Google’s Find My Device network dealt another blow as Eufy delays its AirTag rivals
The SmartTrack models will now launch sometime in late 2024
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WhenGooglelaunched its rebooted Find My Device back in April, several companiesannounced new Bluetooth trackersthat’ll operate on the network. There was a decent amount of hype surrounding these gadgets, as thetech giant’s servicewas reportedly powerful enough to track lost objects from anywhere in the world.
However, here we are, three months later, and Google’s Find My Device has hit a few snags.
First, Eufy, one of the brands committed support to the network, has quietly delayed the release of their Bluetooth trackers. The companyupdated a blog post from Aprilwith a line stating the SmartTrack Link for Android and SmartTrack Card for Android are set to launch sometime in late 2024.
9To5Googlepoints out the gadgets were originally going to be released June 2024, but that detail has, unsurprisingly, been removed from the post. The vagueness of the new date admittedly doesn’t inspire much confidence in us.
Eufy tells readers that “more details on both devices are available” on their website. However, when we looked, there was nothing there apart from product listings for the iOS versions of the two SmartTrack models.
This could be a hint from Eufy stating the Android devices won’t be radically different from their iOS counterparts. The accompanying image even shows off an identical design.
In addition to the missing trackers, theperformance of the networkhas been called into question. Reddit user chiselpow recently pitted a Find My Device tracker from Pebblebee against anApple AirTagto see how well the two can transmit their location. Although the results were far from conclusive or scientific, they were interesting nonetheless.
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They revealed the AirTag was better at continuously updating its location over a long distance while the Find My Device tracker didn’t. The latter took much longer to update. Another oddity was discovered in the service’s software, potentially worsening the network’s efficacy.
9To5Googlerecently discovered that Find My Device’s default setting will only allow it to work “in high-traffic areas only.” This means “multiple Android devices” must detect a lost object “before its location is shared” with you. That could explain why chiselpow couldn’t find their Pebblebee tag: there weren’t any other Android smartphones near the tracker.
Google defends its decisionto make the high-traffic option the default as it makes “unwanted tracking to a private location, like your home, more difficult.” Users can change the security level to operate in all areas via the Find My Device settings if they prefer more robust protection.
For those interested in Bluetooth trackers on Android,Pebblebee’s Clipis a solid option. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, Motorola is set to launch itsMoto Tagnext month.
You will need a smartphone to get the most out of them, so be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of thebest Android phones for 2024.
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Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry for several years now specializing in consumer electronics, entertainment devices, Windows, and the gaming industry. But he’s also passionate about smartphones, GPUs, and cybersecurity.
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