AirTag Tracking Lawsuit Claims Apple Failed to Provide Adequate Stalking Safeguards for iPhone, Android Users

Plaintiffs allege former romantic partners secretly tracked their movements with Apple AirTags, allowing them to repeatedly locate the women despite efforts to avoid contact.

Two Michigan women have filed a lawsuit, alleging that inadequate Apple AirTag stalking safeguards allowed former romantic partners to secretly track their movements after they attempted to avoid contact.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by two women identified as Jane MH Doe-1 and Jane WP Doe-2 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on August 10, naming Apple Inc. as the sole defendant.

Apple AirTag Stalking Risks

Apple introduced AirTags in April 2021 as small Bluetooth devices designed to help consumers locate personal belongings.

The devices use Bluetooth signals and Apple’s “Find My” network to determine their location. Nearby Apple devices can detect an AirTag and anonymously relay its location through Apple’s network, giving the owner updated information about where the tracker is located.

However, critics argue those same features created a cheap and easily concealed way to track another person’s movements, leading to reports of AirTags being misused in connection with stalking, domestic violence, assaults and even homicides.

In light of those concerns, a number of Apple AirTag lawsuits allege the company knew about the potential for misuse before releasing the devices, pointing to warnings from technology experts and domestic violence advocates. Plaintiffs claim Apple received more than 40,000 reports of AirTag stalking between 2021 and 2024, or about 1,000 complaints per month on average.

AirTag Tracking Allegations

According to the complaint, Doe-1 believes a former romantic partner began stalking and tracking her no later than July 2026, repeatedly appearing at locations where she had not expected him to know she was present.

On July 2, the former partner allegedly appeared at a park where Doe-1’s vehicle was hidden behind a truck. The following day, he appeared to know she was attending a fireworks event even though she had not told him about her plans.

Doe-1 eventually moved her camper from a campground she had visited for 10 years in an effort to escape the suspected stalking, but the former partner continued locating her and allegedly appeared at her new residence on July 23.

Two days later, her 12-year-old son discovered an AirTag hidden in her vehicle.

Although Doe-1 was using an iPhone, the lawsuit indicates Apple’s unwanted tracking system never notified her that an unknown AirTag was traveling with her. She indicates the stalking has left her fearing for both her life and her child’s safety and has severely disrupted her daily activities.

Doe-2 describes similar problems after leaving an abusive four-year relationship and moving into a new apartment in March 2023 without providing her former partner with the address.

However, her former partner allegedly appeared at the apartment the same day she moved in. Doe-2 initially saw a man walking around her vehicle and later recognized him as her former partner after he began banging on her apartment door. After he left, she discovered her vehicle had been keyed.

About two weeks later, an AirTag was discovered beneath the back seat of her vehicle. Doe-2 was using an Android smartphone and received no warning about the tracker, discovering it only after her niece visited with an iPhone that generated an unknown AirTag alert.

“The AirTag’s inadequate anti-stalking measures failed to protect each Plaintiff from being tracked without her knowledge or consent, resulting in severe emotional and psychological harm.”

— Jane MH Doe-1 et al. v. Apple Inc.

Apple allegedly recognized the potential for unwanted tracking and developed anti-stalking features intended to deter misuse, but the women claim those protections were inadequate from the outset.

At launch, an AirTag separated from its owner could take three days to produce an audible warning, according to the lawsuit. Although iPhone users could receive notifications about unknown AirTags traveling with them, Android users initially had no comparable automatic protection.

Apple introduced its Tracker Detect app for Android devices in December 2021, but the lawsuit alleges users had to know about the app, download it and manually initiate scans. As a result, individuals generally needed to already suspect they were being tracked before searching for an AirTag.

Apple and Google announced plans for a cross-platform unwanted tracking detection standard in May 2023, which the complaint indicates was not fully implemented until 2024. However, the women maintain neither operating system currently provides adequate protection against AirTag stalking.

Doe-1 and Doe-2 claim Apple could have adopted stronger safeguards before AirTags were released, including identity verification to activate trackers, equivalent detection features for Android users, louder speakers that were more difficult to disable, periodic owner authentication and designs that made the devices harder to conceal.

The lawsuit alleges Apple continued selling AirTags and relied on incremental safety updates despite reports of unwanted tracking. The women argue Apple placed the devices on the market despite knowing foreseeable misuse could expose individuals to stalking and abuse, even though safer alternative designs were technologically feasible.

The complaint raises allegations of negligence, product liability—design defect, invasion of privacy—intrusion upon seclusion and violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. It seeks compensatory and exemplary damages, attorneys’ fees and other relief, as well as an injunction requiring Apple to address allegedly unlawful or unfair practices involving the design, manufacture and sale of AirTags.

Apple AirTag MDL

As AirTag stalking lawsuits continue to mount, plaintiffs have asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to centralize all federal lawsuits in an Apple AirTag MDL, arguing the company marketed its tracking devices without adequate safeguards against foreseeable misuse by stalkers and abusers. 

More than 20 AirTag lawsuits are pending across at least 17 federal districts, with additional claims expected. Many were filed individually after a federal judge rejected class certification in a proposed nationwide AirTag stalking lawsuit earlier this year.

As litigation over the alleged misuse of location-tracking devices expands, attorneys are evaluating potential claims for individuals who say they were unknowingly monitored with an Apple AirTag, Samsung SmartTag or similar device.

Product liability lawyers are investigating cases nationwide involving claims that tracking devices were improperly used in connection with:

• Stalking
• Harassment
• Domestic violence
• Other criminal conduct

Potential claims are being reviewed on a contingency fee basis, meaning individuals have no upfront legal fees or expenses, and attorneys are only paid if compensation is recovered.

Sign up for more legal news that could affect you or your family.