Tech researcher and reliable leaker Kuba Wojciechowski recently spotted references that heavily suggest Google is working on an AirTag competitor. The references were located via Fast Pair, Google’s standard for quickly pairing Bluetooth devices when they’re in close proximity to one another. The Fast Pair developer console was found to have added “locator tags” as a device type back in mid-January, indicating that Google might be adding support for Bluetooth trackers on its smartphones in the near future.
This could technically refer to third-party Bluetooth trackers, but Wojciechowski doesn’t think so. According to the researcher, Google is working on a project codenamed “Grogu”—yes, after baby Yoda—involving a first-party tracker. This means Google is likely creating a Bluetooth tracker option for its own device and allowing third-party devices to join later.
Grogu is said to contain an onboard speaker. If you’re familiar with Apple’s AirTag, you know this speaker comes in handy when you’re near your lost device but need a tone to help you pinpoint its exact location. It also contains ultra-wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth low-energy capabilities, which are suitable for the type of device you throw into your bag and forget about until you’re in a pinch. Wojciechowski says the device should come in a few different colors, though he doesn’t yet know which ones.
An AirTag in action. (Image: Đức Trịnh/Unsplash)
If Google really does bring Grogu to market, it’ll create the world’s largest crowdsourced tracking network in the process. Tags like these work by pinging nearby smartphones from their ecosystem: Apple AirTags, for instance, rely on nearby iPhones, which continuously scan for Bluetooth-enabled devices in their area. Every time an iPhone “sees” an AirTag, it helps to triangulate that AirTag’s location. This is why the size of an ecosystem is important—the more compatible smartphones there are, the more accurate and up-to-date that location is.
It makes sense, then, that Google would want to break into the Bluetooth tracker market. About 133.4 million people use Android smartphones in the United States alone, making for a robust tracking network. This level of efficacy only makes a tracking product more attractive. Google will also be starting with a clean slate; while AirTags have repeatedly featured in a variety of nefarious schemes, Google will be able to learn from Apple’s mistakes. Rather than scrambling to mitigate abusive loopholes like Apple has had to do, Google will (hopefully) be able to offer a more secure product right out of the gate.
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