Driving around town with them today, they seem to track very similarly to my Tile. Bear in mind that these will get better with time as more phones begin assisting in the tracking as well. In case you missed it, at time of recording they're shipping in 2-4 weeks.
That would have been so freaking funny. I bet they didn't think of that because it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that's what they were called. Anything goes these days after WAP
This was exactly the review I was looking for. As long as they release newer version with UWB support, I'm satisfied with these for now. Thank you so much.
We need trackers with UWB too. I think the most frequent scenario I experience is losing things around the house which Bluetooth trackers don't really help much with.
The UWB thing is a good point, but I think these actually do pretty well. For one, they can still guide you broadly towards them and also set off the alarm. I also love that they can tell you what smart device they're near too. UWB is great, but often overkill.
@@scaryifliteral yeah, I like the integration with the smart hubs. But it's always a hunting game and usually at the most inopportune time. And the thing I misplaced the most is my wallet and putting a tracker in it muffles the speaker for any ring functionality.
@@scaryifliteral Plus, Google sells phones with UWB but the only thing it's used for is electronic keys on a very limited number of cars. I'd just like to have the option. I paid a few bucks extra for a phone that includes it. I'd also pay a few bucks extra for a tracker that includes it.
For anyone considering purchasing a tracker just know thay the Chipolo Card does NOT have a replaceable battery. So you will either have to purchase a new device or send back that device to get half off of a new one. So at least paying $17.50 when the chipolo card runs out Pebblebee ones look good though, hopefully mine ships soon. Kind of jealous.
@@stevensko9153 nice, yes I saw those were coming but I'm having difficulty seeing where to order and the android website still says "coming soon" for this brand
I have Tiles and while it was lifesaving (I dropped my keys outside in October in full darkness and I almost got a heartattack in my panic attack, but thanks to the app I could find it), I was aware of it's limits, so I mostly use it for things in my apartment, like my medicine box. So when I heard about Google implementing this system in Android, I cheered! Because I wanted to be able to use a tracking device like the apple ones, where they put one in their suitcase and could see where it was when the airport lost it. Now I put everything valuable in my carry on, which ends up being big and heavy. These being chargable is a huge selling point for me, so I might replace my Tiles (all my trackers need new batteries which isn't cheap, the one in my wallet doesn't have an opening so that's a throwaway). So I might get a few of these :)
So comparing these to Samsung SmartTag 2, are the Samsungs still better due to more widespread & Pebblebee has to catch up, or are these Pebblebee more widespread out the box? Do the Pebblebee require "higher end" phones for UWB or such, like SmartTags?
Thanks for the review! I've been using Samsung SmartTags for several months now, which work amazingly well, but I don't want to be locked to a Samsung phone forever. I've had my eye on these for about a month now, and it's good to hear that these new trackers seem to work well.
So for android users that don't use tracking and don't care about tracking, is it something they have to opt-in or opt-out of? Like is it turned on by default? Because that will determine how large the network will be.
when the notification about the "find my device" comes to your phone, it'll set itself to on with network but only on crowded areas. so it's opt-out, and for a thing like this, it makes perfect sense.
Hm. I'm not sure they thought about their target audience when they build those charging cables. If I only need to charge the card every 18 months I'm 100% going to lose that cable. One tracker for my wallet and a second tracker for the cable 😅
The keychain uses any USB-C cable, and the wallet uses a special 2-pin induction charging cable. You should just put a twist tie and bind it to your watch wire or phone cable.
Given that the Clip is both cheaper and has 1.5X the battery life of the Tag, wouldn't it be better to just buy adhesives yourself and use clips as tags? Does the tag have particular valuable benefits I'm not seeing?
Just out of curiousity, will the wallet tag be able to be found while in your cool wallet? Most wallets are rfid blocking i didnt know if that would affect the functionality of the tracker
okay... to be honest I didnt get exactly how to (firmware)update those trackers: you only can firmware-update it via the pebblebee app, or can you use the google-find-my-device app for firmware-updates? And in case you need the pebblebee app for the firmware-update despite you actually are using the google apps for the all-day-youse: you dont need to completely reset the tags. Dont ya ?
