Google enters the item tracking market with the Pixel Tag, featuring Ultra-Wideband technology, shared access, and integration with its Find Hub network, challenging Apple’s AirTag ahead of its November launch.
Google has moved into the item tracker market with the Pixel Tag, a small Bluetooth accessory unveiled alongside the Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch 5. The device is designed for everyday objects such as keys, wallets, backpacks and luggage, and it ties into Google’s Find Hub network, which the company says draws on more than one billion Android devices to help locate lost items.
The tracker uses Bluetooth, Ultra-Wideband and Bluetooth Channel Sounding to provide closer-range distance and directional guidance when an item is nearby. It also includes a built-in speaker for audible locating, plus a button that can make a connected phone ring if the handset itself has gone missing. Google has added Left Behind alerts and support for Android’s unknown tracker warnings, which are intended to alert users if an unfamiliar tracker appears to be travelling with them.
Google has also borrowed some of the practical features already seen in rival trackers. Pebblebee’s Universal Tracker line, for example, works with both Google’s Find Hub and Apple’s Find My networks, while Motorola’s Moto Tag has already been positioned as a Find Hub device with UWB support. Google’s own support pages say Find Hub can use UWB for precision finding on compatible phones and trackers, including recent Pixel and Samsung devices, which puts the Pixel Tag into a more capable class than basic Bluetooth-only tags.
The Pixel Tag has a stainless-steel body, an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, a replaceable battery rated for up to a year and Fast Pair setup on Android 9 or later. It can also be shared with up to 10 people, which may suit shared luggage or family keys. Google says the tag will not go on sale until November 11, even though it is already being presented as a direct rival to Apple’s AirTag.
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