Google wants to launch a tracker to compete with Apple and Samsung

Google wants to launch a tracker to compete with Apple and Samsung | Wearables

Posted On: January 23, 2023

THE Google should soon release a digital object tracker much like the Airtag given Apple It’s the Smart Tag given Samsung. Speculation grew after the developers found a module called “tracker tag” in the Fast Pair section of the Close – a kind of AirDrop system android, where devices can exchange information. According to developer Kuba Wojciechowski, the project is being spearheaded by the Google-owned Nest brand team under the code name “Grogu”.

This device should have a speaker in addition to supporting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra-wide band (ULB). This technology is known to have minimal battery drain. In other words, the operation would be very similar to what you have with the AirTag. In addition, this product should be part of the portfolio presented by the company at an event scheduled for May.

🔎 Apple’s next big release suffers from issues and another delay

Tracking devices such as the Apple Airtag can be placed in backpacks, suitcases and keys so that the user can find them — Photo: Thássius Veloso/TechTudo

👉 Does the Google Pixel purchased in the United States work in Brazil? Find out on the TechTudo forum

Questions about the Grogu project

While the discovery of a new location device option as part of Nearby strongly indicates that Google is indeed working on such a product, there aren’t many details on how mature the project is. Some product expectations seem more obvious, such as the fact that it arrives in stores in multiple color options.

On the other hand, there are still no concrete answers whether the location system of the alleged Google beacon would support the precise object location function. At Apple Air Tagthis feature allows the iPhone to direct the user to the exact location of the lost item, instead of just showing a point on the map.

It should be noted that the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 smartphones have UWB modules, which is a requirement for this type of mechanism to work – although Wojciechowski clarifies that BLE should be sufficient for this in Grogu.

However, they are not all mobile phones Android that rely on UWB modules. Still, Kuba Wojciechowski says Google would work with chipset makers to get those vendors to develop solutions compatible with Google’s Fast Pair.

Tracking device helps people retrieve items

This type of device can be useful to make users feel safer. There are users who even put the device on animal collars. THE TechAll already reported several cases in which this product was crucial for people to recover their assets. An example is that of a Canadian who got the car back for R$900 after being robbed. The man had hidden the Apple AirTag in the vehicle.

With information from Engadget and Kuba Wojciechowski

🔎 Check out the iPhone 14 launch in the video below