This Smart Tracker For Android Works Like An AirTag! | PebbleBee

[@ShannonMorse]

Editors note: After uploading this video, PebbleBee updated their website to reflect NEW pricing (all tags are now priced at $34.99) and NEW PebbleBee Tags, which work on BOTH Apple and Android. While now called "Universal" tags, these will work as shown in the video for your Android devices.

[@djweso]

We invested in a number of Tile trackers. They've been "ok." Not 100% but better than not having them. But several are running out of battery now. Also we are a mixed family, one iOS user. Having these work on both and rechargeable is very interesting. I was just thinking about buying Air tags to try them out. I probably won't invest in too many hoping they add UWB. Thanks Shannon!

[@jmr]

Nice! I've been wondering when someone would do a tag that works on both.

[@AveryDelMiller]

They work with both apple and android, but not at the same time, right? Like I need to choose one system or the other to use it with, right?

[@jmr]

@@AveryDelMiller That's a good question. It should be technically possible to work with both simultaneously but the battery life would be reduced slightly. In practice I don't know yet but I'm going to see if I can find out.

[@Evan_Adams]

@@ShannonMorse do the universal ones have UWB for Android?

[@wisechoicemedia]

Shannon, this review was exactly what I've been waiting for! As an Android user, I've been envious of AirTags for ages. Your breakdown of the Pebblebee trackers was super helpful and thorough. I love how you put them to the test with international travel - that's real-world testing at its finest! The Clip sounds perfect for my constantly misplaced keys. It's great to hear that Google's Find My Device network is improving, even if it's not quite at AirTag level yet. Your honest pros and cons (like the annoying proprietary charger) are much appreciated. Thanks for always keeping us Android users in the loop with the latest tech. Can't wait to see what other trackers you might review in the future!

[@3DJapan]

It's not like we didn't have them. The Samsung Smart Tags came out before apple copied it.

[@erichchan3]

I feel like the default setting on Android Find My Device should be "With network in all areas" and NOT "With network in high-traffic areas only". They should make the user manually switch to "With network in high-traffic areas only" if the user is opt to do so that it rapidly starts to expand the Android Find My Device network. Most people won't change the setting and it should help the network.

[@kenwoods6663]

I have been using Pebblebee tags with my iPad for the last 18 months. The tags are in family cars, on our key rings and in our wallets and purses. The tags are very easy to use and charge about once every 8 months. The application is so easy that a 74 year old can do it! These things are great. I purchased our multiple sets from Costco but I have not seen them there lately.

[@Silverado1222]

How about a 76 year old? (smiling)

[@TimDC202]

i loved the coverage on my samsung smart tags -- BUT i switched to a pixel pro last year and just lost all tracking ability. i wish all android makers got on the same page/merge networks.

[@ShannonMorse]

Yeah, the Samsung tags only work with Samsung devices unfortunately. That's a big con.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I think there's a decent chance they merge the networks. Samsung merged its Nearby Share into Google's Quick Share.

[@TimDC202]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep i would really appreciate it they did

[@AedLamhchleasai]

Ooh, bummer. I have been thinking getting a Pixel.

[@chocolate_squiggle]

@@ShannonMorse This is the sort of background info you could provide in the video. I haven't followed this technology and just assumed Samsung phones are Android, hence used the Android network of bluetooth enabled devices. Geezus seriously what a fail (Samsung, not you). Imagine every handset maker trying to market their own fragmented networks. Even Apple/Google should have worked together on this.

[@DimitriVerstraeten]

I have a few objects on which I have an Airtag and a Pebblebee attached. In less busy areas the difference in performance is still big in favor of Airtags. The accuracy of Airtags is still a couple of levels above that from Pebblebee.

[@BoltRM]

More airtag users = better coverage? That could change if these get adopted.

[@DimitriVerstraeten]

@@BoltRM I've been testing them for a couple of months now. There is a slight improvement. The difference remains big however.

[@ShannonMorse]

That's the point I made in my video too.

[@Solo.1x]

I've been using them for about 2 months now. Somethings to note that I moticed 1. You gotta open the app a few times a week for continuous tracking. 2. I like the left behind festure on the samsung tags, but on the pebble bee it will sometimes give false reads of left behind when the device is in my pocket. 3. The accuracy could be berter, but it's not bad. 4. I wish you could customize the color of the LED when ringing them to find them, but it does make it a lot easier to find the trackers, especially at night.(i know it produces atleast 2 colors white and green).

[@Sanchezx22]

What do you mean by open a few times a week for continuous tracking?

