Android phones can now tell you when you’ve walked off without your keys. Google started rolling out Notify when left behind alerts in Find Hub last week, and Motorola and Chipolo trackers get them too, along with Google’s own hardware.
Apple users have had separation alerts for years. Samsung brought them to Galaxy SmartTags a while back as well. Android got a giant crowd-powered tracking network with no leash attached. Until now.
You’ll have to hunt around before finding the option.
Navigate to Find Hub > select a tag > tap the settings gear. Because toggling is done on a per-device basis, unused tags won’t trigger unwanted panic alerts.
The Home address saved in your Google Account is excused by default. Leave the gym bag by the front door all week and Find Hub won’t say a word.
Moto Tag and Chipolo trackers already show the toggle on version 3.1.787-06 of the app, in the US and parts of Europe. Cross-brand support is the part I care about most. A tracker network only earns its keep when the cheap tags from smaller brands can lean on it as hard as Google’s own.
Google says the alert triggers once you get far enough from the tracker. I still don’t know whether that’s a few steps or a longer walk, and the company hasn’t explained how long the notification takes.
There’s a big difference between leaving a wallet behind at a café and forgetting a backpack on a bus. I can turn around for the wallet. The bus won’t wait for me. Without a clear idea of the alert’s range and response time, I’m left guessing.
Headphones don’t get the option at all. Google’s own Pixel Buds can’t warn you when they’re left on a gym bench, and the company running both the earbuds and the tracker network should find that a little embarrassing.
Google Play services release notes point to more. A new registration flow will let you rename tags and give them category icons like Bike or Wallet. Tap a tag with your phone and upcoming NFC support should pull up its details, or identify a lost one you’ve found. I’m sold on that last one already.