Google’s Airtag competitor trackers are as unreliable as ever

I’ve been testing Chipolo and Pebblebee’s Google-compatible trackers ever since Google first launched its Discover My Machine community in Could 2024. For eight months now, I’ve lugged them round, plus a bunch of their opponents, on each flight, prepare experience, outing, and exercise, hoping to seek out the very best Bluetooth tracker on the market. What began as a enjoyable train of, “Hey, let me see if I can monitor my husband by way of a busy space in Paris,” rapidly changed into a nightmare due to the sheer logistics of testing these.

I typically had no less than two or three telephones in my pocket — generally 4 — with a bunch of testing situations, options to test, and environments to check in. I additionally needed to enlist my husband’s assist fairly often as a result of I needed to be bodily separated from the “misplaced” merchandise with out dropping it for actual. General, I’ve tried these trackers within the UK, France, UAE, Lebanon, Belgium, Albania, Italy, and Portugal. When all was mentioned and accomplished, I needed to comb by way of over 150 screenshots and dozens of movies. I’ve additionally delayed this text repeatedly as a result of I needed to offer Google extra time to roll out its community and redeem its disappointing efficiency. However time’s operating out, and if there’s one verdict it is advisable know, it’s this:

However if you’d like the lengthy, very lengthy model, strap in your studying glasses and comply with me throughout months of testing to see how Google’s Discover My Machine trackers examine to the Apple AirTag, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2, and a bunch of Tile trackers, most notably the newest Tile Professional.

Certainly one of my first Google Discover My Machine community assessments occurred on my flight from Paris to Beirut after which again. In each airports, I did the identical factor. I chucked all my trackers inside one suitcase and checked it in. Then, I walked away by way of safety, passport test, and the duty-free space, conserving my eye on every app to see whether or not the tracker was displaying its reside location.

The Apple AirTag was the plain king, updating its location each two to 5 minutes on common — eight to 10 minutes tops. It’s comprehensible, given Apple’s multi-year headstart within the monitoring community sport and its units’ pervasiveness all all over the world.

The Tile Professional was the stunning second one in line — I wouldn’t have anticipated that from a tracker that requires you to put in its personal app to take part within the community — nevertheless it did replace each 20 to half-hour. Samsung was a bit sluggish, updating each 30 to 40 minutes.

However the largest disappointment got here from my Pebblebee Tag on Google’s community. From 1:38 PM after I checked in my baggage till 3:50 PM after I boarded the airplane, the tracker was not discovered. Simply “final seen” at check-in, and that was it. I used to be in a really busy airport with tons of of Android telephones throughout me; the tracker ought to’ve been discovered because it made its method by way of the airport’s backstage areas.

I’ve repeated this check no less than 5 extra instances since then at numerous airports, and the result’s virtually at all times the identical. There’s no uncrowning the Apple AirTag; it’s at all times getting location updates each jiffy. Samsung has since redeemed itself, with updates each 5 to 10 minutes to the SmartTag2’s location in each airport I’ve examined it at, a lot in order that I believe the end result above was a fluke. Tile is hit or miss, relying on the model’s reputation in every nation; it was fairly efficient within the UK, for instance, however not in Albania.

Google is certainly extra miss than hit, irrespective of the tracker model I’ve tried or nation. On one journey, I could also be shocked by swift updates each jiffy, solely to be disenchanted on the following 5 journeys with a “final seen” time of a number of hours.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 6/10, Tile 7/10, Google 2/10

Placing apart the community a part of the equation, a Bluetooth tracker needs to be straightforward to seek out when it’s close to you, proper? So if I get on a airplane and my baggage is loaded inside the identical airplane, I needs to be shut sufficient to detect it as close by, no less than in principle.

Effectively, test the picture above. Tile, Samsung, and Apple all mentioned my suitcase was close to me, whereas Google was adamant I hadn’t been close to the tracker for a number of minutes. If I hadn’t put all of the trackers in the identical suitcase with my very own palms, I’d’ve panicked and thought my baggage was left behind.

