPPE (no. 33) and IKD. We work throughout the country, including Porto, Lisbon, Braga, Coimbra and the Algarve.
The initial assessment is free and confidential, with a fixed quote. Call +351 936 225 975 (24-hour line) or use our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a hidden AirTag?
On an iPhone, you get the "AirTag Found Moving With You" alert. On Android, use unknown tracker alerts or run a manual scan. An AirTag away from its owner also starts playing a sound.
Does an iPhone detect all trackers?
No. It detects AirTags and compatible Bluetooth trackers. GPS trackers with a SIM card, the most common in cars, do not trigger alerts and require a physical inspection or a technical sweep.
What should I do if I find an AirTag in my car?
Photograph it in place, check the serial number by holding an NFC-capable phone near it, keep it as evidence and report it to the PSP, the GNR or the PJ. Do not confront the person you suspect.
Can I find out who owns an AirTag?
By holding your phone near the AirTag, you can see the serial number and the last four digits of the phone number of the person who registered it. Full identification is only provided by Apple to the authorities, following a lawful request.
Should I remove the tracker's battery?
You can remove it so it stops transmitting, but keep all the parts. If you plan to report it, ask the police whether they would prefer it to stay active.
Where are trackers usually hidden in a car?
Bumpers, wheel arches, under the seats, the glovebox, the boot next to the spare tyre and the OBD port under the steering wheel.
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