Review: Pebblebee Clip Universal - and Android "Find My Device" Tracker

Android is belatedly getting a Bluetooth tracker feature which doesn't rely on proprietary apps. Long-time readers will know that back in 2016 I reviewed both the Chipolo and the TinTag. Both of those were adequate at finding things which were in range of your phone, but hopeless at finding lost items - because they required everyone to have a special app installed.

But now, under pressure from Apple's incredible Find My network, Google has started rolling out a similar service to modern Android phones. In theory it should be much better; Android has a higher market share than iOS in most parts of the world I'm interested in visiting. But Apple's monoculture means they can quickly roll out the network to a much higher range of devices than Google.

The Pebblebee "Universal" range works with both Apple and Android's networks. But, crucially, not at the same time. You can reset the device and swap it between your iPhone and Galaxy - but it won't connect to both networks simultaneously.

Hey, remember when Google and Apple collaborated so that Covid tracing apps were interoperable no matter the device? Good times, man! But, y'know, this is just for protecting property, not life. So we'll give them a pass…

This is what the Pebblebee Clip looks like.

It's a fairly unobtrusive small disk. Clip it to a thing with the included clip, hide it in the lining, glue it to a device. The logo is a clickable button which is used for pairing the device, resetting, and checking the battery.

It also comes with a ridiculously short USB-C-to-C cable which can only be used for charging.

Dump it and grab a longer cable from your big box of cables. Total e-Waste, shouldn't have been included.

When you tell the app to make the PebbleBee identify itself, you're rewarded with this display of loud beeps and disco lasers.

The lights are bright and the sound is piercing - especially considering its size. It fits neatly in a hand and is small enough to tuck away in a pocket.

But what's it like to use?

Pros

• USB-C rechargable. No more faffing about trying to find a new battery. No e-Waste. No worrying if it'll last an entire trip. Shove it into to any USB power source and you're good to go.
• Loud beeper. One of the main reasons I got this was that it (reportedly) has the loudest speaker on the market. I can't compare it to others but it is certainly good enough for hearing in a crowded train carriage.
• Lights. The sides light up - handy for giving you a visual cue as to where it is.
• Small, light, and includes a keyring connector.
• You can share trackers between accounts. My wife and I each have a suitcase. We don't just want to know where our own bag is - we both want to know where both bags are.

Cons

The downsides of the device are minimal - depending on your use case.

• Not waterproof. Certainly water resistant - but the USB-C socket is an ingress point for fluids.
• No Ultra Wide Band. That means you don't get a precise direction when looking for something - just the distance. UWB isn't supported on Google's "Find My Device" network right now, so this isn't a great loss.
• No wireless charging.
• Cost. Even in bulk, with a discount, they were £25 each.

Security

Anyone who finds your tracker can factory reset it. I can't help but feel there should be a way to prevent that. But, to be honest, if a thief has found your token they can just throw it away or destroy it.

Firmware updates aren't available in the Google Find My app. So you'll need to use Pebblebee's own app.

The USB-C port is for power only. They don't show up as a device when connected to a computer.

Testing

I wasn't able to connect to the PebbleBee using GrapheneOS - one of the downsides of using a hyper-secure version of Android.

I used a separate phone, but couldn't get the device to pair. I kept getting this message:

I had to go to Setting → Google → Devices → Scan for nearby devices. Only then could I add it to Find My Device.

The FMD service lets you share devices with another Google account. Perfect for families and loved ones! When I tried to use it, I got this error message on the GrapheneOS phone.

That's probably a GrapheneOS issue. But it is dissapointing these sorts of things aren't standardised and baked into the OS.

In terms of tracking - a bit crap. In Gatwick airport - a pretty busy destination - they stayed tracked for a bit after we dropped off our bags. But in less busy destinations, they never pinged the network. They claim a 150m range which ought to several times better than an AirTag. But without a critical mass of Android users opted-in to the network, it is pointless.

Privacy

I'm a bit of a privacy nut. There's no doubt that these can be used to stalk people - but the Find My app is supposed to alert you if it detect a tag following you.

Is having Google and Apple know where all your stuff is a good thing? Well, probably not. But if it is a choice between seeing where a thief has taken my laptop bag and a multinational knowing what train I took, I guess I'm surprisingly OK with it.

Yes, it is a Devil's Bargain. Location is useful for surveillance (be it advertising or police) but it is also useful for personal security. It isn't nice living in a Panopticon but it also isn't nice to lose your expensive possessions.

Verdict

From a tech point of view - they sort of work! BLE is now an established technology and is well supported on all modern phones. Google's "Find My" app is basic, but works at tracking your devices when they're near you. The device is loud, bright, and is quickly recharged.

If you have a phone that support it, they're a reasonable device. At £25 each, they are optimistically priced. Especially given the coverage issues.

And that's the crux of the issue. As of yet, the network simply isn't as expansive as the Apple version. Apple have the ability to push out a service to millions of users, Google don't. While there are more Android users (certainly in my part of the world) there isn't a mechanism to bootstrap this network.

Back in the day when Google was ambitious, they would have stuck sensors all around the country or ran a massive campaign encouraging people to get involved or launched a cool API or given out a million trackers as freebies. But Google is now a timid and cautious shadow of its former self. Everyone in tech half-expects the Find My Device network to join the Google Graveyard like so many other interesting projects.

So, for now, these are great if you're within a few hundred metres of them. And they're barely adequate under any other circumstances.