Overview
- Google announced the Pixel Tag on Wednesday, August 12, confirming it as the company’s first in‑house item tracker and previewing a November 11 retail launch.
- The Pixel Tag combines Ultra‑Wideband with Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a built‑in speaker, a physical button that can ring a paired phone, a user‑replaceable CR2032 battery, and an IP67 water‑and‑dust rating.
- Basic setup works with Android 9 or newer, but Channel Sounding and full precision finding need newer Bluetooth and UWB hardware — Google says Channel Sounding requires Bluetooth 6.0 and Android 16 and Pixel 10 or later for some features, while UWB precision needs UWB‑equipped phones.
- The device links to Google’s Find Hub, which uses a crowd of over one billion Android devices and end‑to‑end encrypted location reports to find out‑of‑range tags, and it includes Left Behind and unknown‑tag alerts though full cross‑platform DULT behavior has not been officially documented by Google.
- Google priced the Pixel Tag to match Apple’s AirTag at $29 for one or $99 for a four‑pack, and reviewers have flagged design tradeoffs — a single Fog color, no built‑in keyring hole and reliance on accessories — that affect how people will attach and use the tag.