Google is reportedly working on its own golocation tag to compete with Apple’s AirTags and Tile trackers. Developer Kuba Wojciechowski, who shares information about emerging technologies, claims to have spotted hints of upcoming first-party beacons in Google’s Fast Pair method, which quickly pairs nearby Bluetooth devices. The device is said to be codenamed “Grogu,” after the character of Baby Yoda from the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, and is being developed by the Google Nest team. The Mountain View, Calif., Gauntlet doesn’t have a how-to rumor.
In April 2021, after years of rumor and speculation, Apple unveiled its long-awaited AirTag. This small round tag is designed to be attached to items such as keys and wallets, allowing these accessories to be tracked via Bluetooth along with Apple devices in the Find My app. The price for a single AirTag is US$29. AirTags are available directly from Apple, and the iPhone maker says the price doesn’t include the accessories needed to attach the AirTag to an object. Apple sells AirTags accessories separately, and there are several third-party options as well.
Apple’s AirTag uses Ultra-Wideband (ULB) technology and leverages the company’s existing network of devices, which act as collective beacons, to contact each other to pinpoint the location of your missing object. The tool soon showed its usefulness. In August, Dan Guido, founder of cybersecurity company Trail of Bits, announced in a series of tweets that he was able to locate his stolen electric scooter thanks to two AirTags hidden in the machine’s recesses. The first AirTag was placed as a decoy and the second well hidden. Many more such anecdotes followed.
Fast Pair Developer Console added “Locator-Tag” as device type👀
“Locator tag” probably refers to Bluetooth trackers (think AirTag, Tile) that support Google Fast Pair in this context.
h/d @Za_Raczke pic.twitter.com/HoPX8JMd8Q
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 16, 2023
The popularity of this gadget – and the Tile Tracker, another tracking device made by an American company of the same name – seems to have prompted Google to release its own tracking device. As Wojciechowski reported on his Twitter account, Google is reportedly working on supporting location beacons in Fast Pair, Google’s method of quickly pairing nearby Bluetooth devices. According to Wojciechowski, the tracker is codenamed “Grogu” along with alternative names “GR10” and “Groguaudio” and is currently being developed by the team at Google Nest, the company’s home automation division.
That doesn’t mean it will be launched as a Nest-branded product, but Wojciechowski suggests the tracker could come in multiple color options and include a built-in speaker to help users identify a missing device via sounds to locate, similar to an Apple AirTag. Wojciechowski also notes that the “Grogu” trackers could support Bluetooth LE and Ultra Wideband (UWB). Google’s flagship mobile devices, the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, both support UWB connectivity, but the app has so far been limited to features like Nearby Share.
UWB offers much greater accuracy than Bluetooth in locating lost objects and offers the ability to display both range estimates and directions to a beacon. But, Wojciechowski said, while Google’s tracker most likely has UWB, it’s not a requirement for the “finder network” they’re working on; BLE is sufficient. He estimates that Google could announce the product sometime in May 2023 at the Google I/O developer conference, and that the trackers could be released alongside new Pixel devices at a Google event in the fall.
The idea behind Bluetooth tracking is simple and has been around for years; It uses Bluetooth and GPS to track objects. AirTag alternatives include: Tile Mate and Tile Pro, Chipolo One and Chipolo One Spot, Tile Sticker, T-Mobile SyncUp, etc. Additionally, it should be noted that Tile has been harshly critical of Apple since learning that Apple is a will launch its own device to attack the lost item locator market. In fact, Apple has entered a market where other device manufacturers have already proven themselves. However, the arrival of the Cupertino Glove seems to have shaken things up and reinvigorated the market.
Tile, which launched in 2014 and is a leader in the field, claimed at the time that Apple’s new device would lead to unfair competition in the industry. However, prior to AirTag’s launch, Apple had taken steps to avoid anti-competitive complaints by opening access to its Find My application to third parties. The iPhone maker has even teamed up with Tile competitor Chipolo One Spot to prove it gives equal space to other lost item locators that compete with AirTag on its iPhone platform. According to Wojciechowski, it’s Google’s turn to enter this market.
Google’s trackers would likely offer more functionality on Google’s Android operating system than Apple’s AirTags can deliver. AirTags setup requires an iOS device, and while Apple offers a “Tracker Detect” app on the Google Play Store that allows Android users to scan AirTags and other “Find My”-enabled items owned by their owner were separated, the app was essentially designed to allay fears that AirTags could be maliciously used to track people’s location.
The reliability of these little gadgets has led to some behavioral deviations among some users. Police reports show that women are being followed with the AirTag. As security experts predicted when the product was launched, this tracking device was used as a tool to stalk and harass women. In one report, a woman called police after a man who was harassing her escalated her behavior, and she reported that the person had placed an AirTag in her car. According to the report, the woman said the same man threatened to make her life hell.
In addition, a woman has been accused of killing her boyfriend after finding him with Apple’s AirTag. Gaylyn Morris, 26, was reunited with boyfriend Andre Smith, also 26, in the early hours of June 3, 2022, at a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, using the device. A witness said Morris approached him in the parking lot and asked if Smith was in the bar, claiming she had a GPS tracker showing he was inside. According to the witness, Morris spotted Smith at the facility. An altercation then led to Smith’s accidental death.
Last year, Apple announced it was taking steps to modify its AirTags to make them less useful for harassment and condemned the misuse of its hardware. According to experts, Google should take these considerations into account before launching its tracking device.
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See also
Apple’s AirTags allowed a researcher to accidentally discover a top-secret German intelligence agency, but the government has denied the existence of such a service
Woman accused of killing boyfriend after finding him with Apple’s AirTag Apple recently put in place anti-harassment measures
Police reports show that women are being tracked by Apple AirTags, Apple’s tool to make it easier to geolocate your belongings