[@9753flyer]

I doubt that magnetic charger is 'proprietary', no matter what the manufacturer says. 2 pin magnetic chargers like that are quite common and can be bought online just like a USB-C cable can be at amazon. They are becoming the standard for small devices where you don't have enough space to easily incorporate a USB-C port For those that are curious, they are 5v DC and you can also get magnetic pin adapters that will plug into a USB-C cable.. one pin positive, the other negative and most are able to be connected universally direction wise, the device will switch the DC polarity internally.

[@TheAIKnowledgeHub]

The problem with the Google trackers (it doesn't matter the brand), if you aren't in in a crowded location they are worthless. Like basically in order for them to even be updated is you need to have 3 devices see it, given they didn't modify their settings. Like this is great for if you left your object or something like that. But it is horrible if you are trying to get back stolen items. Basically the more remote you are the more useless this is. This sucks because a lot of farmers use air tags on their things and had to use them to get their stuff back.

[@erichchan3]

Apparently in the "Find My Device" network the default option is only in "high traffic areas" setting but you can turn on the "with network in all areas" to help with more preciseness. I still think UWB support has to be standard for all these "airtag" tracking devices if they want to compete.

[@stevefiete]

Thanks!

[@tuapuikia]

Please opt in to the "find my device" network. The more devices on the network, the better we can locate lost and stolen Android devices.

[@jeffbrown9395]

I liked your video because you explained likes and subscribes in a way that makes sense. Great video!

[@Aren-Tibbs]

Considering Apple AirTags *just work* with ALL Apple iPhones and the PebbleBee requires Android users, including those suspicious of Google, to *manually enable* the feature, I still think that AirTags on the iOS platform are universally superior.

[@arandomnamegoeshere]

....and if one is suspicious of Apple instead of Google... is it still superior?

[@headerahelix]

Apple requires Apple products to work, which to you is good... but brand agnostic devices that also work on Apple are bad because of the minority of people who exist in both ecosystems that don't participate in the network...?

[@AirmanDan916]

Nice review Shannon. I do like how they are rechargeable, but I still use air tags for my luggage when traveling.

[@danthesquirrel]

AirTags have a directional locator arrow with distance displayed when you get within Bluetooth range. Knowing your keys are somewhere in your apartment doesn’t help find them inside your refrigerator when you are late for work.

[@mar4kl]

Thank you for this! I've been interested in this technology, but not interested enough to buy an iPhone in order to use it. I'm pleased to hear there's a promising Android alternative.

[@benjidaniel5595]

Ahh I love that you call your viewers Smoores! ❤

[@Evan_Adams]

I also got them and I live SF Bay, if you do a test where you are trying to find something you lost they really are not great. Like leave your bag in a park with these and an air tag and you'll see the air tag just works better. I'm a very loyal Google person and Google really needs to figure out how to default on their Network. Somehow like Apple does because people are not going to sign up for this on their own.

[@superblitz]

I have been using Tile for a long time, especially since they created the option to replace the battery.

[@neilwatson288]

I'd like to hear about detecting unwanted tags close to me.

[@jasonellingson883]

Moto Tags... Uses all the Air Tag accessories and powered by button batteries. Has UWB already when Android supports it later this year. I'm actually surprised Apple hasn't sued them already. I picked 4 up with free shipping from Motorola last week for $99 + tax.

[@JohnWenzelburgerJW]

I saw an adv for them before they came out but forgot the name thanks

[@nombable]

I have a bunch and love them. They are the only thing that comes close. I tried pebblebee, chipilo and Samsung. The first two leave a lot to be desired. Samsung is good but has a limited network. The moto tags are they way to go. Leaps and bounds better than Pebblebee and the other two.

[@cognetic]

Yeah. We were early adopters many months ago. Was very disappointed due to lack of UWB "precision locating". To my knowledge Motorola is the only one (or was). Need to get one and test.

[@GOINFINITI]

Do you get the propietary cable with the device?

[@anthonymay1280]

Would this work to track my outdoor cat? If not, what would you suggest

[@gwine9087]

It works like an Air Tag! OMG, who would have thought?

[@TimTim40484]

I can understand the proprietary charging cable issue, I also wish everything had USB-C but with these trackers like the card, that is simply impossible. At least Pebblebee lets you recharge the Card tracker because the Chipolo Card has a non replacable/rechargable battery so after 2 years it will become useless and you will need to buy another one

[@MrPir84free]

I have a number of Samsung SmartTags and SmartTags+ ; actually learned to keep a few off as spares in case I find something I need to stick it on in. However, the downside to the entire scheme is battery life of the 2032 batteries in them; The batteries really lack any real MEASURE of battery life remaining; the original provided batteries never seem to last beyond a month or two. A new CR-2032 - still don't last that long either. as far as usability and ability to track, the SmartTags work perfectly fine. Those PebbleBee tags, being rechargeable, look interesting.

