Frequently asked questions

TrackerSonar is a tracker detector app for iPhone, iPad and Android, made by Metko Labs. It scans for AirTags, Tile, Samsung SmartTag, Chipolo and other Bluetooth trackers that may be following you, flags the unknown ones and helps you find them with a warmer/colder signal meter.

TrackerSonar is developed and published by Metko Labs. You can reach the team at info@metkolabs.com or through www.metkolabs.com. TrackerSonar is an independent app and is not affiliated with Apple, Google, Samsung, Tile or Chipolo.

TrackerSonar runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later and is designed for both, in portrait and landscape. It is also available for Android on Google Play, where it is listed as “Tracker Detect”; features and pricing on Android may differ.

TrackerSonar is a free download. On iPhone and iPad the free version includes 5 tracker scans of 10 seconds each, full scan verdicts with partly hidden device names, SUSPICIOUS and TRACKED badges, known devices, favorites and your 10 most recent scans, and it shows ads. Premium is an optional subscription.

Premium adds unlimited 30-second scans, full device names and the SAFE badge, Live Locate, Play sound on supported tags, the sightings map and “Is it following me?” timeline, background scanning with tracker alerts, the widget and Live Activity, adjustable scan settings and the complete scan history, with no ads. It is available as a weekly, monthly or yearly auto-renewable subscription.

The iPhone and iPad app is available in English, German, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), French, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese and Swedish. It follows your device language and falls back to English.

TrackerSonar recognizes Apple AirTags and other Find My network accessories, Tile, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee, Google Find Hub tags and trackers that follow the Apple–Google unwanted-tracking specification. It also lists other nearby Bluetooth devices such as AirPods. No app can guarantee to detect every tracker model.

Trackers constantly broadcast short Bluetooth signals so that phones in their network can locate them. TrackerSonar listens to these signals and recognizes the patterns each tracker type uses. For some devices that broadcast very little, it briefly connects to confirm whether the device is an AirTag or a Find My accessory.

A free scan takes 10 seconds and a Premium scan 30 seconds; you can stop either early to see what was found so far. For the best result, walk slowly through the room, car or area you want to check while the scan runs.

SUSPICIOUS marks tags that can be used to track people, such as devices in Apple’s Find My or Google’s Find Hub network, that you have not marked as your own. TRACKED marks a device your scans found at places more than 50 m apart, which can mean it is travelling with you; this needs location access.

TrackerSonar lists every Bluetooth device it hears, including your own. Open your device and tap “I know this device”: it no longer shows as suspicious, and background alerts ignore it. You can undo this at any time in the Devices tab.

Live Locate is TrackerSonar’s Premium finder. It follows one device’s Bluetooth signal in real time and shows whether you are getting warmer or colder, with a confidence indicator, a best-so-far gauge, haptic ticks and a direction sweep that points toward the strongest signal. It works for any device a scan found.

Yes, with Premium, on AirTags and on tags that support the Apple–Google unwanted-tracking specification. A tag may refuse the request while it is near its owner, and the button only appears for devices that support it.

Yes. With Premium, Background Alerts keep scanning while the app runs in the background and send a notification when a tracker shows up near you. iOS limits background Bluetooth scanning, so scans while the app is open are the most complete, and AirPods alerts work best while the app is open.

Only if they transmit Bluetooth signals. Some GPS trackers report their position over a mobile network without using Bluetooth, and no Bluetooth scanner can detect those. Trackers that are switched off or out of range cannot be detected either.

No. A Bluetooth scan cannot reveal who owns a tracker. For an AirTag, holding it near an iPhone or NFC-capable Android phone shows its serial number and the last four digits of the owner’s phone number, and police can request owner information from Apple.

Yes. Since iOS 14.5, an iPhone shows “AirTag Found Moving With You” when an AirTag that is separated from its owner is seen moving with you over time, and since iOS 17.5 it also warns about compatible trackers from other brands. Location Services, Significant Locations, Bluetooth and Tracking Notifications must be on.

Yes. Android 6.0 and later has unknown tracker alerts that work with AirTags and Find Hub compatible tags, and a manual scan under Settings › Safety & emergency › Unknown tracker alerts › Scan now. Menu names can vary by phone maker.

Built-in alerts only appear after a tracker has moved with you for a while, and they need the right settings. A tracker near its owner, one that changed its Bluetooth identifier, or a brand your phone does not support may not trigger an alert. An on-demand scan, for example with TrackerSonar, lets you check yourself.

No. Turning off Bluetooth, Location Services or using Airplane Mode on your own phone does not stop a tracker from reporting its location through other people’s phones; it only stops your phone from warning you. To stop a tracker, you have to find and disable it.

Put your safety first and call your local emergency number if you feel in danger. Then photograph the tracker where you found it, take screenshots of alerts and scans, identify it, decide whether to disable it and report it to the police. See the full guide: what to do if you find a tracker.

Disabling stops the owner from getting new location updates, but they may notice, and some trackers lose the link to their owner when reset, which can make police work harder. Document and identify it first. If you know or suspect who placed it, talk to the police or an advocate before disabling it.

In bags (linings, outer pockets, small pouches), coat pockets and linings, wallets, and cars — under seats, in pockets and consoles, in the boot and spare-wheel well, or outside in wheel arches and behind bumpers. See how to find a hidden tracker.

No. Scan results, the places where devices were seen, favorites, known devices and scan history stay on your device; TrackerSonar has no accounts and no server of its own. The app uses Firebase for usage statistics and crash reports without device names, tracker identifiers or locations. Details are in the privacy policy.

The free version shows occasional full-screen ads from Google AdMob when you return from a device’s details to the scan results — never during a scan or Live Locate. Premium removes all ads. Ads only use your advertising identifier if you allow tracking.

Premium on iPhone and iPad is an App Store subscription, so you manage and cancel it in your Apple account’s subscription settings (Settings › your name › Subscriptions). To restore a purchase on a new device, use Restore Purchases in TrackerSonar’s Settings.