Google Launches $29.99 Pixel Tag Tracker for Android
Google began selling its $29.99 Pixel Tag tracker Tuesday, an Android rival to Apple's AirTag with Bluetooth, ultra-wideband and a year of battery life.
Google (GOOGL) began selling its Pixel Tag tracker on Tuesday, a $29.99 device that lets Android users find lost keys, wallets and bags through the company's Find Hub network.
The oval-shaped tag, first announced in August, pairs over Bluetooth and ultra-wideband for precision finding, and includes a built-in speaker that plays a chime at up to about 80 decibels. A four-pack costs $99.99.
Specs: 1.1 inches wide, 1.8 inches tall and 0.2 inches thick, weighing 0.4 oz with its CR2032 coin-cell battery, which Google says lasts up to one year. The device is stainless steel with IP67 water and dust resistance. It pairs with phones running Android 9 or newer via Fast Pair.
Google opted for a physical button that can ring a misplaced phone when pressed twice, and added NFC support that was not mentioned at the August announcement; tapping the tag opens its settings. The tag relies on a crowdsourced network of more than one billion Android devices to locate items out of range, and owners can share a tag's location with up to 10 people. Items put in Lost mode can display the owner's email, phone number and a short message.
For precise locating, Android phones with a UWB chip show the exact distance and direction to the tag in the Find Hub app, while Bluetooth Channel Sounding is limited to distance. The tracker comes in silver and pale green, and Bellroy is debuting keychain cases for it on the Google Store.
Google shares were down 0.34% in delayed trading.