Google’s item tracker has arrived. The Pixel Tag, first announced in August, went on sale this week for $29.99, with a four-pack at $99.99, and tracks items through Google’s Find Hub app on Android, according to TechCrunch, Android Authority and Google’s own blog. TechCrunch dates the sale to Tuesday, November 10, while Android Authority says November 11.
The hardware. The tag is an oval stainless-steel device, about 1.1 inches wide, 1.8 inches high and 0.2 inches deep, weighing 0.4 ounces with its battery, according to TechCrunch. It comes in silver and pale green, is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, and uses Bluetooth and ultra-wideband, the short-range radio that allows precise direction finding. It has a built-in speaker with a maximum volume of around 80 decibels and three loudness levels.
Battery. It uses a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell, and Google claims up to one year of battery life to start. That is a claim and has not been independently tested.
How it works. The tag pairs with Android 9 or newer through Fast Pair. When it is out of range, Find Hub draws on Google’s network of over a billion Android devices, according to TechCrunch and other coverage. Phones with ultra-wideband can show distance and direction up close, while phones with Bluetooth 6.0 show distance only, according to the search coverage.
Sharing and lost mode. Location can be shared with up to 10 people. Lost mode can show the owner’s email, number and a short message to whoever finds it, and the item is marked as found when it returns to range. Pressing the button twice rings a lost phone, according to TechCrunch. Bellroy is launching keychain cases sold through the Google Store.
A correction on NFC. TechCrunch’s article ends with a correction saying NFC was not mentioned at the August announcement but the Pixel Tag supports it, and that a tap connects the user to the tag’s settings and not to a webpage as with the AirTag. Other coverage reported the opposite earlier, so the correction is the more recent account.
What is not stated. TechCrunch does not give regional availability, and the article implies the tag does not work with iPhones. The price is $29.99 in the article’s body and $30 in its headline, and other outlets give $29 or $29.99.
Why it matters. Item trackers rely on the size of the network that helps find lost items, and Google’s is among the largest. A first-party option at $29.99 gives Android users an alternative to Apple’s AirTag and to Tile. Privacy groups raise concerns about trackers being used to follow people, which is why alerts for unknown trackers matter for any product of this type.
Sources: TechCrunch, Android Authority and Google’s blog. Details are as reported by those outlets and Google.
Google Pixel XL smartphone (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
