Can you use Android tracking devices with your iPhone? What you need to know

Tracking tag manufacturers are starting to develop versions that work with Google’s new Find My Device network. How can you tell which tracker works for Android and which one works with an iPhone? This guide will break it down.

What is Google’s Find My Device network?

Jumping off of the success Apple had with its AirTag network, Google has been working on a very similar project. The Find My Device network is essentially a massive network of Android devices that can securely connect to your tracking tag or card via Bluetooth. That network allows your tag to be found virtually anywhere there is a nearby Android phone, which isn’t unlikely these days.

Individual users can turn off their phone’s ability to connect to the network and help find other devices, though most won’t do that. The network is made up of millions of devices across the world, which creates a good foundation for a new type of tracking tag.

Can a tracker work with both Google and Apple’s location network?

Unfortunately, there is no tracker that can work with both Android devices and iPhones or iPad. Each tracker employs Bluetooth to locate your tracking device, but each method is slightly different. In addition, the Find My app and Google Find My Device app are not interchangeable and offer different tools for each OS.

Because of this, it’s important to find the right tracker for your phone.

How to find the right tracking device

When Google activated the Find My Device network, manufacturers seemingly already had plans to develop additional versions of existing trackers that work with the new network. The problem is that these trackers look almost identical to their Apple Find My-compatible variants, save for a couple of distinct marketing differences.

Take, for instance, the Chipolo One series. There is a Chipolo One Spot and a Chipolo One Point. Fortunately, the Apple Find My version is black and named the “Spot,” while the Google Find My Device network version is white and named the “Point.” That one is less difficult to differentiate.

Pebblebee is another brand that already has a Google Find My Device tracker. The company does add a “for Android” moniker to the end to differentiate, though it can be confusing when looking at the iOS version and ensuring it doesn’t work with Android.

Here’s how to tell the difference: Devices compatible with Google’s Find My Device network have a “Works with Android” banner. If you don’t see the banner, the tracker probably does not work with Android’s new network and will likely work with an iPhone only.

At the time of writing, only two brands utilize the network—Pebblebee and Chipolo. Other manufacturers, like Motorola, are said to be contributing a couple of tracking options soon, though those options have yet to be made available.