Find My Device on Android Loses to AirTag in Email Test

Google has launched Find My Device on Android after long delay (which Apple benefited from), but its launch brought the promise of AirTag-like trackers for Android users. It was abundantly clear, however, that the current state of the network was not up to Apple’s, and now someone was checking it out by mailing a few trackers to see how it was progressing.

For now, there are only a few trackers for the Find My Device network. Two from Chipolo and three from Pebblebee. In our initial reviews of both sets of trackers, we quickly discovered that the glacially slow rollout of the network, combined with Google’s decision to limit it to “high-traffic” areas by default, meant that the trackers were incredibly limited in terms of functionality.

Google says it is working on this, but it may take some time before we see the results.

Meanwhile, a test by Reddit user u/chiselplow shows the state of Find My Device trackers compared to the gold standard, Apple’s AirTag.

On July 3, the AirTag and a Pebblebee Find My Device (which one was not specified) were placed in a package and sent via U.S. Postal Service mail. The AirTag provided updates on its location via a local truck and hub, as well as a larger truck en route to a larger warehouse. The Pebblebee provided only one update while it was at that warehouse, and that update kept reverting to the information that it was last seen at the user’s home.

This update was eventually implemented and the package was delivered to its destination on July 6. The AirTag continued to regularly report its location throughout the journey, including at other depots and even en route.

Towards the end, the Pebblebee tracker apparently went back to reporting that it was last seen at the user’s home, never updating once it reached its final location. It’s clear that the tracker was seen at some point, but it’s incredibly odd that the data collected was effectively thrown away.

There are a few questions here, like whether the package recipient had an Android phone. But in any case, it’s abundantly clear that trackers on Google’s network aren’t yet able to keep up with AirTag’s location tracking performance. And honestly, that makes sense. Google needs a lot of time to fully roll out its network, and this test took place in the US, where, given the iPhone’s market share, it’s entirely possible that the tracker was never near an Android phone long enough to properly update its location.

Ultimately, though, it seems like a lot of this can be blamed on the default “high traffic areas” setting in Find My Device. This restricts Android phones from reporting the location of the tracker unless they’re in a place that’s considered a “high traffic area” – it’s not entirely clear what the threshold is. But random roads and warehouses probably do not meet the criteria.

We plan to conduct a similar test once the Find My Device network is more widely rolled out. We’ll have more details soon. Let us know in the comments how Find My Device trackers work for you.

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