Tile failed me twice so I'll never use them again. I switched to Samsung trackers and they have UWB . Only problem so far is they only work on Samsung phones, at least for now.
I have the Tile also, looks like a better tracker. What I really like is that the wallet card is rechargeable. The Tile card, you have to by a new card when the old card's battery dies.
Just wanted to ask, have you looked into the "Find your offline devices" settings? I recently checked mine (just got added to the Find My Device Network) and noticed it's currently set to "With network in high-traffic areas only." I do see an option for "With network in all areas." Anyways, my question is which of these would you recommend leaving it on?
Well, read the descriptions provided and decide which is better for where you live. If you live in 4 people per square mile, you probably want the low density option that will update based on a single device report. If you live in NYC you are probably fine with default.
Why not review how well it's tracking across town or further?? I mean, you have a great bird analogy in the beginning but then you didn't test similar scenario. How well does it track when it's miles away?
Generally speaking, when the tracker is miles away it's going to show you its general location. It tends to be good enough to get you within range to make it beep fairly easily. From there it's pretty easy to actually find the item.
i have wallet like that -i used electrical tape to affix a tile card - this after losing multiple wallets... also putting in a metal wallet will reduce range significantly
No local supplies in Philippines. Found ones that circular and surface not smooth like this one. Have some sort of perforations on its surface. Kinda worries its a knock off. Can anyone help?
i was hoping you were going to install the card in this video. I recently got one and the google find my device app doesnt let me add it - let alone see it for pairing. The pebble bee app does. Why is that?
Are they better than apple air tags for anti-theft? If they steal your car will the thief be alerted to their presence? Will they beep if the thief orders them to beep?
The credit card is not recognized by the "find my Device"app on pixel 8 pro. Factory reset a few times. I do have the new network feature which is why i bought one.
@@scaryifliteral so support just told me you have to buy the "find my device" compatible products from them. I bought mine from Amazon and it was a gen 2. Thanks for the response.
@@scaryifliteral Yeah, I actually watched your vid here and it is what made me realize something was up. You have to buy the card that says "works with find my. device" from Pebblebee. They don't sell them yet anywhere else, at least according to them.
@@scaryifliteral thanks I ended up buying the tag last night, I had a $39.99 credit on the google store and they posted them on there. I wanted the versatility to use it on my backpack and stuff along with the keys so it's like a perfect match really. Also subbed thanks!
@@eyemar808 They would likely be able to use the ultra wide-band chip in the pixel and possibly other android phones to better direct your search when you get close. Google will want full feature parity with Apple's Air Tags which have this built in. Hopefully Google will also make them rechargeable. If not, I would trade UWB for rechargeable any day of the week.
Theoretically, it should do quite well especially once everyone has it running on their phones. Assuming the mall is busy, there should be quite a few Android users walking around pinging its location. From there all you have to do is get with him Bluetooth range which seems to be relatively far. At that point, you ought to be able to walk it down and set off the alarm. Just add a little bit more detail, I was able to connect to the one on my keys at a range of about 150 ft and that was through a fence.
Only thing I don't like about the Pebblebee stuff is non replaceable batteries - reachable is cool but id like to be able to replace them which is why I went for the Chipolo ones :) can't wait for the network to roll out to me.
I think rechargeable is the better option for a device like this because you don't have to recharge it very often (maybe 1-3x a year). On the low end, a rechargeable battery is good for a few hundred charge cycles before noticeable degradation occurs. So if you're that type that upgrades your phone every 2 years, this thing will outlast your next 10 phones. And by then this tracker will be obsolete.
@@mkygod and that's all fair and fine and I'm not saying they're bad or anything. But if battery goes bad or gets damaged the tag is done for. If you lose the cable you can't charge the thing. I'm not particularly keen on Chipolos card wallet as you have to send that back to them to recycle but yeah I do prefer being able to just replace the batteries as and when.
