According to Android developer Kuba Wojciechowski, Google is reportedly working on a tracking tag that could compete with the likes of Apple’s ear tags and tile trackers.
For those unfamiliar, tracking tags are items that you attach to devices or equipment such as keys, wallets, cars, or even your pets. This makes it easier to keep track of them and prevent theft. Some people are beating people for misusing these items, however, resulting in a lawsuit filed last December.
Wojciechowski recently discovered references indicating that Google is working on support for locator tags in FastPair, a feature in Android that automatically discovers nearby Bluetooth accessories. . He linked to a tweet from Esper’s Mishal Rahman:
FastPair Developer Console added “locator tag” as device typeđź‘€.
“Locator tag” likely refers to Bluetooth trackers (think ear tags, tiles) that support Google FastPair in this context.
H/T @Za_Raczke pic.twitter.com/HoPX8JMd8Q
— Mishal Rahman (@MishalRahman) January 16, 2023
According to Wojciechowski, the tracking tag is apparently codenamed “grogu” and is sometimes called “groguaudio” or “GR10” within Google. The device, which will be developed by the Nest team, will come with an onboard speaker for alerts, will be available in different colors, and will offer support for ultra-wideband and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). This helps ensure accurate item tracking without consuming too much battery power.
Wojciechowski currently does not know the exact date when Google will launch its tracking tags. However, he suggested that Google will likely announce the product at the Google I/O developer conference and then launch it alongside the new Google Pixel devices at the company’s annual fall event.
Source: Kuba Wojciechowski (Twitter)
