Google Pixel Tag goes on sale as $30 AirTag rival

The Google Pixel Tag, a $29.99 item tracker built to rival Apple's AirTag, went on sale on Tuesday, November 10. It lets Android users find keys, wallets, bags and other belongings through the Find Hub app on their phones, TechCrunch reported.

Google first announced the tracker in August. It uses Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) for precision finding, so Android phone owners, including Pixel Watch wearers, can follow on-screen distance and direction cues to locate a missing item.

A four-pack costs $99.99, and the tag comes in two colours, silver and a pale green.

Google Pixel Tag features at a glance

Google has packed the small device with several features aimed at everyday use:

• Bluetooth and UWB for precise finding at close range
• A built-in speaker with three volume levels, up to about 80 decibels
• A physical button that can ring your phone with a double press
• NFC support, which was not mentioned when the tag was announced
• Stainless steel body rated IP67 for water and dust resistance
• A replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery with up to a year of life
• Works with phones running Android 9 or newer through Fast Pair

The water resistance rating covers a maximum depth of one metre for up to 30 minutes, which should be enough to survive rain or an accidental drop in a puddle.

How it compares with the AirTag

While the tag does the same job as Apple's tracker, Google has chosen a different shape. Instead of a small round disc, the Pixel Tag is slimmer and more elongated, almost oval.

It measures 1.1 inches wide, compared with 1.26 inches for the AirTag, and stands 1.8 inches tall from top to bottom. At 0.2 inches thick, it is also thinner than Apple's 0.31-inch device. The whole tag weighs about 0.4 ounces including the battery, and its slim build may suit small items such as keychains.

Unlike the AirTag, it has a physical button, which makes it clearer how it is meant to be used. The two devices also use NFC differently. On an AirTag, a stranger who finds a lost item can tap it with a phone to open a page with the owner's contact details. Google uses the tap gesture instead to connect the owner to the device's settings.

Finding items that are far away

For belongings that are out of Bluetooth range, the tracker relies on Google's crowdsourced network of more than a billion Android devices worldwide. Like the networks run by Apple and Tile, other nearby Android phones can detect the tag and send its location back to the owner, who sees it on a map in Find Hub.

Tags placed in "Lost" mode can share the owner's email address, phone number and a short message, so anyone who finds the item can get in touch. When the tag comes back into range of the owner's phone, the item is automatically marked as found.

Owners can also share a tag's location with up to 10 people in Find Hub, a handy option for shared items such as the family car keys. Bag maker Bellroy is launching keychain cases for the tracker in several colours and styles, sold through the Google Store.

The report gave US pricing and did not say when, or whether, the tracker will be sold in Thailand. Android is widely used in the country, so a low-cost tracker that works with the built-in Find Hub app could appeal to local users and to travellers worried about lost luggage.

Google's work in Thailand goes beyond gadgets. Our earlier reports covered Google's data centre talks in Thailand as well as the Apple and Google Gemini AI deal.

Anyone using connected devices should also keep security in mind. Our story on the Thailand cyber alert explains why authorities are urging telecom operators and users to be more careful online.

The original report was published by TechCrunch.

Image: An Apple AirTag attached to a backpack, the kind of tracker the new Google Pixel Tag is designed to compete with. Photo by KKPCW via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.