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How to find an AirTag in my car, and what to do when you find one
Start with your phone: an iPhone alert lets you play a sound on the AirTag, and Android phones can scan for unknown trackers. Then check under the seats, the boot and the door pockets. If you find it, photograph it where it sits and talk to police before you remove the battery.
Use your phone to find it
Pick your phone.
On an iPhone
- Tap the “AirTag Found Moving With You” alert.
- Tap Play Sound and listen. You can play it again if you need more time.
- No alert? Open Find My, scroll to the bottom of the Items tab and tap Identify Found Item.
- Check alerts are on: Settings, Notifications, Tracking Notifications, Allow Notifications (iOS 17.5 or later).
On an Android phone
- Open Settings, then Safety & emergency, then Unknown tracker alerts.
- Tap Scan now. It takes about 10 seconds.
- If a tracker shows up, tap Play sound. Google says this does not notify the owner.
- Apple’s Tracker Detect app on Google Play can also look for AirTags.
For Samsung SmartTags
- Open SmartThings, then Life, then Find.
- In its settings, turn on Unknown tag detection.
- Search for unknown tags near you.
This finds tags that work with SmartThings Find. Menu names can differ between versions.
Check the usual hiding places
Tick each place as you check it. Nothing is stored or sent.
10 places to check.
If you find one
Do
- Photograph it exactly where it sits, before touching it.
- Screenshot the alert and its map.
- Read the serial: hold the top of an iPhone or NFC phone near the white side, then screenshot.
- Report it to police promptly.
Do not
- Throw it away. It is evidence.
- Remove the battery before you have a safety plan.
- Drive somewhere you want kept private while you are worried about being followed. Contact police first.
Apple’s advice: “If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement, who can work with Apple to request information related to the item.”
AirTag questions
Will an AirTag hidden in my car make a sound?
Apple says an AirTag separated from its owner for a period of time “emits a sound when it’s moved”. Apple does not publish how long that takes, so silence does not mean there is no tag.
Can I find out who owns the AirTag?
Reading the serial number shows the last four digits of the owner’s phone number. The full owner details come from Apple, through police.
Will my phone catch every kind of tracker?
No. Phone alerts do not cover every tracker brand, which is why a physical check of the car still matters.
Should I remove the battery?
Not before you have a safety plan. Removing it stops the owner seeing its location, which can tell them it was found. Talk to police or a support worker first.
Can Wildfire help with a tracker?
We can preserve your phone’s alert records, photograph and seal the tag under chain of custody, and line the alerts up with your own location history. Identifying the owner is a police request to Apple.
Sources
- Apple: AirTag found moving with you
- Google: Find unknown trackers
- Apple: Tracker Detect on Google Play
- Samsung: Unknown tag detection
- Apple: Disable an AirTag
- Apple: Legal Process Guidelines, outside the US
Checked against each source in October 2026 by Viktor Burcevski, Wildfire Data Recovery. General information, not legal advice.
Found a tracker?
Read what an AirTag examination can and cannot prove, or talk to us safely.