Google Pixel Tag leak points to AirTag-style item tracker
9to5Google says a Pixel Tag image and Slovenian listing point to a Google tracker using the Find Hub network.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Google Pixel Tag may be the name of Google’s own item tracker, according to reporting from 9to5Google and a Slovenian retail listing. If released, the device would put Google more directly against Apple’s AirTag in the market for small trackers used to find everyday belongings.
9to5Google said it obtained an image of a product labeled “Google Pixel Tag.” The pictured device has a small oval design, according to the publication.
A Slovenian store listing linked by 9to5Google describes the Pixel Tag as a smart tracker for locating lost items. The listing says the device uses Google’s “Find My Device” network, the former name for the service now called Find Hub, and includes a speaker for helping users find an item nearby.
What is the Google Pixel Tag?
The Google Pixel Tag, as described in the retail listing cited by 9to5Google, is a compact tracker meant to attach to items such as keys, wallets or luggage. An item tracker is a small device that reports its location through a phone-connected finding network and can often play a sound when it is close enough to hear.
The translated listing says users would be able to check the location of belongings from a smartphone through Google’s network. It also describes the tracker as compact, lightweight and durable, and says it is designed with privacy and personal data in mind.
Google has not announced the product. The Verge reported that Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why the timing stands out
The apparent Pixel Tag references surfaced shortly before Google’s hardware event scheduled for August 12. Google has already teased its Pixel 11 lineup for that event, according to The Verge.
Other leaks ahead of the event have pointed to a new foldable phone, smartwatch and earbuds, The Verge reported. 9to5Google also reported earlier in July that early Pixel 11 listings mentioned a Google Pixel Tag, while noting at the time that no such tracker was then on the market.
The listing does not confirm a launch date, price or regional availability. It also does not say whether the tracker would ship with Pixel phones or be sold separately.
The device’s use of Google’s finding network would be the central feature if the listing is accurate. Find Hub is Google’s service for locating devices and tagged items, and a Google-branded tracker could give Android users a first-party option for the same kind of everyday item tracking that AirTag offers in Apple’s ecosystem.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.