Apple AirTag competes against Google's 'Find My Device' tracker

Until now, the AirTag was the top dog on the tracker market after Apple surpassed its competitor Tile. The main reason why AirTags work so reliably is that they can be tracked by any iPhone without having to install an app. Google has been offering a comparable feature for a few weeks now, as the 'Find My Device' network is designed to detect compatible trackers as soon as any Android smartphone comes into range.

As is typical for Google, users have a much larger selection of trackers. However, the rollout of the network has only just begun and this is also evident in practice. Reddit user u/chiselplow compared an Apple AirTag with trackers from Pebblebee to see which network currently works more effectively. To do this, both products were packed in the same box and sent with a parcel service within the USA. While the AirTag was able to provide continuous updates on its current location, Pebblebee's location was first transmitted after eleven hours when the package arrived at a USPS distribution center.

The following day, Apple's AirTag continued to transmit its position while Pebblebee "forgot" its most recent location and instead displayed the tracker as still being at the sender's house. Two days later, the package reached its destination without a single update from the Pebblebee tracker. One of the bigger problems with Google's network is likely to be the fact that users have to activate 'Find My Device' tracking first, while Apple's 'Find My' network is activated by default on iPhones. It will probably be a while before Google can catch up with Apple in this area. Tile, meanwhile, is taking a different approach and is preparing to launch trackers that can be located via satellite.