Quick answer:
Yes, the May 2024 revised versions of the Pebblebee Tag, Card, and Clip for Android support Google’s Find My Device network.
At long last, Google began rolling out its Find My Device Bluetooth tracking network after an extended delay to enable cross-network detection of unwanted trackers. While there aren’t many big players in the Bluetooth tracker scene yet, there are a few, and it only makes sense that established manufacturers would take advantage of the extensive coverage the Android-spanning network offers.
Somewhat surprisingly, Tile Bluetooth trackers don’t support Google’s network, despite being the first big name in the game roughly a decade ago. Pebblebee also got started right around that time and introduced a highly refined alternative to the Apple AirTag at the beginning of 2024. Three months later, Google finally launched Find My Device, and (some of) the top manufacturers set about developing compatible trackers.
Does Pebblebee support Google’s Find My Device network?
Source: Pebblebee
On April 8, 2024 — the same day Google celebrated the network’s launch — Pebblebee announced a lineup of updated Card, Clip, and Tag trackers engineered to use Android’s Find My Device network.
Take note, though, that those newly refined versions are the only ones that can do so. As of press time (and presumably until the new versions’ late May shipping date), you can only pre-order the Clip for Android, Card for Android, and Tag for Android directly from the manufacturer.
This is worth pointing out partly because third-party retailer listings for the Gen 2 trackers state they work with Apple Find My and Android. Don’t mistake that for Find My Device support, though, since the older versions only support Android via the Pebblebee app, and can’t access Google’s ostensibly much larger network.
Will any older Bluetooth trackers be updated to support Google’s new network?
The FAQ on Pebblebee’s website specifies that, leading up to their release, “only the pre-orders of Pebblebee for Android products will be compatible” with Google’s Find My Device app. This isn’t terribly surprising, since Pebblebee’s previous lineup supported Apple’s Find My network, in addition to the manufacturer’s own smaller network.
Since Apple’s dedicated to both user privacy and its own walled-garden ecosystem, it would almost certainly never approve a device that also connects to the vast range of Android devices and their less-curated app availability. That’s why Pebblebee’s line will now be split into ‘for Android’ and ‘for iOS’ versions of each tracker. Technically they’ll all support every phone through the Pebblebee app, but you’ll need to buy the right version to connect to either Google or Apple’s dedicated tracker networks.
Source:Â Unsplash/Daniel Romero
The one everybody else is gunning for.
It may be technically possible to update Samsung or other non-Apple trackers to support Google FMD, but, so far, not so much as a vague rumor indicates anybody’s working on it. Tile is not working on integrating with the new network, so it’s a foregone conclusion its older trackers won’t see such a massive update.
Samsung also hasn’t made a peep about the current Smart Tags’ relation to the new Android-based tracker ecosystem, other than issuing support for a common unwanted tracker detection standard. Samsung reportedly shared on its community forums a year ago that it’s “actively expanding its ecosystem,” but the post has since disappeared.
Who else is making a Google Find My Device-compatible tracker?
Aside from Pebblebee, the only company with explicitly Google FMD-compatible available trackers right now is Chipolo, which also developed entirely new revisions of its trackers, called the One Point and Card Point.
The future of keeping track of your stuff.
According to Google’s official list, compatible trackers from Eufy and Jio are slated for eventual release. Eufy’s Android-compatible pair will supposedly hit shelves in June (and we’ve reached out to Eufy for clarification on this), and the JioTag Go probably won’t leave India when it does manage to hit the market. And we’ve heard rumors about the supposed Nest Locator, but not in a while, so don’t hold your breath.
Google’s enhanced tracking network is built for a little more than just Bluetooth tags and key chains, though. Multiple pairs of high-end headphones, including the noise-cancelling Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears and innovative JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds feature Find My Device support baked in, which is great if you misplace your earbuds as often as some of us do.
Are Pebblebee’s Bluetooth trackers worth it?
We can’t say definitively without putting them through their paces in the lab, but its Apple trackers get excellent reviews even from diehard Apple users. The three convenient form factors, rechargeable battery, alert LED, water resistance, and distinctive alert noise make them great choices for iOS users, and the Android versions appear to have all the same features.
Pebblebee’s Google-friendly trackers have been available for deposit and preorder for many months now, but with the light finally at the end of the tunnel, now’s as good a time as ever to buy in if you need comprehensive Bluetooth tracking accessible via your Android devices.