It took Google a couple of minutes to replace its location and understand that, oh yeah, the tracker is close by (see picture above). If it was solely this one time, I’d’ve chalked it off as a blip, however I’ve seen this identical conduct on many events. Even after I’m sitting at my desk with all trackers subsequent to me, Google’s Discover My Machine app will typically take a couple of seconds to a couple minutes to comprehend the trackers are close by.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 10/10, Tile 10/10, Google 6/10.

Take a look at 3: My tracker was misplaced in Paris; assist me discover it

After a number of failed and mitigated assessments, I ended my extensively documented assessments and began utilizing Google’s trackers randomly over a couple of months. I gave them a break till the tip of November 2024, after I resumed testing to see if issues had improved.

This time, I didn’t simply regulate their location; I really marked these trackers as misplaced to see how nicely they’d reply to a close-to-real-life state of affairs of dropping a beneficial merchandise. The method was easy: At evening, I eliminated the batteries from all trackers, put them in a ziplock bag, and despatched them with my husband to work on the following day. This manner, I knew none of them had a headstart over the others by way of community location. Throughout his lunch break, I requested him to place the batteries again in and stored my eye on the clock. (FYI, he carries a Pixel cellphone with out the Tile app put in, so neither Apple, Samsung, nor Tile have any benefit from his cellphone’s proximity. Sarcastically, the one tracker that ought to’ve had a bonus is the Google one as a result of he has the Discover My Machine community enabled.)

And that is what occurred:

• Apple AirTag: Battery in at 12:12 PM, discovered at 12:13 PM — delay: 1 minute
• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2: Battery in at 12:13 PM, discovered at 12:14 PM — delay: 1 minute
• Tile Professional: Battery in at 12:16 PM, discovered at 6:11 PM — delay: 6 hours
• Chipolo ONE Level (Google tracker): Battery in at 12:08 PM, discovered… not — delay: indefinite

The under picture reveals the place issues stood at 12:37 PM, about 20 minutes after we put the batteries contained in the trackers. The Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 on the left present the proper location on the jap facet of Paris, each up to date a couple of minutes in the past. The Tile Professional and the Chipolo tracker on the precise present a location on the western facet of Paris, at dwelling, final up to date many hours earlier, round 2 AM, after I had eliminated the batteries earlier than going to sleep.

For the remainder of the day, Apple’s and Samsung trackers went hand in hand, updating their location very precisely each jiffy. See for your self within the screenshots under. This is likely one of the causes I’m very happy with Samsung’s tracker efficiency on the whole. It’s stunning how correct and quick it’s, giving Apple’s robust Discover My community a run for its cash. And it’s not simply in Paris. In virtually each nation and site I’ve examined these two trackers, I’ve discovered that they go toe-to-toe with their efficiency and accuracy.

As compared, Tile stays hit-and-miss. It really works, however not as often or as rapidly, since you’re completely counting on close by Tile customers to get the placement of your misplaced merchandise. As I mentioned, the Tile Professional was discovered at 6:11 PM, and as my husband made his method dwelling, it was nonetheless tracked and located a pair extra instances. A six-hour delay isn’t thought, nevertheless it’s higher than the choice…

… which is what occurred with the Chipolo tracker. Nothing a lot modified from midday to 7 PM within the Discover My Machine app, even with my husband’s Pixel 7 Professional actually subsequent to it and set to contribute to Discover My Machine “with community in all areas,” not simply high-traffic ones. For seven hours, it didn’t replace as soon as, not even when he put it in his backpack with the opposite trackers on his method dwelling and took the prepare with a bunch of different commuters.

This lasted till 7:56 PM when my husband returned dwelling, and all of the trackers had been bodily with me, close to my cellphone. I’ll allow you to decide these screenshots.

It wasn’t till a couple of minutes later, at 8 PM, that I obtained the notification that my Chipolo tracker was discovered. Whew! Bear in mind how I mentioned, throughout my baggage on the airplane check, that Google’s trackers are sometimes late to indicate as close by even once they’re bodily close to me? Yup, this is identical subject, and it’s nonetheless one I wrestle with to today.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 10/10, Tile 5/10, Google 0/10

Take a look at 4: Second time’s the allure?

