Ask Jerry: Earbuds and Google's Find My Device network

Welcome to Ask Jerry, where we talk about any and all the questions you might have about the smart things in your life. I'm Jerry, and I have spent the better part of my life working with tech. I have a background in engineering and R&D and have been covering Android and Google for the past 15 years.

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Finding a lost earbud case the easy way

Daniel asks:

Hi Jerry,

I'm a Google Pixel user, and I need a recommendation for new wireless earbuds. One thing Airpods have is the ability to locate them using "Find My" - both with the case open and the case closed.

The part about being able to locate them inside the closed case is a key requirement - I'm always leaving my earbuds in a different jacket or pants!

Thank you in advance!!

Hi Daniel! I have good news and bad news to share here. The good news is that there are earbuds that do exactly what you want. Perhaps the best earbuds for what you want with a speaker on the case that will work with or without the buds in place of the lid in any specific position are the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Sony has also updated the WF-1000XM5, WH-1000XM5, and LinkBuds S to support the Find My Device network, although it will only work "during dedicated Classic Audio connection."

The bad news is that your options are pretty slim at the moment, so you don't have a lot to choose from here. There are mixed reports across the internet that the original Pixel Buds Pro work the same way (they didn't for me), but they definitely do not have an external speaker, so that would put a damper on things.

JBL said it would update existing models to be compatible with Google's Find My Device network "soon," but we don't have the full details about when and how they are going to work. The JBL Tour Pro 2 and Tour One M2 are listed on Google's website as having support, so they may be worth checking out. Otherwise, it may be worth waiting for more earbuds to gain support unless you desperately need a new set now.

You've heard the good and the bad news, now how about some "how bad do you want it" news?

Meet the Pebblebee Tag. It's pretty small and kind of expensive but works with Google's Find My Device network and could be attached to an earbud case with some glue or a rubber band if you want to do it. I'm thinking of getting one to stick inside the pouch I carry my IEMs in.

Pebblebee devices work well with Google's network and work with Apple's Find My network, too. This one has a rechargeable battery, so it's not e-waste in six months when the battery dies and you can even save money by buying a four-pack and using one for all kinds of stuff.

I have never touched one, so I can't vouch for them. But the Pebblebee clip works exactly as expected, so I assume these will work, too.

If you're willing to use a Tile, you can buy a Tile Sticker that's even smaller but just as expensive. You will need yet another account on another service to use them, though.

What you want is a perfect reason for a better Find My Device network to exist. I can't wait until every set of headphones or remote has a built-in way to find them after I've used my built-in habit of losing them.

I do think being able to ring an earbud case is going to become the norm, I just have no idea how long that will take.