With 3 billion Android phones, Google aims to follow devices and create an AirTag clone

 

By Ron Amadeo 

January 17, 2023 7:55 PM

                                It appears like Google will be the most recent Big-Tech corporation to release a Bluetooth tracker, following in the footsteps of Tile, Apple, and Samsung. Just in time for The Mandalorian season 3, Android researcher Kuba Wojciechowski has discovered code for a Google first-party Bluetooth tracker nicknamed "Grogu."

Wojciechowski has discovered references that almost entirely satisfy your needs for a Bluetooth tracker. It supports Bluetooth LE, UWB compatibility, and features a speaker. Wojciechowski also points out that the Nest team is constructing it. Ultra Wide Band, also known as "Ultra Wide Band," is a radio technology that can detect an object physically if you don't want the tracker to play a ringtone to indicate its location. UWB, which must be integrated into your phone, will enable you to locate adjacent devices using a compass-like user interface. The Pixel 6 Pro, 7 Pro, and other top-tier Android devices have UWB built in, however it isn't frequently utilised.

Another intriguing development is that Google's Fast Pair developer dashboard may soon have a "locator tag" option, according to a recent article by Mishaal Rahman of Esper. Fast Pair is Google's API for quickly locating and connecting to nearby Bluetooth devices; instead of requiring users to trawl through the settings menu, it displays a pop-up on the screen. However, because Grogu is for third-party devices, it would be a very strange coincidence to have a "locator tag" category appear at the same time as Grogu. It seems that Google intends to create an ecosystem of Bluetooth trackers for Grogu and invite other devices to the party.

Another intriguing development is that Google's Fast Pair developer dashboard may soon have a "locator tag" option, according to a recent article by Mishaal Rahman of Esper. Fast Pair is Google's API for quickly locating and connecting to nearby Bluetooth devices; instead of requiring users to trawl through the settings menu, it displays a pop-up on the screen. However, because Grogu is for third-party devices, it would be a very strange coincidence to have a "locator tag" category appear at the same time as Grogu. It seems that Google intends to create an ecosystem of Bluetooth trackers for Grogu and invite other devices to the party. 

Why else would it provide users of its open-source development tools the ability to emulate Bluetooth trackers? The dev console is exclusively for Bluetooth devices from third parties because Google handles the Fast Pair feature for the host OS (Android).

Finding lost items like baggage, vehicle keys, and other items is made easy using Tile Bluetooth trackers. Although Tile has been available for ten years, it wasn't until Apple's AirTags clone that the concept gained traction with major tech firms. Since then, it appears that Google and Samsung have made the decision to enter the market. Google, in contrast to Samsung, Tile, and other non-Apple rivals, has a secret weapon that may easily propel it to the No. 1 or 2 position in the Bluetooth tracker market.

Quietly building the world's biggest Bluetooth tracking network 

These tracker ecosystems all piece together what is essentially a "lost and found" detection network from other users in the same environment as you if your Bluetooth tracker is out of Bluetooth range.

Since Bluetooth doesn't store location information like GPS does, Bluetooth trackers can't independently determine their location. Additionally, adding GPS would cause the battery to be drained in a matter of hours rather than the few months that these batteries typically last. The Bluetooth tracker software records the last known location of your Bluetooth tag whenever your phone pings your location due to the trackers' pairing with your phone.

Not simply your own personal gadgets are at risk: Since Bluetooth devices may be viewed by anyone (you can only try to connect to them), Tile pioneered the concept of allowing others to anonymously update the position of your Bluetooth tag. These applications all do background searches for Bluetooth trackers as individuals move about and go about their days. Therefore, if your luggage is inadvertently delivered to the incorrect side of the country, you won't ever be able to see the tag, but anyone who passes your luggage while using the same Bluetooth tracker app on their phone will be able to detect the tag silently and upload location data to the cloud, allowing you to see where your luggage is.

The largest tracker ecosystems are also the most effective thanks to this crowdsourced lost-and-found network since more people using the same tracking system increases the likelihood that a lost item will be discovered by a phone. You desire scalability, and AirTags is far more efficient than Tile in finding lost objects over vast distances because it takes use of Apple's extensive "Find My" network that is integrated into iOS and macOS. Only those who have purchased a Tile will be able to locate lost items, hence Tile sales will never match those of the iPhone.

Due to Android's massive scale compared to other platforms, Google has a chance of developing a competitive tracker network. Android has always featured a "Find my device" capability, but it was solely used for tracking individual devices. However, a recent upgrade to Google Play Services made Find My Device into a network more like to Tile or Find My.

Find My Device now offers encrypted last-known-location reports for Android devices utilising a new privacy-centric framework, according to the December 2022 patch notes. This is a tracking network of 3 billion active devices because Play Services is present on every Google Play Android device and is updated irrespective of the Android OS version. Given how frequently we check our phones, it's difficult to lose one, but this network would be fantastic for Bluetooth tracking products. Google's 3-billion-strong device network would immediately be the greatest Bluetooth tracker choice for non-Apple consumers as AirTags cannot be used on Android either.

Will Google's Bluetooth trackers experience the same misuse as AirTags, which have been used for various forms of surveillance and spying? Probably! Rahman discovered messages in Google's system that, like Apple, would identify and inform a person if it discovers a foreign tracking device travelling beside them.

The exact launch date for any of these is unknown. We'll continue to keep an eye out for any new developments during Google I/O in the middle of the year.

Under the terms of a Creative Commons licence, this article has been taken from arstechnica. Go here to read the original article.