The following month, in December, I made a decision to run a really comparable check once more. This time, my husband took the batteries out at 9 AM when he reached work, left them out, after which solely inserted them again within the trackers round 7 PM, as he was about to go again dwelling.

In my many months with the AirTag and different Apple Discover My-compatible trackers, this was the one time Apple’s community failed me. It stored displaying a current location (two minutes in the past!) close to my dwelling on the western facet of Paris after I knew the AirTag was distant with my husband on the jap facet of town. I’m probably not positive what occurred right here; there’s a pink lock subsequent to my keys (the AirTag), which often means an error occurred. It obtained fastened by itself the following day, however that meant that the AirTag didn’t actually work throughout this check. Proof that every one good expertise is fallible, I suppose?

Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2 did its factor instantly after being turned on. Tile didn’t replace its location till half an hour later, solely displaying the morning’s last-seen location earlier than that. However, surprisingly, the Chipolo ONE Level on Google’s community labored as anticipated!

This was the primary time I really noticed Google’s estimated community location do its magic correctly, displaying me a current and correct location and conserving it up to date for the entire time as my husband commuted again dwelling. This check proves that there was nothing mistaken with my trackers; it’s simply that the community is so unreliable. Wonderful sooner or later, horrible the opposite.

Nonetheless, remember that I gave it the very best probability at success as a result of my husband manually enabled “in all community areas” on his Pixel 7 Professional’s Discover My Machine settings, not simply in crowded locations. Not everybody will do this on their cellphone, so the community’s success nonetheless depends on different folks’s will to take part in it.

Take a look at notes: Apple 0/10, Samsung 10/10, Tile 5/10, Google 10/10

Take a look at 5: How briskly are unknown tracker alerts after I’m being stalked?

Alright, let’s cease looking for a misplaced merchandise and begin taking a look at another options of those Bluetooth trackers, particularly unknown tracker alerts and stalking safety.

Each Google and Apple have labored collectively to verify their trackers and networks are interoperable, so if in case you have an unknown tracker (i.e. one which isn’t touring with the cellphone it’s linked to) following you round, you need to get a notification to warn you of its presence in your Android cellphone or iPhone. You possibly can then ring it to attempt to establish it and confirm if it’s stalking you or not.

To check this as soon as once more, my husband — the very best check topic and most supportive companion on the earth, I ought to say — commuted with the trackers a couple of instances. Each time we tried this, the end result was almost the identical. His Pixel cellphone would alert him concerning the AirTag touring with him about one hour after he left dwelling, with the tracker first seen almost instantly after he’d left dwelling and moved from my iPhone (the cellphone the tracker is linked to). That implies that Android is noticing the disconnected tracker, keeping track of it for an hour to keep away from any pointless false positives, and when it notices that there’s a sample, it alerts him.

Google’s trackers typically took much more time to set off this notification. Typically, it went on for a number of hours; different instances, he didn’t get any notification in any respect! The most effective-case state of affairs is proven above. He began strolling away from my telephones with the trackers in his backpack at 8:09 AM. The Pebblebee alert got here at 10:16 AM, multiple hour after the AirTag at 9:09 AM (which already has a one-hour latency for false positives, as defined above). What baffles me right here is that the Pebblebee was first detected at 8:26 AM, so not so lengthy after the AirTag at 8:15 AM, nevertheless it didn’t ping the unknown alert till almost two hours later. Why is Google ready this lengthy to inform folks of hazard? Why is the community and, thus, the alert so erratic? I don’t know.

Clearly, although, the largest dealbreaker is with Samsung and Tile’s trackers. Each of them supply unknown alerts, however you must have a Samsung cellphone with the SmartThings app put in and the setting enabled for the previous, and the Tile app put in in your Android cellphone or iPhone for the latter. There’s no interoperability throughout platforms, neither is there a default alert system when you don’t take these steps, which the grand majority of individuals received’t do. They’re each a stalker’s dream and a traditional human’s tech nightmare.

Take a look at notes: Apple 9/10, Samsung 0/10, Tile 0/10, Google 6/10

Take a look at 6: Monitoring a shared tag touring with a member of the family

For this check, I did issues very merely. My husband and I’ve two shared Google-compatible trackers in every of our wallets. He can monitor mine; I can monitor his. We’re one another’s solely assist system in Paris, so this can be a little bit of a second-degree assure that we all know our whereabouts if, heaven forbid, one thing goes mistaken.