[@MotFPS]

Are there shoe inserts for these?

[@coedshowers]

if its near someone iphone/android will it tell them like airtags do? or are these new tags "ghost tags?. Do they beep or anything if they arent near your device for weeks?

[@DavidEckard]

I put one of my tagged keys in checked luggage. The cool part was waiting for the luggage in baggage return. The Samsung tag shows up on my phone about ten seconds before the luggage drops down the shute.

[@ahmetmutlu348]

Air tags uses anyones phone and internet to communicate with apple servers inform them or send data there tough strangers internet connection without them knowing 😅 while android added this feature later it asks for you but i think its fair and easy to implement i mean anyones phone connects to apple or android servers periodically so wont cost nothing to ewen strangers to upload 1byte or 2 byte additionally 😅 2 byte looks bit small but you can bompress lots of data there if used cirrectly😊

[@Usbksx7278bfjdjkj]

Keep up the good work 👍

[@TrentonMatthews]

I wonder how good the Samsung Tags work. Hmmm... I shall do research in the meantime.. A proud Galaxy S23+ user here.

[@TimDC202]

@@TrentonMatthews they're really really good. so many samsung phones out there.

[@Peterstarzynskitech]

I have the Galaxy tracker. It's actually pretty good.

[@shegocrazy]

I've got them. It hasn't got the same network as iPhone.

[@TrentonMatthews]

@@shegocrazy Thanks for the heads up. And, that absolutely bites!!! 😞

[@ZagatoZee]

@@shegocrazy that depends entirely upon where you are in the world. Some parts of the globe, iphone users outnumber android 1.6:1, others Android outnumbers iphone 9:1. There isn't an "ideal options" for everywhere unfortunately.

[@7_of_9]

Samsung literally created the tracking tags. Their smart tags plus are really really good and no subscriptions. $30 and that's all. I love the automation on them, like create notifications or automatically turn lights on etc ..

[@RodVanstone-xq4ze]

Those are only for Samsung phones as I understand it. So all of the other android phones do not work with them

[@shegocrazy]

​@RodVanstone-xq4ze correct. Its tracked with samsung smartthings.

[@shegocrazy]

@@darrentubeify I've got 6 or 7 Tiles. Saved my wallet just a couple of months ago in the Scottish Highlands.

[@riverking4u]

My tag that a friend bought me 2 years ago, battery life sucked! After just 2 weeks it would battery low!! Was this a common issue or did I just receive a defective one thank you.

[@ShannonMorse]

You must've gotten a defective one. I've had mine sitting in my suitcase for the past six months, and the battery is still charged.

[@davidr2715]

I'm interested in hidden tracking devices for high value items (like a car, bicycle, motorcycle, boat, etc), but am unsure how they operate. Do these trigger a warning on someone's phone that a tracking device is nearby for long time? How close do they need to be to trigger that? Do they give away their location with a beep or blink?

[@WraggyTheGamer]

"Safe tag" true GPS tracker, however subscription of $4.99/m is required. But you can cancel at any time

[@DraskoSaric]

I gues proprietary chargers are must if you want thinner tags...

[@gerry2345]

I like this review. Thanks Shannon.

[@Peterstarzynskitech]

The card would be great for wallets.

[@xexat]

Can you use the tag you ring your phone if you lose it like you can with a tiel?

[@ShannonMorse]

No, the pebblebee will not make your phone ring. You can only use your phone to ring the pebblebee

[@xexat]

@@ShannonMorse good to know

[@user-lu5xh2ms4x]

@@xexateufy has a product that will. Don’t get their card version as it’s not rechargeable/replaceable battery. They don’t have uwb either.

[@PAINTuRED]

It will be interesting if the next iteration will have Bluetooth 6

[@anseal5681]

So my question is.. can it track an item that is thousands of miles away from you (apple airtag can do it with no problem)?

[@HeadsetRuler]

Yes

[@ahmetmutlu348]

And i think they needs solar and kinetic chargers like self winding watches..so itll be more reliable but they are first implementations of this systems and it seems we have to wait alot for them to be really lifesaver devices 😢

[@ijexx]

I mostly just need a tracker to help me not leave stuff at home. Maybe my phone could notify me if I leave a tracker in the house when I leave. Anyone know what trackers are good for that and have no monthly fees? And for android.

[@BoltRM]

Maybe notify once you leave the vicinity?