Then your phone will stop updating their locations and you'll be reliant on other people in the network. You also can't ring them or use the other finding features.
@@camelot_avalonIs that even a concern these days? I only ever switch BT off if there's a specific reason (e.g. my partner is taking my car and I don't want the hands free to connect whilst I'm in the house in the middle of a phonecall), I suspect people who only switch BT on ad-hoc are in the minority so you may find information on battery impact sparse.
@@scaryifliteral what is new is that it tracks the phone even when its turned off. Saw an interview with a hacker who claimed he could do this a few years ago, and I thought he was nuts. Now its like... Oh wait. He was right?
@@AndrewTSq well unless you completely unplug your battery your device is still using a tiny amount of battery power even when it is off. Just like how a lamp or a TV still uses a tiny bit of power when they are not in use.
Are you able to get both Apps to work together? I'm only able to use the Google Find My Device App or the Pebblebee App I can't get them to work together for some reason?
@@Nazzran Yeah that kinda sucks honestly because Google's Find My Device App isn't the best and it doesn't have many Features compared to the Pebblebee App.
![Hunxho - Ball Forever [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nki9ZTF9Uls/mqdefault.jpg)
Driving around town with them today, they seem to track very similarly to my Tile. Bear in mind that these will get better with time as more phones begin assisting in the tracking as well. In case you missed it, at time of recording they're shipping in 2-4 weeks.
8:28 wdf where is the 200ft of range? Can you try thr tag or the collar to attach to cat or dog?
Google is missing out by not having their own tags called G-Spot
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Exactly, we told them exactly what we wanted, and they still didn't do it😂. I'ma get some pebblebee tho 😂
If it were called G-Spot then we'd never find it.
That would have been so freaking funny. I bet they didn't think of that because it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that's what they were called. Anything goes these days after WAP
i can't find the g-spot
This was exactly the review I was looking for. As long as they release newer version with UWB support, I'm satisfied with these for now. Thank you so much.
Welp I guess I will be replacing my tiles soon, great video as always Shane. 👍🏾👍🏾
I ordered mine a few weeks ago, just waiting for them to arrive, great review!
We need trackers with UWB too. I think the most frequent scenario I experience is losing things around the house which Bluetooth trackers don't really help much with.
The UWB thing is a good point, but I think these actually do pretty well. For one, they can still guide you broadly towards them and also set off the alarm. I also love that they can tell you what smart device they're near too. UWB is great, but often overkill.
@@scaryifliteral yeah, I like the integration with the smart hubs. But it's always a hunting game and usually at the most inopportune time. And the thing I misplaced the most is my wallet and putting a tracker in it muffles the speaker for any ring functionality.
@@scaryifliteral Plus, Google sells phones with UWB but the only thing it's used for is electronic keys on a very limited number of cars. I'd just like to have the option. I paid a few bucks extra for a phone that includes it. I'd also pay a few bucks extra for a tracker that includes it.
many android phones have uwb built in today (Google pixel 8 for example, but not 8a, S23 Ultra have it and many more) so it would be good to use it!.
UWB would be icing on the cake. But its okay, i don't need an arrow pointing where i need to go.
Thanks for review, i think you one of the first if not first to review them
I hope you end up getting sponsored by Pebblebee. You straight sold me on it. I ordered all 3 products you showed! Thanks for making the video
Hope you dig them!
Shane, what is the difference between these and the Samsung tag?
Did you get an ETA when ordering? It still says back ordered on the page.
@@SkunkyBrew This is what my order says on their website, "Your order is confirmed
You’ll receive an email when your order is ready."
For anyone considering purchasing a tracker just know thay the Chipolo Card does NOT have a replaceable battery. So you will either have to purchase a new device or send back that device to get half off of a new one. So at least paying $17.50 when the chipolo card runs out
Pebblebee ones look good though, hopefully mine ships soon. Kind of jealous.
