Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of commissioning a third-party electronic device of a user for use with a tracking service includes detecting, by an application executing on the computing device of the user, the third-party electronic device within a communicative range of the computing device of the user. The third-party electronic device is not associated with the tracking service and is not communicatively coupled with the tracking service. The method includes initiating a commissioning exchange with the third-party electronic device. The method includes providing an output of the commissioning exchange to a tracking system server associated with the tracking service. The method includes receiving an acknowledgement that the third-party electronic device has been commissioned for use with the tracking service. The method includes providing, in response to the acknowledgement, a location associated with the third-party electronic device to the tracking system server.

Abstract: Unauthorized tracking devices, including those that change their identification information periodically, are detected to protect an individual's privacy. A mobile device of a user detects a first advertisement signal from an unknown wireless device, the first advertisement signal containing information representative of the unknown device. Multiple advertisement signals may be received as the mobile device moves a distance greater than a broadcast range away from the location where the first signal was detected. Responsive to detecting a second advertisement signal containing the same identity information after the mobile device has moved at least the distance greater than the broadcast range away from the location where the first signal was detected, the system generates an interface on the mobile device. The generated interface indicates to a user of the mobile device the presence of an unknown device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a tracking server, an indication from a first computing device that a tracking device status associated with a tracking device has changed. The method includes accessing a first set of locations associated with the tracking device when it was connected to a second computing device and a second set of locations associated with the tracking device when it was not connected to the second computing device. The method includes providing the first set of locations and the second set of locations to the first computing device for display. The first set of locations and the second set of locations are displayed within a map interface and each location of the first set of locations is visually distinct from each location of the second set of locations.

Abstract: A tracking device can use a permanent encryption key pair to encrypt a temporary private key that corresponds to a set of diversified temporary public keys. When a community mobile device subsequently detects the tracking device, the central tracking system provides a diversified temporary public key to the community mobile device. The community mobile device uses the diversified temporary public key to encrypt location data representative of a location of the community mobile device, and provides the encrypted location data to the central tracking system. When a user subsequently requests a location of the tracking device from the central tracking system, the central tracking system provides the encrypted temporary private key and the encrypted location data to a device of the user, and the device can decrypt the encrypted temporary private key using the permanent encryption key pair, and decrypt the encrypted location data using the decrypted temporary private key.

Abstract: A tracking system determines a location of a tracking device associated with a user using one or more access points at the location. Each access point at the location is configured to detect and couple with the tracking device when the tracking device is within a communicative range of the access point. An access point provides updates on the tracking device's presence, as well as the tracking device's arrival to and departure from the communicative range of the access point, to a tracking server. The tracking server determines, from these updates, whether the tracking device is at the location. The user may be notified, via a mobile device, of the tracking device's location.

Abstract: A tracking system can provide smart alerts based on a user's location. The tracking system can receive a location of a user's mobile device and establish a geographic boundary around the location if the mobile device remains at the location for a threshold amount of time. The tracking system can receive a new location of the mobile device outside of the geographic boundary and configure the mobile device to scan for a tracking device associated with the user for an interval of time. If the tracking system detects the tracking device within the interval, the tracking system stores information indicating that the user possesses the tracking device. Otherwise, the tracking system sends an indication to the mobile device indicating that the user has left behind the tracking device.

Abstract: Unauthorized tracking devices, including those that change their identification information periodically, are detected to protect an individual's privacy. A privacy system can implement a number of anti-stalking features to protect against such unauthorized tracking devices. The privacy system, upon determining that an unauthorized tracking device is mirroring a user's movements, can enable the user to “ring” the tracking device in order to allow the user to locate the unauthorized device. The privacy system, in response to determining that the tracking device or the owner of the tracking device satisfy one or more stalking conditions, can notify a user that the tracking device satisfies the stalking conditions. Finally, the privacy system enables users to disable access to location information from the tracking device to owners of the tracking device in the event that the tracking device is deemed unauthorized by the user.

Abstract: A tracking device stores identification values unique to the tracking device for use in authenticating the tracking device. When activated, the tracking device provides a first identification value to a first owner and a different identification value to a tracking system. The identification of the tracking device can only be authenticated by combining the identification values given to the owner and tracking system. If a second owner resets the tracking device, the tracking device stores a second version the identification values for use in authenticating the tracking device. In the case that the second owner is illegitimate, (for instance, the tracking device is stolen by the second owner) the first owner can report the tracking device stolen.

