With a billion iPhones out there, Apple’s Find My mesh location network is pretty dense, and if someone wanted to track you wherever you went, it would be pretty simple to slip a tiny Airtag into your handbag.

Fortunately, Apple has thought about this possibility and has built some anti-stalking features into the tracker from the get-go.

Your own iPhone can detect an AirTag that does not belong to you, and notify you if an unknown AirTag is seen to be travelling with you from place to place over time (above).

Even if a user does not have an iOS device, an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it.

If a user detects an unknown AirTag, they can tap it with their iPhone or NFC-capable device and instructions will guide them to disable the unknown AirTag.

In a world where new technology is often used for both good and ill, it is good to see Apple being proactive in this way.

Apple’s Airtags were announced yesterday – read more about them here.