So, each few weeks, I’d let him know that I’d be checking his pockets’s location over the following hour or two and see if it was updating correctly. I didn’t trouble evaluating Google’s trackers in opposition to the others right here as a result of I do know these do their job — it’s one of the fundamental options of a “discover” community. I used to be blissful to see {that a} shared Pebblebee tracker, linked to his cellphone, was much more responsive and dependable to trace. In all of my assessments, the placement was at all times correct and often up to date (each 5 minutes tops). So if you wish to get these trackers to regulate a member of the family and you recognize they’ll at all times have their cellphone with them, you shouldn’t have any qualms. It really works.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 10/10, Tile 10/10, Google 10/10

Take a look at 7: I misplaced my backpack in essentially the most complicated mall in Dubai

Ah, Dragon Mart. The labyrinthine maze of impossibly slim alleyways and a dizzying array of retailers with its chaotic vitality and group. If there’s one mall in all of Dubai the place you shouldn’t misplace your backpack, it’s this one. You might have greater odds of profitable the lottery than discovering your strategy to something in there.

I needed to defy the percentages, although, albeit whereas conserving some management. I gave my husband my backpack with the Apple AirTag, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2, and Google-compatible Pebblebee Clip; I had forgotten to slide within the Tile Professional this time — oops! I requested my husband to stroll round a bit so I wouldn’t know precisely wherein route my backpack was “misplaced,” and I walked round, too. After about 10 minutes of random wandering by way of the mall, I requested him to cease, and I attempted to make use of the apps to seek out him and my backpack.

I checked out all three apps and seen that the AirTag had the newest location (one minute in the past), the Galaxy SmartTag2 was 5 minutes off, and the Pebblebee (Google) was 9 minutes out. However issues rapidly improved for Google and degraded for Samsung. A few minutes later, Google began updating its location and stored it up to date the entire time whereas I used to be making my method over to my backpack, whereas the Galaxy SmartTag2 stopped updating. The last-seen location was nonetheless comparatively correct, nevertheless it wouldn’t have let me discover my husband in that mall’s labyrinth. The AirTag, as (virtually) at all times, was on level.

It took 10 minutes to make my method by way of the maze, alternating between the AirTag’s location and the Pebblebee’s location (which had been the identical) earlier than I lastly took a left flip and located my backpack — and my husband — standing there. The Galaxy tag was nonetheless caught eventually seen quarter-hour earlier. I’ll be trustworthy: I didn’t anticipate Google’s community to work this nicely right here in such a sophisticated setting, however I’ll give credit score the place it’s due. It did its factor, and it did it fantastically.

The one disappointing facet of utilizing Google’s app, although, was extra of a UX drawback. When Apple’s Discover My shows your trackers, it additionally reveals your location relative to them and wherein route you’re standing. That method, I may simply know if I used to be strolling in the precise route and modify course. Google’s app, alternatively, doesn’t present me my present location. The one strategy to stroll to a tracker was to start out navigation and get instructions in one other app like Google Maps, which needed me to get out of the mall, stroll by way of the car parking zone street, after which return by way of one other entrance.

Worse but, since Google was giving me instructions to the tracker in Maps, it was a static location. Fortunately, I knew my husband was standing nonetheless, but when this was a theft state of affairs, with my stolen backpack on the transfer, I must exit navigation each jiffy to get the tracker’s up to date location and a brand new set of instructions to it. Not good, Google. Apple, alternatively, does supply instructions by way of one other app, however I may merely depend on the reside view in Discover My to make my strategy to my backpack.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 3/10, Tile N/A, Google 8/10

For this very current check, we went out of the busy and crowded areas to see how nicely these trackers behave in smaller cities. My husband and his mates had been doing their New Yr’s Eve run of grocery and meals searching for about two hours, and he carried the trackers with him. As soon as once more, I marked them as misplaced and waited.

