Motorola's new Moto Tag will help you keep track of important items
Motorola is joining the device-finding game with a new Bluetooth tag.
The tech company on Tuesday announced the new Moto Tag, a Bluetooth tag that's designed to help you keep track of important items. The device works on Google's Find My Device network and is compatible with the vast majority of Android phones. It's also durable, allowing it to withstand dust and dirt. Motorola said that the Moto Tag can also survive in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. Motorola also promised a year of battery life on the Moto Tag and said that the device runs on a CR2032 battery you can easily find at a retail store.
The Moto Tag is joining Apple's AirTags and other devices that aim at helping users keep track of important items. Like the AirTags, the Moto Tag is a small, Bluetooth-enabled tag that can be latched onto just about anything, including keys, bags, or luggage. It's capable of precise location tracking and using the Find My Device app on Android devices, users can easily see at any time where it is within a close proximity.
Android users have been able to track their Android phone location for years, but Google this year launched the Find My Device network to allow for tag tracking of other items. The Find My Device network uses crowdsourcing from a billion Android phones around the world to help pinpoint locations. Users are automatically opted in to the network, though they can opt out if they so choose.
Indeed, Motorola was quick to note that privacy is an important component in the Moto Tag's design. The company said that location data is shared over an entirely encrypted chain from device to device and can alert users when others are tracking the device. Users can also run a manual scan at any time to see how many people are tracking a given tag.
The Moto Tag itself comes with a button that users can push to ring their smartphone and find an item's location. If the device is paired with an Android phone, users can use the button as a remote capture device, allowing them to capture photos without actually interacting with their phones.
Looking ahead, Motorola said that it plans to make the Moto Tag available in select markets "in the coming months." The company didn't say how much the Moto Tag will cost, but considering a single Apple AirTag costs $29, it shouldn't break the bank at launch.