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Shining a Light on Hidden Trackers

A practical tool for personal safety: AirTag & Bluetooth tracker detection


If you’re concerned about your safety or feel like you may be being monitored, it’s important to know that technology now exists to help detect unwanted tracking devices.

One such tool is the AirGuard app, a free app designed to help identify Bluetooth tracking devices (like Apple AirTags and similar trackers) that may be moving with you without your knowledge.


What is AirGuard?


AirGuard is a mobile app developed by researchers that scans your surroundings for Bluetooth tracking devices. These include:

  • Apple AirTags

  • Other “Find My” network devices

  • Various third-party Bluetooth trackers


The app works in the background and alerts you if a device appears to be travelling with you over time, which may indicate unwanted tracking.

 

Why this matters


Bluetooth trackers are designed to help people locate lost items, but unfortunately, they can also be misused.


We are increasingly seeing situations where individuals:

  • Place tracking devices in cars, bags, or personal belongings

  • Attempt to monitor someone’s movements without their consent


For people experiencing stalking or coercive control, this type of technology can be used to extend surveillance beyond physical proximity.

 

How the app helps


AirGuard provides:

  • Automatic scanning for nearby tracking devices

  • Alerts when an unknown tracker is detected travelling with you

  • Signal strength indicators to help locate the device

  • Instructions on how to disable the tracker


Importantly, it does not require an iPhone, making it especially useful for Android users who would not otherwise receive Apple’s built-in AirTag alerts.

 

When should you use it?


You may consider using a tracking detection app if:

  • You feel like your movements are being monitored

  • You have concerns about stalking or harassment

  • You’ve noticed unusual behaviour (e.g. someone knowing your location unexpectedly)

  • You are going through a separation or high-conflict situation

 

Important limitations


While apps like AirGuard are helpful, they are not foolproof.

  • Not all tracking devices are detectable

  • Some devices may only ping intermittently

  • Detection can depend on Bluetooth being enabled

  • A lack of alerts does not guarantee that tracking is not occurring


This tool should be used as one part of a broader safety strategy, not a standalone solution.

 

What to do if you find a tracking device


If you locate a suspicious tracker:

  1. Do not immediately destroy it

  2. Take note of where it was found

  3. Consider taking photos or documenting evidence

  4. Contact police if you feel unsafe

  5. Seek legal advice if appropriate


Preserving evidence can be important, particularly in legal or protection order contexts.


Seeking support


If you have concerns about tracking, stalking, or surveillance, it’s important to seek support through established services that are equipped to assist directly.


You can contact:

  • 1800RESPECT – 24/7 confidential counselling and support (1800 737 732)

  • DVConnect – specialist crisis support in Queensland (1800 811 811)

  • Queensland Police Service – if you are in immediate danger, call 000


There are also local support services available that can assist with safety planning, emergency accommodation, and ongoing support.


The Lighthouse Hub works alongside established organisations and community partners by supporting access to safety technology and raising awareness of risks like technology-facilitated surveillance.

If you’re unsure where to start, reaching out to one of the services above is a strong first step.

 

 
 

Why the Lighthouse Hub Exists - The Founder's Story

 

The Lighthouse Hub was founded from lived experience of domestic and family violence, stalking and technology-facilitated abuse.

​

There was a period in my life when safety no longer felt simple. I began receiving strange messages and account alerts. Some messages suggested my location was known. My online accounts were being targeted. I found myself checking my phone, my car, my home and my surroundings, trying to understand how someone could know where I had been.

​

It is difficult to explain what that does to your sense of safety.

​

You stop moving through the world normally. You start scanning, questioning and checking everything. You wonder whether your phone is safe. Whether your car is safe. Whether your home is safe. Whether your children are safe.

​

My daughter felt that fear too.

​

As a parent, that was one of the hardest parts. It is one thing to feel afraid yourself. It is another thing entirely to see your child feel unsafe and to feel helpless in trying to protect them.

​

Eventually, a tracking device was located in my vehicle.

​

That experience made something very clear to me: technology-facilitated abuse does not just create fear. It creates an evidence problem, a safety problem and a funding problem.

​

I was able to install cameras around my home, and that made a real difference. They helped restore some sense of safety. They helped me feel like I had a way to see what was happening around me and take practical steps to protect my family.

But I could not afford everything that was needed. Dash cameras, vehicle checks, device checks and other safety technologies can be expensive. At the very time I needed practical safety tools, cost became another barrier.

​

My support worker tried to find funding for dash cameras. But because it could not be proved who was responsible, I did not meet the requirements for victim support funding. Even then, I was told there could be a wait of up to 12 months.

That does not help when safety is needed now.

​

This is the gap The Lighthouse Hub was created to help fill.

​

Victim-survivors are often expected to provide evidence of stalking, surveillance or technology-facilitated abuse before meaningful action can be taken. But the tools that may help detect, document or respond to that behaviour are often expensive and difficult to access.

​

The Lighthouse Hub works with established frontline organisations to help fund practical safety technologies for the people they support. This may include home security cameras, dash cameras, vehicle checks and device checks.

We are not a crisis service. We do not provide counselling, legal advice or case management. Our role is to support the organisations already working directly with victim-survivors by helping make safety technology more accessible when cost would otherwise stand in the way.

​

The Lighthouse Hub exists because safety should not depend on whether someone can afford the tools that may help protect them.

​

It exists because a 12-month wait does not help someone who feels unsafe today.

​

And it exists to help light the way when safety feels out of reach.

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