Google, Apple, and Samsung’s areas had been rapidly, always, and precisely up to date over the course of those two hours of errands, though Samsung was a bit sluggish at one level and had a 20-minute delay. The Tile Professional was a bit extra random; it didn’t be discovered for the primary hour when the errands had been in smaller cheese and produce outlets, nevertheless it was rapidly noticed as soon as my husband made his strategy to a grocery store in the course of city.

Regardless of its stellar efficiency right here, although, Google’s tracker had one large drawback. Apple, Samsung, and Tile despatched me a notification instantly once they had been discovered. Google didn’t. You possibly can see within the screenshots above that the tracker was seen as early as 5:41 PM, however no notification, no alert, no e-mail, nothing got here. I needed to manually open the app to see if the tracker was updating its location. If I used to be a daily consumer and trusted the notification, I’d’ve by no means identified that my Pebblebee had been discovered, or I’d’ve missed it by a number of hours.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 8/10, Tile 5/10, Google 8/10

Take a look at 9: Can I discover a close by tracker after I’m offline?

Talking of fundamentals, essentially the most fundamental factor a Bluetooth tracker ought to do is definitely be discovered on Bluetooth. Proper? Proper?

Cough. Google. Cough. RIGHT?

So image this. I’m in a spotty community space. Perhaps I’m mountain climbing, and my keys fell from my backpack; perhaps I’m touring, and I don’t have a stable connection. Perhaps I’m even fully offline, however I nonetheless must discover a misplaced merchandise. I open the apps to see my trackers, and I discover totally different behaviors.

Apple’s Discover My app warns me I’m offline and that the Discover My community isn’t accessible, however the app falls again to Bluetooth, and I can nonetheless see all my trackers. I can play sound on a close-by one and open the live-finding mode to detect it over UWB. Tile Professional doesn’t care that I’m offline, both. All the pieces within the app, bar the Tile community discovering, nonetheless works, and I can ring my tracker to seek out it close by. That’s the very precept of a Bluetooth tracker.

Samsung is a bit trickier. The app throws some warnings if I’m in airplane mode or fully disconnected, however nonetheless works even when I don’t have a community connection. I simply should be sure that Wi-Fi and information are enabled, even when they’re not linked, and I’m in a position to see my tracker close by, ring it, discover it reside with the UWB search, and so forth.

Google… nicely… Oh. See for your self within the screenshots above. Your complete Discover My Machine app doesn’t even load if I’m disconnected or in airplane mode. It’s such a depressingly unhealthy failure.

Take a look at notes: Apple 10/10, Samsung 7/10, Tile 10/10, Google 0/10

Take a look at 10: I left my keys at dwelling — can I get a reminder, please?

One of the necessary use circumstances for a Bluetooth tracker are separation alerts, in any other case often called “left behind” notifications while you stroll away out of your most necessary gadgets. Say you’re in a restaurant or a retailer and depart with out your pockets, otherwise you preserve forgetting to take your keys with you while you depart dwelling; you need to get a notification to warn you of that earlier than it’s too late and another person has picked up your pockets, backpack, or keys, and walked away with them.

Apple, Samsung, and Tile supply this characteristic. Google’s Discover My Machine implementation doesn’t, which implies that I can’t clip a Pebblebee Clip on my keys and be warned every time I stroll away from them. Nonetheless, I needed to check out how the others carry out and if this perform is quick sufficient to be helpful.

All three corporations embody the left-behind setting of their apps, however you’ll should subscribe to Tile’s Premium plan at $2.99 a month to have the ability to use it. A little bit of a disgrace as a result of Apple and Samsung supply this without spending a dime, however a small firm’s gotta do what it must with the intention to survive. I’m nonetheless deducing factors from Tile’s word for this, although.

All three trackers additionally permit me to set protected zones the place I can depart gadgets with out being warned about strolling away. House is a simple one as a result of I can typically depart with out my backpack, and I don’t wish to be bombarded by notifications about it. For my keys, although, I’d quite take away all protected zones as a result of I don’t wish to depart dwelling with out them.

