One of the key marketing points of the Apple AirTag is “Precision Finding,” which shows you the precise location of your tracker beyond what Bluetooth is capable of. That’s accomplished using UWB, but that feature is also missing from the vast majority of Android Find Hub trackers, and there are a few key reasons why.
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Ultra-wideband (UWB) radios in smartphones can be used for a number of functions, but one of the biggest use cases is the ability to precisely calculate the distance between your smartphone and another object. For trackers, that means being able to not only get in the general area of the tracker, but have your smartphone point out the exact distance between you and the tracker and the direction to.
That’s an obvious benefit, of course, but I’ve personally never been all that sold on it. Between AirTags, Galaxy SmartTag, and various Android Find Hub trackers, I never find myself really missing UWB. Why? Firstly, it matters a lot what you’re actually tracking. If it’s a suitcase, backpack, purse, or anything else, Bluetooth is going to get you close enough to find it, where UWB really just has little to no added benefit. UWB only comes in handy with smaller items, like your keys or wallet. But, even then, I’ve largely found Bluetooth to be sufficient, with the chime built into all of these trackers filling any leftover gap in being able to actually find the item.
But that’s just me. Clearly, there’s a vocal audience of people who want UWB in their trackers.
Not a single Android Find Hub tracker launch goes by where we don’t get comments on our coverage here at 9to5Google asking why there’s no UWB support. It happens over and