Euphy by Anker is cheaper and now works with Android
@@stevensko9153 nice, yes I saw those were coming but I'm having difficulty seeing where to order and the android website still says "coming soon" for this brand
I have Tiles and while it was lifesaving (I dropped my keys outside in October in full darkness and I almost got a heartattack in my panic attack, but thanks to the app I could find it), I was aware of it's limits, so I mostly use it for things in my apartment, like my medicine box.
So when I heard about Google implementing this system in Android, I cheered! Because I wanted to be able to use a tracking device like the apple ones, where they put one in their suitcase and could see where it was when the airport lost it.
Now I put everything valuable in my carry on, which ends up being big and heavy.
These being chargable is a huge selling point for me, so I might replace my Tiles (all my trackers need new batteries which isn't cheap, the one in my wallet doesn't have an opening so that's a throwaway).
So I might get a few of these :)
So comparing these to Samsung SmartTag 2, are the Samsungs still better due to more widespread & Pebblebee has to catch up, or are these Pebblebee more widespread out the box?
Do the Pebblebee require "higher end" phones for UWB or such, like SmartTags?
Thanks for the review! I've been using Samsung SmartTags for several months now, which work amazingly well, but I don't want to be locked to a Samsung phone forever. I've had my eye on these for about a month now, and it's good to hear that these new trackers seem to work well.
This is the best video I've seen about the new Android trackers. Thank you so much!
So for android users that don't use tracking and don't care about tracking, is it something they have to opt-in or opt-out of? Like is it turned on by default? Because that will determine how large the network will be.
I just looked at my "find my device" app and it was off by default. Not sure about new phones.
when the notification about the "find my device" comes to your phone, it'll set itself to on with network but only on crowded areas. so it's opt-out, and for a thing like this, it makes perfect sense.
There's a setting in find my that you can check. Mine defaulted to network in high traffic area.
Hm. I'm not sure they thought about their target audience when they build those charging cables.
If I only need to charge the card every 18 months
I'm 100% going to lose that cable.
One tracker for my wallet and a second tracker for the cable 😅
The keychain uses any USB-C cable, and the wallet uses a special 2-pin induction charging cable. You should just put a twist tie and bind it to your watch wire or phone cable.
Great video! Thank you! Would you recommend getting the pebblebee card tracker over the tile slim. Or do you have any recommendations? I have Android
Given that the Clip is both cheaper and has 1.5X the battery life of the Tag, wouldn't it be better to just buy adhesives yourself and use clips as tags? Does the tag have particular valuable benefits I'm not seeing?
@scaryifliteral could you or anybody answer this question? Came also here for a comparison of clip and tag.
Check the ranges
Just out of curiousity, will the wallet tag be able to be found while in your cool wallet? Most wallets are rfid blocking i didnt know if that would affect the functionality of the tracker
got the tile version and an RFID blocking wallet and it works fine. Since both work through bluetooth for connectivity I'd assume both work.
okay... to be honest I didnt get exactly how to (firmware)update those trackers:
you only can firmware-update it via the pebblebee app, or can you use the google-find-my-device app for firmware-updates?
And in case you need the pebblebee app for the firmware-update despite you actually are using the google apps for the all-day-youse: you dont need to completely reset the tags. Dont ya ?
Tile failed me twice so I'll never use them again. I switched to Samsung trackers and they have UWB . Only problem so far is they only work on Samsung phones, at least for now.
That's what sucks about Apple and Samsung. These things should work with everything but it's all about money and competition
I have the Tile also, looks like a better tracker. What I really like is that the wallet card is rechargeable. The Tile card, you have to by a new card when the old card's battery dies.
Is there no separation alerts like on Tile?
Just wanted to ask, have you looked into the "Find your offline devices" settings? I recently checked mine (just got added to the Find My Device Network) and noticed it's currently set to "With network in high-traffic areas only." I do see an option for "With network in all areas." Anyways, my question is which of these would you recommend leaving it on?
Well, read the descriptions provided and decide which is better for where you live.
If you live in 4 people per square mile, you probably want the low density option that will update based on a single device report.
If you live in NYC you are probably fine with default.
I lost my keys for the first time in a long time today and ordered one immediately. One for my wallet as well.
