Waiting For UWB In 'Google's Find Hub'

This was just supposed to be about how Google has yet to launch UWB finding and that I’ve gone all-in with the Moto Tag as my tracker of choice, but then “Google’s Find Hub” happened.

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That is currently the name of the app on the Play Store listing. It changed from “Google Find My Device” — which was its own hassle because the name on homescreens was “Find Device” due to length reasons — two weeks ago.

It’s “Find Hub” or “Google Find Hub” everywhere else, including the website (which has the People tab in the navigation rail), android.com, and support documents. There’s one reference to “Google’s Find Hub network,” but it’s otherwise the “Find Hub network.”

Referring to anything as “Google’s” is new for the company, with “by Google” usually being the preferred route as seen with “Phone by Google” and “Files by Google” on the app front. There’s of course “Made by Google” as the overarching hardware family name, while it might still technically be “Wear OS by Google.”

While unwieldy for apps, I can see why the company doesn’t want something called “Google Files” when “Google Drive” exists. However, it should just be “Google Phone” like “Google Messages” at this point.

Maybe “Google’s” is born out of the company not wanting people to think the service is “Google Find” and that the app serves as a centralized “Hub” for it? Only Google knows, but “Google Find Hub” is perfectly fine. We’ll have to see if anything else gets branded “Google’s” in the future.

Anyways, ultra-wide band (UWB) support is not yet available in the Find Hub app. It was announced alongside the name change, with Google saying to expect it in May. As of today, it’s not yet available. The Moto Tag was announced last June and went on sale in August. It’s been a pretty long wait for UWB.

That said, even without UWB, I’ve gone all-in with the Moto Tag after previously using Pebblebee and Chipolo’s latest offering.

I liked that the Pebblebee had a rechargeable battery that’s a bit less tamperproof. Then there was the Chipolo Pop announced in April where the removable coin cell battery technically aids longevity. I liked the various color options it came in, with the blue, red, yellow, and green being pretty Google-y. I had trouble pairing the companion app, but I otherwise liked the compact — albeit large coin — design.

Moto Tags were my most recent purchase in preparation for UWB (1-pack and 4-pack), and this is the design I like the most. For some, built-in holes for keychains are a must, but I don’t have that particular requirement. Size and discretion is ultimately the most important factor for hiding tags in my bags.

I’ve had zero issues with the companion app, which I’d like to think is due to Motorola’s inherent familiarity with Android. The advantage of course is precision finding when it launches. I’d like to think that becomes a standard capability in the future for all Find Hub trackers.