Apple’s AirTags are great for locating small items like keys that are prone to getting misplaced and for tracking the location of stuff like your luggage, car, pet etc. The only issue is that AirTags work only with iPhones. While there are a few trackers that work with Android devices, the accuracy and overall tracking capabilities are iffy. Google does have its own Find My Device network for Android devices, but so far, there were no compatible trackers available officially in India. That changes now, thanks to the JioTag Go. This isn’t Jio’s first rodeo with tracking devices — we tried out its JioTag Air not too long ago, and that itself is a second-gen product. The JioTag Air works on Apple’s Find My network, but the new JioTag Go, priced affordably at Rs 1,499, rides on the back of Google’s Find Device network which can turn any Android phone in the vicinity into a beacon for sharing location info. In short, it can be used by Android smartphone users to track and locate items, in real time. Let’s see how well it works.
Table of Contents
Design and set up
From a design perspective, the new JioTag Go looks the same as its Apple-friendly sibling, the JioTag Air, barring the different pattern on one side. Available in bright yellow, orange, black and white, the tiny tracker is powered by a standard 2032 button cell, and comes with a lanyard and a spare battery in the box.
Jio says the tracker works with any phone running Android 9 and up. To set it up, you need the Google Find Device app, which comes preloaded on most recent Android smartphones. Google’s fast pair is supported of course, so the option to set up the tracker pops up automatically when you bring a new JioTag Go close to an Android phone. Post that, you can proceed to tie it to your Google account, with just takes a couple of steps and a few seconds. You can choose to give it a name that helps identify the item it’ll be attached to (car or bag, for instance) or just continue with the default JioTag Go moniker. And then, the tracker shows up among the list of Android devices you’re signed into.
Features
Tapping on the tracker’s assigned name in the list of your devices in the Find Device app shows its last known location on a map. It also shows you the date and time when it was seen last, as captured by your own paired smartphone or relayed by another Android phone in its vicinity. In the app, you’ll also find options to rename the tag, assign it to a category, and set a ring volume. Tapping on the “Play sound” option in the app makes the tag emit a chime, which can get reasonably loud (rated at 120dB) and help you locate it if it’s close by — say when your keys have slipped inside the side of the couch, for instance.
You can also choose to mark the tracker as lost, in which case an alert pops up on an Android phone that has detected the tag close by, and shows info specified by you… such as your phone number or email. This enables the finder of the tagged item to contact you.
You can even share the JioTag Go with others via the Find Device app, allowing them to also see the location of the tag.
Performance
During my testing, I got the chance to take the JioTag Go with me on a couple of trips, and also used it extensively on a regular basis — placing it in my bag, in my car etc, to see how well it works. While it’s in Bluetooth range, you can use your phone to find it and make it ring… and it works quite well. When it’s out of Bluetooth range, the Find Device can show you its location as detected by other Android phones in the vicinity. It’s not real-time, but it works reasonably well too.
Verdict
For its asking price of Rs 1,499, the JioTag Go can be a worthy investment for most Android users I’d say. We all tend to misplace stuff, and the ability to monitor the location of our kid, pet, luggage, car etc, is good to have. Thanks to the popularity of Android, and the sheer number of Android phones around us, the Google Find Device network is quite strong and can help find the location of the tracker easily. The unknown tracker alert that pops up on phones does make its use case weak for tracking stolen bags or cars, but on the positive side, helps ensure it doesn’t get misused. You’d have to evaluate its usefulness based on your requirements, but I’d say the JioTag Go is a must-have.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Pros
- Compact, capable tracker
- Useful app options
- Long battery life
- Affordable
Cons
- Unknown tracker alert can warn thieves