Can you use the pblbeBee device to locate our celphone for Android?
On point to mention is that you cant be on the Pebblebee app and use the find my device network. It is one or the other.
Why not review how well it's tracking across town or further?? I mean, you have a great bird analogy in the beginning but then you didn't test similar scenario. How well does it track when it's miles away?
Generally speaking, when the tracker is miles away it's going to show you its general location. It tends to be good enough to get you within range to make it beep fairly easily. From there it's pretty easy to actually find the item.
@@scaryifliteral thank you for your response. Really dig your videos. Great job overall. 👍
i have wallet like that -i used electrical tape to affix a tile card - this after losing multiple wallets... also putting in a metal wallet will reduce range significantly
Might pick one up for my wife's keys. Though, she is better than she used to be. She had a tile years ago, but it was always a little flaky.
You should try them across cities and countries
No local supplies in Philippines. Found ones that circular and surface not smooth like this one. Have some sort of perforations on its surface. Kinda worries its a knock off. Can anyone help?
You need to check if there is "Work with Android" stamped in the box
i was hoping you were going to install the card in this video. I recently got one and the google find my device app doesnt let me add it - let alone see it for pairing. The pebble bee app does. Why is that?
The process was exactly the same as the others. Try resetting it as I did with another in the video.
Probably you need to upgrade Find my device APP or Google services.
Are they better than apple air tags for anti-theft? If they steal your car will the thief be alerted to their presence? Will they beep if the thief orders them to beep?
Apple and Google have actually cooperated to make any unknown tracker visible. If you don't own it you can't beep it though.
@@scaryifliteral so there is no need to break the speaker? A lot of airtag users do and also saw reddit post for the pebble tag
Can you ring your phone from the tag to find your phone?
Amazing review! Great job!
I'm going to order some of these.
No UWB support yet i think!
8 months later I'll never find that charger might need to order another ring to attach to the cable
That sounds like an organizing issue from your part
@@bhv9819 no argument from me on that one you are 100% correct
Keep the charger in the bag you've got it attached to.
I think the Pebblebee app allows you to update the firmware on the device.
The credit card is not recognized by the "find my Device"app on pixel 8 pro. Factory reset a few times. I do have the new network feature which is why i bought one.
You reset the card multiple times? Mine set up fine. Could be a dud.
@@scaryifliteral so support just told me you have to buy the "find my device" compatible products from them. I bought mine from Amazon and it was a gen 2. Thanks for the response.
@@scaryifliteral Yeah, I actually watched your vid here and it is what made me realize something was up. You have to buy the card that says "works with find my. device" from Pebblebee. They don't sell them yet anywhere else, at least according to them.
I would love to use it for my dog, but that beeping would freak him out; he would just take off.
Hope it warns when low on power
a good test might be tie one to a helium balloon and let it go especially if you got them for free - worst case it lands in remote area or waterway
Nice vid, thanks for the review 🙂
If you could only get one between the tag or wallet one which would you get and why
Tag. Wallet never gets lost, keys do.
@@scaryifliteral thanks I ended up buying the tag last night, I had a $39.99 credit on the google store and they posted them on there. I wanted the versatility to use it on my backpack and stuff along with the keys so it's like a perfect match really. Also subbed thanks!
now that they actually have trackers lets hope the app gets a little better
Thanks for the overview!
Do you think google will be making their own proprietary trackers?
There were rumors of a pixel tag a couple of years ago that never came to light. I would be a little surprised if we didn't see them with the pixel 9.
I've been obessing over this question as well! Although, I wonder how Pixel Tags could be better than these Pebblebee trackers (if at all)?
@@eyemar808 They would likely be able to use the ultra wide-band chip in the pixel and possibly other android phones to better direct your search when you get close. Google will want full feature parity with Apple's Air Tags which have this built in. Hopefully Google will also make them rechargeable. If not, I would trade UWB for rechargeable any day of the week.
