Google's Pixel Tag, Its First Tracker for Android's Find Hub, Goes On Sale Wednesday From $29.99

Announced with the Pixel 11 in August, the slim tag pairs Ultra Wideband with Bluetooth Channel Sounding, can ring a lost phone and turns out to have NFC that Google never mentioned.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google’s first item tracker reaches stores on Wednesday, three months after the company announced it alongside the Pixel 11 phones. The Pixel Tag is listed on the Google Store from $29.99 in a single color, Fog, and Google’s announcement priced a four-pack at $99. The first reviews appeared on Tuesday, ahead of the retail launch on Nov. 11.

The tag is Google’s answer to Apple’s AirTag for Android phones. It works with the Find Hub network, which Google says draws on more than one billion Android devices to locate lost items, with location data encrypted end to end. Any Android phone running Android 9 or later can use it, and it pairs through Fast Pair once the battery tab is pulled.

Image: Google

Up close, the Pixel Tag combines two precision-finding technologies: Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth Channel Sounding. On a compatible phone, Find Hub shows distance and direction to the tag, which Google pitches for things lost under laundry or between couch cushions. A built-in speaker plays a sound, and the tag works in reverse too. A press of its button rings the paired phone, even when it is on silent. Left Behind alerts can warn an owner who walks away from tagged keys or a bag, and a tag can be shared with up to 10 people.

The hardware is small. Google’s store lists it at 1.1 by 1.8 by 0.2 inches and 0.4 ounces with its battery, rated IP67 for dust and water. It runs on a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell that Google says lasts more than a year. Owners of a Pixel Watch can ring the tag from the watch, and Pixel Buds owners can ask Gemini to do it.

Image: Google

One feature was left out of the August launch. 9to5Google reports that the Pixel Tag is the first Find Hub tracker with NFC, so tapping it against the back of a phone opens its settings page. The same outlet’s early review praised the setup and the ability to set the tag’s volume, but noted that the directional arrows dropped out within about 10 to 12 feet.

Image: Google

Like the AirTag, the Pixel Tag has no built-in loop or hole for a key ring. Google is not making its own case. Instead, accessory maker Bellroy sells a Lite Case Duo, a two-pack of silicone cases, for $24.99, and a leather case for $29.99 through the Google Store.

Screenshot: @Google on X

Android phones also warn their owners when an unknown tag appears to be traveling with them, and explain how to make it ring. Google sells the Pixel Tag with a one-year warranty.