Google plans AirTag clone, will track devices with 3 billion Android phones - Ars Technica

Enlarge / Apple introduced AirTags alongside respective antithetic kinds of accessories to heighten their flair and attach-ability.

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Following successful the footsteps of Tile, Apple, and Samsung, it sounds similar Google volition beryllium the latest Big-Tech institution to marque a Bluetooth tracker. Android researcher Kuba Wojciechowski has spotted codification for a Google first-party Bluetooth tracker codenamed—just successful clip for The Mandalorian play 3—"Grogu."

Wojciechowski has recovered references that cheque astir each large container you would privation successful a Bluetooth tracker. It has a speaker, UWB compatibility, and supports Bluetooth LE. Wojciechowski besides notes it's being built by the Nest team. If you don't privation the tracker to play a ringtone to uncover its location, UWB oregon "Ultra Wide Band" is simply a vigor exertion that tin physically find an item. You'll request UWB to beryllium built into your phone, but it volition fto you find a adjacent instrumentality via a compass-like interface. UWB has been built into the Pixel 6 Pro, 7 Pro, and different high-end Android devices, though it isn't utilized for much.

Another absorbing wrinkle is that Esper's Mishaal Rahman precocious posted astir a "locator tag" enactment landing successful Google's Fast Pair developer console. Fast Pair is Google's API for rapidly detecting and pairing to adjacent Bluetooth devices—it shows a pop-up connected the surface alternatively than making radical excavation done the settings menu. Google's Fast Pair developer console is for third-party devices, though, truthful seeing a "locator tag" class popular up astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic Grogu would beryllium an awfully large coincidence. It suggests that Google is readying to physique a Bluetooth tracker ecosystem for Grogu and fto third-party hardware articulation the party. Why other would it adhd Bluetooth tracker emulation options to its nationalist developer tools? Google handles the Fast Pair functionality for the big OS (Android), truthful the dev console is lone for third-party Bluetooth devices.

Tile Bluetooth trackers are a large mode to find car keys, luggage, and immoderate other you often lose. Tile has been astir for 10 years now, but it wasn't until Apple cloned the thought with AirTags that the thought took disconnected with Big Tech companies. Since then, Samsung and present seemingly Google person decided to leap into the market. Unlike Samsung, Tile, and different non-Apple competitors, Google has a concealed limb that could rapidly marque it the No. 1 oregon 2 Bluetooth tracker merchandise connected the market.