Nice, I think I need to replace my Tiles with these. I have the card one in my wallet, have frequently rang my phone by sitting on it lol
That's a good point. I think it's better suited in my wife's purse lol
even with the tiles you can turn off the option to let a particular tracker ring your phone in the app.
@@merendell I mean it's also helped me find my phone on several occasions, so I'm not sure what's better...
Galaxy tag works well with Samsung phone
What I want to see if if you drop it in a mall how well the android find my device picks it up and locates it
Theoretically, it should do quite well especially once everyone has it running on their phones. Assuming the mall is busy, there should be quite a few Android users walking around pinging its location. From there all you have to do is get with him Bluetooth range which seems to be relatively far. At that point, you ought to be able to walk it down and set off the alarm.
Just add a little bit more detail, I was able to connect to the one on my keys at a range of about 150 ft and that was through a fence.
@@scaryifliteral I understand what it should do. Anxious to see it actually tested.
I'm on android but my partners kids have iPhones and so does this work with iPhones aswell ??
Can I share these with an iphone user?
If they have a gmail account they can use the web app, but I don't currently see these trackers that way. google.com/android/find
Why does your nest hub sound Australian?
I like it
@@scaryifliteral that's fair 😄
Only thing I don't like about the Pebblebee stuff is non replaceable batteries - reachable is cool but id like to be able to replace them which is why I went for the Chipolo ones :) can't wait for the network to roll out to me.
I think rechargeable is the better option for a device like this because you don't have to recharge it very often (maybe 1-3x a year). On the low end, a rechargeable battery is good for a few hundred charge cycles before noticeable degradation occurs. So if you're that type that upgrades your phone every 2 years, this thing will outlast your next 10 phones. And by then this tracker will be obsolete.
@@mkygod and that's all fair and fine and I'm not saying they're bad or anything. But if battery goes bad or gets damaged the tag is done for. If you lose the cable you can't charge the thing. I'm not particularly keen on Chipolos card wallet as you have to send that back to them to recycle but yeah I do prefer being able to just replace the batteries as and when.
What if bluetooth is off?
Then your phone will stop updating their locations and you'll be reliant on other people in the network. You also can't ring them or use the other finding features.
@@scaryifliteral What about the impact on the battery life of your phone with BT on all the time?
@@camelot_avalonIs that even a concern these days?
I only ever switch BT off if there's a specific reason (e.g. my partner is taking my car and I don't want the hands free to connect whilst I'm in the house in the middle of a phonecall), I suspect people who only switch BT on ad-hoc are in the minority so you may find information on battery impact sparse.
@@camelot_avalon bro, it's 2024. Leave your bluetooth on. Battery drain isn't much
This is a game changer !!!! RIP Crapple.
Could care less where you live but I do know I'm just a few blocks away from the sun sphere.
Nice! Good to see a fellow knoxvillian.
Still waiting for somebody to do drop tests on the trackers. Want to see how durable it is.
I mean, I threw mine about 25 ft..
Mr Gatti's Pizza 🍕
So this is basicly.. track every android user on earth more or less. lets add this tag so no one cares and think its good :)
As long as cell phones have existed they have been trackers. Acting like this is something new or it's just Android is silly.
@@scaryifliteral what is new is that it tracks the phone even when its turned off. Saw an interview with a hacker who claimed he could do this a few years ago, and I thought he was nuts. Now its like... Oh wait. He was right?
@@AndrewTSq well unless you completely unplug your battery your device is still using a tiny amount of battery power even when it is off. Just like how a lamp or a TV still uses a tiny bit of power when they are not in use.
@@AndrewTSqstay in a bubble. Jfc some of you are insane
@@fkqz I bet you would have loved to live in east germany
Are you able to get both Apps to work together? I'm only able to use the Google Find My Device App or the Pebblebee App I can't get them to work together for some reason?
In their website it shows you can only connect to one networks
@@Nazzran Yeah that kinda sucks honestly because Google's Find My Device App isn't the best and it doesn't have many Features compared to the Pebblebee App.
@JoshF151Tech Oh, is that so? Would you mind telling me what's the difference?