BRYAN, Texas — A Texas A&M graduate launched a modern “lost-and-found” app that helps people who attended Chilifest, in Snook, tp recover nearly $50,000 worth of lost items.
Aaron Wooten graduated from Texas A&M in May of 2021. Wooten said the idea for the app came to him roughly six years ago, but he said it took him years later before he started to work on the specific details for an app design.
Wooten created “BackTrack,” an app he said is available on both Apple and Android devices, free of charge. The app connects users to locate both items that have been lost and report items that have been found. The user can add descriptive details of the item(s), the general location and time it was lost, along with other features.
Wooten wanted to start the app in Aggieland because of his fond memories at A&M.
“You know, usually when people think of lost and found they think of you know some closet, some box in a closet somewhere,” said Wooten.
While attending Texas A&M, Wooten said he saw a growing problem of people who lost items and couldn’t recover them in high-traffic areas. Wooten wanted to improve the lost-and-found system for items.
“That’s something I’ve learned graduating, when I was trying to get stuff done around here it was probably easier than most places because the outreach of the Aggie connection is insane,” said Wooten.
Wooten said he created the app to make it easier to recover items that have been lost and get more eyes on what scary situations can be.
“I wouldn’t know where to go, where to start looking for something, and this kind of gives you a little comfort knowing there are people out there that's going to try and help you get your things back,” said Wooten.
Since Wooten started the app, he said that roughly 1,000 users have joined to help find and recover lost items. He said that he hopes this will encourage people to do the right thing.
“I want people to kind of get in the Aggie spirit, even if they’re not Aggies, and then be able to help people around them and kind-of makes doing the right thing kind-of easier, and I’m hoping more people will be inclined to do that,” said Wooten.