I recently received a notification on my iPad that said an AirTag was connected to me and following me. However, the location shown was between my house and a place I haven't visited recently, and this was during hours when I was sleeping. I tried to play a sound on the AirTag but couldn't hear anything. Then, I used my Android phone to scan for unknown trackers, and it detected an AirTag as well - but said it was out of range. After moving around my house, the sound feature worked, but even after playing the sound several times, I couldn't locate it. I think my devices might be picking up a neighbor's AirTag? How far away can an iPad or Android phone detect an AirTag? Also, can someone see the location of devices that were connected to their AirTag?
2 Answers
AirTags are designed to alert you if they’ve been detected near you for a prolonged period, a feature put in place to prevent unwanted tracking. If you received a notification, it might have been an AirTag that was already gone by the time you checked. The detection range is generally about 30-100 feet, depending on obstacles. So yes, it's possible your devices detected a neighbor's AirTag if it was active and within range.
AirTags perform a few key functions: they regularly broadcast an encrypted ID, maintain a connection with Apple devices, make noise when prompted, and can share location info if they have not connected to their owner's phone for a while. Basically, your iPhone or Android will log the signals it receives from nearby AirTags and report back the location info to Apple servers. If it senses an AirTag's signal while you're moving, it'll alert you. However, a neighbor's AirTag typically shouldn’t show as tracking you unless it is actually moving with you, which isn’t likely if you haven’t been outside with your iPad lately.
I was at home the entire time, so I think the iPad just detected my neighbor's AirTag while they were moving around their place. I double-checked everything I took outside, and I'm sure there's no AirTag on my stuff.
So is it likely my phone and iPad are just picking up signals from a neighbor's AirTag then?