On May 13th, 2024, Apple and Google announced news of their furthered partnership to address unwanted location tracking. Users of Android devices 6.0 and above will soon be able to receive alerts if an item that allows for location tracking is moving with them but not paired with their phone. This means that if someone were to misuse a location-enabled device to monitor someone else’s movement and location without their consent or knowledge, then the person would get an alert that will allow for an opportunity to interrupt and stop the monitoring, if it’s safe for them to do so.

Today, Apple and Google announced they are partnering to address the misuse of Bluetooth location tracking devices. Unwanted tracking is an increasingly common tactic of abuse and concern for survivors. NNEDV and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) have been advocating for universal standards to minimize opportunities for abuse and to decrease the burden for detecting possible trackers.