[@ijexx]

@@BoltRM yeah basically. One use case would be; put a tracker in my wallet and if I drive away from home without it, the phone notifies me. I think tile has that option but you have to pay a monthly fee.

[@Jopn83]

Interesting. Thank you

[@3DJapan]

Samsung has had them for ages. Since before apple copied it.

[@LaDiables]

The Moto Tags also allegedly have UWB support

[@nicholaschai4458]

i bought the tile and its sucks not sure bout this

[@MrEric377]

I like the samsung tags. Not only did I buy 2 for a vacation last year because of an incident last year, I now keep the tag on my car keys so I don't lose them again. Thanks for the video, though. If you have any updates or find another tracker, please share.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I have one on my dog and it tracks her activity! It's pretty cool

[@erichchan3]

I would get the samsung tags but unfortunately they only work for Samsung devices which is useless to me since I have a Pixel phone. I would like to see all tag trackers to contain UWB and BT 6.0 Channel Sounding.

[@Ender_Wiggin]

Bluetooth is definitely a deal killer

[@99999me1]

Now we need multi network tags.

[@ShannonMorse]

They just updated theirs to work universally!

[@rfitzgerald2004]

What happened to Google and Apple joining forces for a tracker network? I thought that was pretty much complete now? Given the purpose, it's one of the few reasons that both companies should collaborate on

[@Kajehart]

I've been watching Pebblebee with GPS for a while now since being disappointed with Tile with only bluetooth. But I've been hearing the Google network has been kind of disappointing. So, you're quite pleased with it, Shannon?

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I figure in like ten years this technology is going to become interoperable either through a consortium or the EU forcing Apple to make it so.

[@marksmanmerc1]

I highly doubt USB c is possible on the card without it being thick af

[@inc2000glw]

Cut c adapter in half

[@tarickw]

I'd love to see it compared to the samsung smarttags

[@protonme]

I'm curious how your store is still selling ThreatWire merch since you are no longer at Hak5.

[@cymeriandesigns]

Another service for Google to cancel. They've burned me too many times.

[@marble_wraith]

Hmmm... i'll wait for the 2.0 The fact you need cables to charge this stuff instead of just wireless charging is a huge minus. Also why can't we just have 1 device that works with both Apple and Droid... Hopefully the new features of the Bluetooth 6 standard will assist.

[@theMekanik]

It works on iOS as well.

[@hanko498]

Mine doesn't work well at all

[@headerahelix]

Been using Samsung smarttags long before Apple released airtags... 🤷‍♀️ I will say the moment any of these trackers integrate into Home Assistant well is the moment I abandon Samsung trackers.

[@jmr]

Not as well as Airtags. Yet!

[@RonsarLo]

Proprietary is a no go for me.

[@dermotoshea4372]

These are the worst on the market of the current three. Don't work at all.

[@RodVanstone-xq4ze]

Would love you to compare the airtag/pebblebee/tile - i just bought tile for an upcoming trip. I feel like (if you don't have a Samsung phone) tile is the best "air tag" like device. Especially with the security concerns associated with both air tag and googles find my device implementations.

[@brightboxstudio]

I really do not like that proprietary charger. It means the tracker may be out of service until recharged. If the low battery warning happens in the middle of travel, I would prefer not to have to leave a bag untracked for a while just because I need to take out the tracker until it can spend enough hours connected to a charger to fill up again. I’d much rather swap out the battery in 10 seconds and put the tracker back in the bag and continue traveling with no further tracker downtime, which is how AirTags work. The genius of the AirTag battery is that the CR2032 is so common that any store that sells batteries has them. Or you just order them in bulk packs online, saving money.

[@AlenMop]

No uwb. Needs to have its own charger. Yuck. Apple has even higher chance of finding a tracker since the network is better. Clearly no reason to buy this. You can get an old spare iPhone to program air tags in rare cases

[@E-MountainBikerBae]

❤️🧡💛💚💙👽👽👽✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾

[@RichardServello]

Nothing can actually work like an Airtag because Airtags tap into the entire iPhone network to be discovered. Anything on android relies on others owning a very specific product to work. That will bever even come close to using every iPhone around it.

[@kuro68000]

I think you misunderstood the "all networks" setting. You need OTHER people to enable it to have a hope of finding your stuff if it gets lost/stolen.

[@ShannonMorse]

Hmm, I think you misunderstood my video and how I spoke about that feature. However, I didn't go into a ton of detail about those options, so I can understand why you'd perceive it that way. No worries.

[@kuro68000]

@@ShannonMorse quite possible... It's just so frustrating that Google made it work that way by default. After Apple's privacy disaster I can understand them being cautious, but as it is I imagine their partners who made hardware must be pretty upset.