Tracker tags have been around for a while, but nothing could disrupt the market like theApple AirTagdid. The AirTag is phenomenally easy to set up with just a few taps on an iPhone. Plus, it seamlessly integrates with the larger Apple ecosystem so that it remains trackable even when it’s left behind. People have long wanted an AirTag alternative from Google that “just works” with Android. And now, it looks like Google may have something to share about its location tracker —allegedly called the Nest Locator Tag— at theGoogle I/O 2023announcement.
While Google prepares to announce its first Bluetooth tracker, there are a few things that we want Google to learn from AirTag’s strengths and weaknesses to offer a safer and more versatile tracker to Android users.
1A more practical design, please
The Apple AirTag looks cute with its circular design, but the problem starts when you want to hook it up to your valuables like keys. Since a lanyard port isn’t built into the device, in typical Apple fashion, you’ll rely on accessories to attach it to your keychain or pet’s collar. If Google wants to make a better tracker than the AirTag, it can start by fixing this design screw-up. Many people will appreciate a tag that depends less on accessories for its basic job.
As for the tracker’s battery, Google will likely have to stick to the coin cell to avoid getting flak like many Tile tags that are useless once their battery runs out after a couple of years of use. Switching to a rechargeable battery for such a tiny device poses challenges, ranging from heat management to battery replacement once its health deteriorates. Plus, going the rechargeable way will shoot up the tracker’s price, making Google’s offering far less competitive.
2Incorporate robust and thoughtful privacy features
Apple presents itself as the custodian of user privacy. Still, the AirTag has been a disaster on that front ever since it came out, with several reported instances of stalking and theft. You know it’s badwhen a few U.S. states step into propose legislation for location trackers to curb non-consensual tracking. But neither such laws norApple’s meek warningcan deter perpetrators from doing what they want to do.
Google could develop an improved logic systemthat doesn’t take as long as the AirTagto tell a tracker that is near you, say in a café, apart from a rogue tag to alert the victim if they are being stalked, and at the same time, make its system fool-proof to minimize false alarms. Considering not all Android phones support the more reliable ultra-wideband, Google will have to depend on the existing, erratic Bluetooth tracking tech. But Google could at least let the Bluetooth antenna stay on in the background so that it can continuously pick up any signal from such beacons, much like what Apple has been doing with iPhones for years.
And it sure looks likeGoogle and Apple are taking the matter into their own handsto address the growing privacy concerns around tracking tags. The two companies have teamed up to develop an industry standard for Bluetooth trackers to identify any rogue trackers around you and send you an alert on Android and iOS devices. Google will share more on how this standard will work at I/O 2023.
3Google accessories with a tracker built-in
The 2022Apple TV 4Klaunched with a refreshed remote that charges over USB-C, but it still doesn’t get AirTag-like precision tracking built-in, which we think is a missed opportunity. TV remotes are perhaps the most misplaced items in our homes and make the perfect candidates for tracking features. We hopethe next Chromecasthas a remote controller with Google’s tracker built in. Google could alsotake a page from AirPods Pro 2’s bookand bake a tracker into thePixel Buds.
4An open standard for trackers
Why limit the tracking tech to Google’s first-party devices when it can be put inside about anything that’s nonstationary? A tracker could be built into a tablet stylus, smart bike, car, or any device you regularly need. Think of it as Chromecast built-in but for trackers. Google can license it to other companies to allow your third-party devices and accessories to be a part of your Find My Device network without each of them needing a dangling tag. This increases the tracker’s scope beyond tracking keys and wallets.
Apple started its Find My Network Accessory programa couple of years back to allow other manufacturers to include the U1 chip inside their products like bikes and bags, making them trackable like an AirTag. However, its adoption hasn’t picked up since then, with only a handful of third-party products supporting the feature. Google can potentially make its tracking tech more widespread by partnering with brands to bake its tracker into more products of different shapes and sizes.
5Make UWB ubiquitous across Android devices
Most of the features discussed above won’t matter until more Android phones supportultra-wideband. UWB on recent iPhones with the U1 chip enables the AirTag’s most enticing feature: precision tracking.
But on this side of the fence, only a handful oftop-end Android phones(like theGoogle Pixel 6 Pro,Pixel 7 Pro, and theSamsung Galaxy S21+and up) come with a UWB chip, as not many brands are keen on adding the band to their mid-range and budget phones.
Even though Google has an extensive network of active phones for its Find My Device network, rumor is tracker’s adoption cannot pick up the pace until UWB makes its way to most mid-range handsets. If your phone has UWB, you can utilize it for several things, like using your phone as the key for your (supported) car or your smart door lock. EvenBluetooth came out with its own indoor precision positioning solution, and recent Bluetooth versions can tell the direction the signal is coming from. However, it still relies on the 2.4GHz band that is prone to congestion and interference, which isn’t ideal for such applications.
This year’s Google I/O has some exciting product launches
Google I/O has become a space for some of Google’s most exciting product launches of the year, and the 2023 keynote will perhaps be the biggest one yet. The reason it’s going to be momentous is that Google is expected to unveil its first foldable, thePixel Fold, along with thePixel Tablet, its first tablet in several years. We’re also looking forward to thePixel 7amaking an appearance at the event beside the rumored Nest Locator Tag.
You canwatch Google I/O 2023 liveon May 10 while also keeping an eye out for AP’s in-depth coverage ofAndroid 14and everything else that Google will announce during the week.
