How to know if an AirTag is near you? Settings explored as family claims they were tracked during Disney World visit 

A Tennessee family has claimed that an Apple AirTag was being used to track them during their day spent at Walt Disney World. Jennifer Gaston told Fox 35 Orlando that the family was heading back to their car through the monorail when they received a notification saying that the device's owner had been tracking them.

Gaston’s daughter discovered that the device was tracking them for several hours during their day at Disney World. Gaston said:

“We were terrified, we were confused, hurt, and scared. She literally watched it follow us from the tram all the way back to our vehicle.”

The family could not find the device when they were near their car. Gaston’s daughter continued to search for the device, and it showed that it was still in the parking lot. The mother then revealed that they dumped everything from their bags to search for the device, but they were unsuccessful in finding the device.

AirTags are being used for illegal purposes though they were made to ensure the safety of products (Image via Getty Images)

Gaston’s daughter revealed that the AirTag was still pinging once they left the Disney World parking lot.

The family reported the incident to the police, but the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida shared that the incident has not been identified as a crime as they did not physically find the device. Sources have revealed that a report has since been filed.

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Signs an AirTag is tracking you

For iPhone users, ensure that you have enabled notifications under Find My Devices. To do so, one must go to their 'Find My' app on their iPhone or iPad, then tap the 'Me' icon at the bottom right. One can find the 'Item Safety Alerts' option if they scroll down. One should make sure that it is toggled on.

Those with iOS 14.5 will receive notifications about nearby AirTags and other devices that are using Apple’s Find My network. Those with an iPhone 6 or later must update their devices to the latest possible iOS versions to enable notifications that show AirTags that might be following you.

The notification one may come across if they have an AirTag following them will read: “Unknown Device Detected,” “Unknown Accessory Detected,” “Unknown AirTag Detected,” “Item Detected Near You," or anything similar. They will also provide one with a map showing how the device has been moving with you.

On Android phones, the AirGuard app can be used to get notified about getting tracked by the device. Once one gets the notification, they can display the detected device's MAC address. They can also view the date and time of when the device was first and recently detected. A map and timeline of the device’s tracking will also be seen.

Apple also has its own Tracker Detect app for Android phones. However, one will have to scan manually to detect the device.

The Apple device will start chirping once they are separated from the paired iPhone or iPad for more than 24 hours.

Once one is aware of being tracked by the device, it is suggested not to go home immediately. They must then locate the physical device by following the chirping sounds. They must then get the serial number from the device that will be displayed in the AirTag notifications.

One can disable the device by pushing down the center of the back panel. The panel must then be twisted clockwise to open. The battery found inside must be popped out. The serial number will also be printed on the back panel.

Apple recommends reporting the incident to the police along with the device's serial number. This would allow Apple to find the rightful owner of the device.