Apple’s AirTags is perhaps the world’s most well-known Bluetooth trackers, however they may quickly have some Google rivals that hook up with an enormous Android equal of Apple’s ‘Discover My’ community. If that does materialize, it could possibly be an extremely highly effective new means for Android followers to search out misplaced possessions.
Google’s rumored AirTag rival – apparently codenamed Grogu, in a nod to followers of The Mandalorian – has been tipped for an announcement at Google I/O 2023, which kicks off on Could 10. Whereas the trackers could not arrive on cabinets till later, it means Android customers might quickly see some rivals to the Tile Professional and Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus, together with a worldwide object-finding community.
However does the world actually need extra location trackers? In spite of everything, these little key fob-sized devices have courted as a lot controversy as they’ve reward. The Apple AirTag continues to hit the headlines regardless of anti-stalking firmware updates, whereas Tile additionally just lately rolled out a controversial Anti-Theft Mode of its personal.
Regardless of these points, there’s proof that Google has been laying the groundwork for each its personal AirTag rival and an equal of Apple’s ‘Discover My’ system. The advantage of these programs (and the primary supply of their controversy) is that they’ll detect misplaced objects by utilizing close by telephones, even when your misplaced priceless is offline. If that does come to billions of Android units, doubtlessly as a part of Android 14, it could possibly be an enormous function that takes Bluetooth trackers to a brand new degree.
If this community is opened as much as third-party producers, because the rumors recommend, then Android-compatible Bluetooth trackers might change into vital accent for the absent-minded. However Google would additionally should take care of the comprehensible privateness issues that may come alongside for the journey.
Just like the sound of a worldwide object-finding community that would prevent from shedding prized possessions, wherever you might be? Here is all the things we all know up to now in regards to the rumored Google AirTag rivals.
Google AirTags rival launch date and value
Google hasn’t made any official bulletins about its AirTag rivals but, however some credible rumors from dependable leaker Kuba Wojciechowski (opens in new tab) on January 16 prompt that the idea could possibly be introduced at Google I/O 2023.
The developer convention keynote, which is the place Google sometimes proclaims new merchandise and software program, is on Could 10. In an in depth breakdown of the AirTag-style tracker, codenamed ‘grogu’, Wojciechowski prompt that it might then ultimately launch at Google’s Pixel occasion, which we’re anticipating to be in October.
I haven’t got any info concerning the discharge timeframe of the tag, but when I needed to guess I would say Google’s gonna announce the know-how at Google I/O after which launch it on the annual fall occasion, alongside new Google Pixel units.January 16, 2023
These rumors are at the moment primarily based on guesswork quite than leaks, so the timeframes might change. However Google has traditionally made early {hardware} bulletins at its I/O convention – final yr, we noticed the Google Pixel 6a, Google Pixel Pill and Google Pixel Watch all make their first public appearances.
The unhealthy information is that, a yr on, we’re nonetheless ready for the Pixel Pill to seem in shops, so a Google I/O announcement would not assure a swift launch. However this current historical past does present why Google’s developer convention is an efficient guess for an early preview of its reply to each Apple’s AirTag trackers and its ‘Discover My’ community.
| Apple AirTag | Tile Professional | Samsung Galaxy SmartTag |
| $29 / £35 / AU$49 | $34 / £29 / AU$49 | $29 / £29 / AU$50 |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | Row 2 – Cell 1 | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
As for pricing, there have been no leaks to offer us a touch of how a lot a Google Bluetooth tracker may cost but. However we are able to get an thought from at this time’s choices. An Apple AirTag prices $29 / £35 / AU$49, whereas a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag goes for $29 / £29 (roughly AU$40).
Tile’s most premium choice, in the meantime, prices $34.99/ £29.99 / AU$49.95, although it does additionally promote the cheaper Tile Mate for $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$34.95. A Google rival to those trackers would doubtless be on this ballpark, although a burgeoning Android ‘Finder Community’ might increase competitors and drive down costs.
How would possibly Google’s Airtag rival work?
There are two parts to the current Google AirTag rumors. One is that Google is making its personal first-party tracker, however the extra fascinating proof is that it could possibly be a part of an Android equal to Apple’s ‘Discover My’ community that is open to third-party producers.
The know-how in Google’s AirTag-style gadget (codenamed ‘Grogu’) is predicted to be much like Apple’s. On January 16, the dependable leaker Kuba Wojciechowski (opens in new tab) unearthed proof that the tracker is seemingly “in improvement by the Nest crew”, even when it could not carry that branding.
Just like the AirTags, it seems Google’s model will pack each UWB (Extremely-wideband) and Bluetooth Low Vitality connectivity, together with an onboard speaker for emitting cries of assist from misplaced devices.