Abstract: Communication between an owner of a lost tracking device and a finder of a lost tracking device is established. A tracking system receives an identifier of a tracking device and a request for a web page from a mobile device that has captured an image of a smart code on the tracking device. The smart code is embedded with a URL to the web page. The system displays the web page on the mobile device and prompts the user to provide a location of the mobile device. The location is associated with the identifier of the tracking device. A notification indicating the location of the tracking device is generated for the owner. The owner is prompted to provide information to establish contact with the finder of the device, and the web page is populated with the owner's provided information for display on the finder's mobile device.

Abstract: A tracking device can provide a hashed identifier to a mobile device, for instance within an advertisement packet. The mobile device can query each of a plurality of entities with the hashed identifier to identify an entity associated with the hash key used to generate the hashed identifier. In some embodiments, the mobile device can query a centralized key server, which in turn can query the plurality of entities to identify the entity associated with the hash key. The mobile device can then receive a public key from the identified entity, can determine a location of the mobile device, and can encrypt the location with the public key. The mobile device can then provide the hashed identifier and the encrypted location to the identified entity, which can provide the encrypted location to an owner of the tracking device for decryption using a private key corresponding to the public key.

Abstract: A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device.

Abstract: Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.

Abstract: Power can be preserved in a tracking device equipped with a GPS receiver and a transceiver by evaluating the proximity of the tracking device to a mobile device and enabling the GPS receiver and transceiver only in the event that the tracking device is out of the range of the mobile device. Once enabled, the location of the tracking device can be determined based on location information received from the GPS receiver. The determined location can be provided to a tracking system associated with the tracking device. The tracking system can then inform an owner of the tracking device of the determined location. Once the tracking device has been found, the GPS receiver and the transceiver can be disabled to save additional power.

Abstract: A tracking system determines if a tracking device is located within a safe zone based on whether a set of safe conditions are satisfied. The set of safe conditions includes a geographic boundary or a geographic location and corresponding threshold distance. The set of safe conditions can also include a time window during which a safe zone is active. When a tracking device is within a safe zone (e.g., geographically and temporally), the tracking device is determined to be safe, and notifications associated with the tracking device can be minimized. The safe zones may be user-selected, user-defined, or determined based on data analytics. If a set of safe conditions are not satisfied, the tracking system generates and sends a notification to the user of the tracking device indicating that the tracking device may be lost.

Abstract: A tracking device can use a permanent encryption key pair to encrypt one or more temporary encryption key pairs, which can then be provided to a central tracking system. When a community mobile device subsequently detects the tracking device, the central tracking system provides an encrypted temporary encryption key pair to the community mobile device. The community mobile device uses the encrypted temporary encryption key pair to encrypt location data representative of a location of the community mobile device, and provides the encrypted location data to the central tracking system. When a user subsequently requests a location of the tracking device from the central tracking system, the central tracking system provides the encrypted location data, and a device of the user can decrypt the encrypted temporary encryption key pair using the permanent encryption key pair, and can decrypt the location data using the decrypted temporary encryption key pair.

Abstract: One or more features of a tracking device can be disabled if the tracking device is lost. A tracking device is associated with a first mobile device, which can remotely control the tracking device via a tracking server. The tracking server receives an instruction from the first mobile device to disable a feature of the tracking device. The tracking server also receives a notification from a second mobile device that the second mobile device is within a communication range of the tracking device. In response to receiving the instruction and the notification, the tracking server transmits the instruction for the tracking device to disable the feature to the second mobile device. The tracking device receives the instruction to disable the feature from the second mobile device. In response to receiving the instruction to disable the feature, the tracking device disables the feature according to the instruction.

Abstract: A set of tracking devices can be placed within a geographic area as part of a scavenger hunt. A user with a mobile device can traverse the area, and when the user moves within a threshold proximity or communicative range of a tracking device, the mobile device can receive a communication from the tracking device identifying the tracking device. In response to determining that the tracking device is part of the set of tracking devices and thus part of the scavenger hunt, the mobile device can modify a tracking device interface displaying a representation of the tracking device to indicate that the tracking device has been found. In response to each tracking device being found, the mobile device can modify the tracking device interface to indicate that the scavenger hunt has been completed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing, by a tracking system server, information identifying each of multiple first computing devices and a location of each computing device. The method includes receiving a request including an identifier for a second computing device and configuration instructions executable by the second computing device. The method includes determining a most recent location associated with the second computing device. The method includes identifying a computing device from the first computing devices based at least in part on the stored location of the computing device and the most recent location associated with the second computing device. The method includes sending, to the identified computing device, a forwarding request including the identifier for the second computing device and the configuration instructions. The identified computing device is configured to send the configuration instructions to the second computing device.