I wish Androids had a way to talk to the Airtags :/ iphones have that cool proprietary technology that points you in the direction of the Airtag even if no other phones are nearby
That's Ultra Wide-band (UWB), and it's supported on several Android phones including Pixel 6/7 Pro. I don't know if the proprietary Apple bullshit prevents using Android to find them, but there are UWB trackers from Tile and Samsung as well.
> but there are UWB trackers from Tile and Samsung as well.
I think the problem is that these trackers get a lot of their benefits from network effects. I own a bunch of Tiles, and I find them really useful, but if I lose my luggage somewhere I'll only get a ping if they happen to be in range of another phone that also has the Tile app.
Meanwhile, with AirTags, given the prevalence of iPhones in the US, you're much likely to be in range of someone with an iPhone at most times.
> In addition, Google is updating its Find My Device experience to make it easier to locate devices by ringing them or viewing their location on a map — even if they’re offline, it says.
> This, too, will arrive later this summer, along with new support for Bluetooth trackers from Tile, Chipolo, and Pebblebee, as well as audio devices like Pixel Buds and headphones from Sony and JBL.
100%. That’s the reason I would only buy something on the Find My network (have recently had great success with “ATUVOS” ones for about $12 each and one found on Temu for like $10ish) or maybe if there was another that would enjoy 90%+ coverage of Android phones - although I suspect the fragmentation and unavailability of system updates to many devices that aren’t brand new would mean it would take 5 years for such a network to be built.