That UWB connectivity is the important thing one for location trackers. The short-range wi-fi protocol permits telephones to pinpoint the whereabouts of related objects with a a lot larger diploma of accuracy than Bluetooth. Apple calls this ‘Precision Discovering’ on AirTags. The identical tech additionally permits your telephone to do issues like act as a digital automobile key on autos with supported locks.
The Google Pixel 6 Professional was the primary of Google’s telephones to help Extremely-wideband, and it is also on the Google Pixel 7 Professional. This implies you will doubtless want among the finest Pixel telephones (or Android telephones) to make use of Google’s incoming AirTag equal. As a result of the latter depend on UWB, AirTags are solely suitable with telephones from the iPhone 11 onwards.
Okay, however we have seen plenty of Bluetooth trackers that help Extremely-wideband earlier than, proper? Properly, Google’s system might have two essential twists. Firstly, as noticed by Android journalist Mishaal Rahman (opens in new tab), Google just lately added help for ‘locator tags’ to its Quick Pair normal. Quick Pair is an present Android function that helps you shortly hook up with close by Bluetooth units utilizing a pop-up menu (like within the mockup above) and is open to third-party units.
This implies the speedy pairing system underpinning Google’s tracker community could possibly be open to all suitable trackers, not simply Google’s AirTag rival. However there’s extra. These earlier leaks additionally revealed that Google is engaged on its equal of Apple’s ‘Discover My’ community, doubtlessly referred to as the ‘Finder Community’.
It is this ‘Finder Community’ that could possibly be Google’s key to creating one thing extra than simply one other AirTag clone. Apple’s ‘Discover My’ community anonymously makes use of the Bluetooth connections of fellow Apple customers to search for AirTags (or suitable third-party gadget) in the event that they’re offline or out of Bluetooth vary. That is a strong, invisible trick that is happily additionally end-to-end encrypted.
Apple calls this a “crowdsourced community of tons of of tens of millions of Apple units”. However Google doubtlessly has a much bigger military of helpers to trace down your misplaced gadget. Ultimately yr’s Google I/O 2022 conference, the corporate revealed that there at the moment are over three billion lively Android units on the earth. That is plenty of potential assist in relation to discovering your misplaced suitcase or digicam.
Android already has a restricted ‘Discover My Gadget’ function, however till just lately it is primarily based in your gadget’s most up-to-date identified location. Again in December 2022, although, an update (opens in new tab) meant that it “now helps encrypted last-known-location experiences for Android units, utilizing a brand new privateness centric framework”. We have not seen any extra updates to ‘Discover My Gadget’ since then, but it surely does look suspiciously just like the fingermarks of Google’s rumored ‘Finder Community’.
Put all of these items collectively and also you doubtlessly have the world’s strongest system for locating misplaced objects or possessions, for Android followers a minimum of. Google’s personal AirTag-style tracker won’t be a technological leap over its Apple rival, however the system it is primarily based on could possibly be each extra open and greater than ‘Discover My’. Who is aware of, possibly it will be highly effective sufficient to compel Apple to launch that long-rumored AirTag 2.
Early ideas: why might Google’s AirTags be higher?
We have beforehand argued that Google’s rumored AirTag rival could possibly be an Android second for Bluetooth trackers, and the proof suggests it has the potential to be simply that. What’s much less clear is when the tracker and new ‘Finder Community’ is perhaps introduced – and that rumored Google I/O 2023 debut is at the moment simply guesswork.
Nonetheless, Google does have a historical past of creating comparable bulletins at its developer convention and it looks like an AirTag rival would want to reach this yr. Google’s present ‘Discover My Gadget’ app arrived six years in the past at Google I/O 2017 and proof that it could possibly be making a full-blown equal of Apple’s ‘Discover My’ community was first noticed by XDA Developers (opens in new tab) again in June 2021.
With the arrival of Extremely-wideband connectivity on current Google Pixel telephones, the items are coming collectively for a launch quickly. The delays could possibly be as a lot privacy-related as they’re technological – Apple needed to challenge an update on AirTag and unwanted tracking (opens in new tab) in February 2022 and AirTags proceed to hit the headlines for each good and unhealthy causes.
What is not unsure is the globe-spanning potential of a Google AirTag with a monitoring community that anonymously piggybacks on billions of Android units. Bluetooth trackers are at the moment in a fragmented state, with Samsung’s SmartThings Discover service solely suitable with Galaxy telephones and Apple’s AirTags being iPhone-only.
Each could possibly be dwarfed by an Android-powered ‘Finder Community’, notably if it is open to third-party producers and connects to different monitoring networks in the identical means that Tile does with the Amazon Sidewalk. Whether or not all of that is certainly the case is one thing we’re doubtlessly trying ahead to listening to about at Google I/O 2023.