How to turn off Tile tracker
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Bluetooth trackers, including Apple's AirTag and all of the Tiles, are terrific little tools for helping you find your lost keys or remote. Unfortunately, they can also be easily slipped in a bag or affixed on a car for the purpose of stalking. Apple has released a number of AirTag updates to limit this possibility, as well as an app for Android users that lets them manually search for rogue AirTags, but that doesn't change the fact that these tiny $30 trackers can still be used in nefarious ways. Show Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself against Bluetooth tracker stalking. We've created a basic guide to help you assess your risk, know what to look for, and disable any foreign Bluetooth tracker you may find. Consider Your Risk Profile and Create a Safety PlanTechnology-facilitated abuse(Opens in a new window) is the use of any technological means to coerce, stalk, or harass another person. According to the CDC’s latest data(Opens in a new window), 16% of women and 3.7% of men have been victims of stalking in their lifetime. There are caveats here though: This report doesn't separate physical stalking versus cyberstalking, and it was released well before Apple's popular AirTag hit the market. Needless to say, technology has changed significantly since then, so there’s a good possibility these number don't accurately reflect the current state of cyberstalking. Although anyone can be the target of a cyberstalker via an AirTag, Tile, or hundreds of different tracking apps(Opens in a new window), certain groups appear to be more vulnerable than others. There is little data related to stalking using Bluetooth trackers specifically, but we can extrapolate based on existing stalking and technology-facilitated abuse. While this list is by no means comprehensive, you may want to take extra precautions if you fall into any of the following groups: Women between the ages of 18 and 24(Opens in a new window) and survivors of intimate partner violence are far more likely be stalked. LGBTQ+ people are more vulnerable(Opens in a new window) to stalking than the general population, according to SPARC, the Stalking Prevention and Awareness Resource Center. BIPOC teens and young adults, as well as active duty service members who identify as LGBT have a higher risk factor in this group. Journalists, especially local TV news reporters(Opens in a new window), are more likely to be the victims of technology-facilitated abuse and stalking. Amanda Hess, critic-at-large for The New York Times, discusses her own experience(Opens in a new window) with harassment and stalking by a man convicted of murder, and how the police failed to take the issue seriously. Hess writes, “None of this makes me exceptional. It makes me a woman with an Internet connection,” before going on to discuss the experiences of other female journalists and bloggers. Activists, dissidents, and human rights advocates(Opens in a new window) are also more likely to be the targets of technology-facilitated abuse, especially in countries with with poor human rights records. The United Nations Human Rights Office(Opens in a new window) offers resources and an overview of more specific threats(Opens in a new window) for people in this group. If you fall into any of these groups, head to the Technology Safety website(Opens in a new window) to create a safety plan and find advocates and other resources. Regularly Inspect Your BelongingsAirTag and Tile trackers are small, making them easy to hide. Here are some common places to look to make sure you're not being tracked, and ways to make your life a little more tracker-proof. Bags, Luggage, and PursesTake a few minutes to empty your bag and pockets each day. Check to make sure all of the seams arein tact and you don’t feel any awkward lumps or hard surfaces. Trackers like the Tile Slim are thin enough to be easily placed under the lining at the bottom of a bag where interfacing or foam are used to help it maintain its shape, making the tracker less noticeable. Stick to bags and purses that have zippers or magnetic enclosures. If you carry a backpack or other bag with lots of side pockets, consider using iron-on hem tape to permanently seal them, or use inexpensive snap-style buttons to make them harder to open. If you have a leather bag or simply don’t want to deal with securing the side compartments, a dry cleaner can easily add snaps and sew pockets shut or even remove them. It would be an understatement to say Steven Winkelman is obsessed with mobile technology. Since joining PCMag as a mobile analyst in 2019, he’s reviewed over 100 phones and tablets. Before that he covered mobile and wearable tech as a staff writer at Digital Trends. Can you silence a Tile tracker?To make your Tile stop ringing, tap the blue Done button in the app. Or, you can press once firmly on the Tile button. If the Tile does not ring or you are unable to hear it ring, use the Tile Detector to find the Tile. Tile made it easy for me to handle my issue.
Does the Tile app always have to be running?The app does have to be open and running in the background in order to have accurate location updates of your Tile, and so that you can ring your phone when it's within Bluetooth range (30-100 feet). Force closing the app at any time stops the communication between your app and Tile.
How can you tell if Tile is tracked?When you open the Tile app and tap on the Tile, you will notice a circle around that Tile's photo. If the circle surrounding the item is a solid green, then your Tile is in range. Ring your Tile to locate it.
Can someone detect the Tile tracker?That's because Tile devices don't use GPS Location Services. Instead, they use Bluetooth to make a connection with the owner's device. That means if someone slipped a Tile tracker onto your person, once you move out of standard Bluetooth range, they won't be able to track you.
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