To check this, I left dwelling at 9:44 AM with my iPhone 13 Professional Max, Galaxy S24 Extremely, and Pixel 9 Professional. I purposely left all of the trackers behind and walked away. I used to be just a few dozen ft away after I obtained the notification on the S24 Extremely about my disconnected Galay SmartTag2. Tile adopted quickly after; I used to be nonetheless strolling out of the constructing at that time. And the iPhone remained surprisingly silent. It was freezing chilly, so I put it again in my pocket and dashed to the prepare station. A couple of minutes later, I checked it out and lo-and-behold, the notification had arrived, two minutes later than Samsung and three after I’d left dwelling.

I’ve accomplished this a couple of instances since then, and the outcomes appear to be concordant. Samsung pings first, Tile is typically as quick and generally a fraction slower, and Apple is a minute late. We’re speaking about margins of two minutes tops, although, so all three are very dependable. However when you’re on the lookout for one thing to ping you the very second you stroll away out of your tag, the Galaxy SmartTag2 is an efficient wager.

As for Google, nicely, we’re ready for that characteristic to roll out.

Take a look at notes: Apple 8/10, Samsung 10/10, Tile 6/10, Google 0/10

I’ve recapped my completely scientific, not biased in any respect, rankings from all of the assessments within the desk under.

As you’ll be able to see, Apple’s headstart and its Discover My community’s tremendous dependable location monitoring make it the gold normal for Bluetooth trackers. It simply works all over the place in each nation and each setting I’ve examined it — nicely, wanting absolutely the wilderness. I nonetheless don’t perceive what occurred for it to fail throughout the fourth check, however that’s your proof that not all tech is dependable.

However what when you don’t have an iPhone to take pleasure in Apple’s pervasive discovering community availability? Effectively, if in case you have a Samsung Galaxy cellphone, the SmartTag2 is a no brainer. It’s essentially the most dependable of the Android-compatible trackers as a result of it aggregates all Samsung telephones on the earth as a part of its discovering community, and other than a few conditions the place it wasn’t stellar, it really works actually, very well. Typically as quick because the AirTag and as exact, in a number of international locations, throughout many crowded and uncrowded locations.

Tile is ok in some international locations however much less so in others. You may get updates each jiffy like clockwork, or you could wait 4 to 5 hours. You actually toss a coin with it, although, since you’re solely counting on different Tile customers. However for many who don’t have an iPhone or a Galaxy smartphone, it nonetheless at present supplies extra reliability than Google’s personal trackers. What I can say is that it labored all over the place for me and by no means failed; it was at all times ultimately discovered, even in essentially the most distant of locations like Bovilla Lake in Albania. It simply took time, generally. The unknown alerts state of affairs, as with Samsung, is what it’s. It received’t have an effect on you when you personal the tag, nevertheless it’s unhealthy when you’re being tracked by one. That’s not one thing that may be fastened until Tile cooperates with Google and Apple to combine its trackers’ anti-stalking features inside Android and iOS on an working system stage.

As for Google, nicely, what can I say that I haven’t already mentioned? The community has considerably improved since I first began testing in mid-2024, nevertheless it’s nonetheless nowhere close to as dependable as Apple’s or Samsung’s. Even Tile has a leg up at this level, and it requires a close-by Tile consumer, whereas Google’s Discover My Machine is meant to be passively utilizing hundreds of thousands of Android telephones on the earth!

When it really works — and sure, some issues do work very nicely — Discover My Machine is sort of superior. It has the velocity and accuracy of Apple’s AirTag and Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2. I can apply it to my Pixel 9 Professional, Nothing Cellphone 2, Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, and HONOR 200 Professional; I’m free as a chicken, not tied to any model. I really like that. The issue, nonetheless, is that I don’t know when it’ll work and when it received’t. And when it doesn’t, it simply doesn’t. 5 hours for Tile?! With Google, it is perhaps days. Or the tracker may very well be subsequent to me and the app isn’t even seeing it. Or perhaps I’m making an attempt to do the unthinkable and on the lookout for a Bluetooth tracker over Bluetooth!

Google nonetheless has quite a bit to do to repair the shortcomings of its community and trackers. It additionally wants so as to add a bunch of options that exist already on the opposite platforms: Bluetooth-only mode, reside location replace whereas navigating to a tracker, separation alerts, UWB, and extra. Till then, the promise is far, a lot greater than the fact.