Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro can’t use UWB for Find Hub trackers

 

Ultra‑Wideband (UWB) is a short‑range radio innovation that, compared to standard Bluetooth following, offers much more exact spatial mindfulness: it can degree the time of flight of a flag, and (in a few gadgets) decide the angle‑of‑arrival (AoA) of a transmitter. This permits a phone to appear you not fair that an thing (tag) is adjacent, but how distant and in which heading. 


CONNECTCX


+3


Android Developers


+3


The Verge


+3




For illustration, in the setting of Android’s Discover Center organize: once UWB bolster is empowered, a consistent tracker + phone combo can grant you a screen interface with separate and directional bolt indicating to the misplaced thing, or maybe than fair a Bluetooth “last seen” area. 


androidauthority.com


+2


CONNECTCX


+2




 What we know almost Pixel 6 Professional and Pixel 7 Professional equipment / UWB support




The Pixel 6 Pro was the to begin with Google phone to incorporate a UWB chip (particularly from Qorvo). 


Qorvo


+2


TechInsights


+2




The Pixel 7 Pro too incorporates UWB equipment (as a “Pro” demonstrate) agreeing to postings of UWB‐enabled gadgets. 


Wikipedia


+1




Google’s engineer documentation (Android Designers location) records UWB back (by means of the Jetpack UWB library) for a category “Pixel Master (6 Pro and more current), Overlay, Tablet” as of January 2025. 


Android Developers


+1




However! The same documentation incorporates a note:




“Background UWB extending is upheld on all gadgets but for the taking after: Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Fold.” 


Android Developers


+1




That implies these two‑models, in spite of having the UWB chip, do not bolster foundation UWB extending — an imperative specialized limitation.




In client gatherings and official bolster strings, numerous proprietors of these gadgets report that whereas UWB flip shows up in settings, the directional/distance “precision finding” with upheld labels essentially doesn’t work. 


Google Help


+1




 What’s lost / why “Find Hub” accuracy finding doesn’t work on 6 Pro / 7 Pro




Putting together the signals:




The tracker environment: The UWB precision‑finding highlight inside Find Hub as it were got to be broadly bolstered in 2025 for Android, when Google declared UWB item‑tracker back (e.g., the Moto “Moto Tag”). 


The Verge


+1




Google’s back page (and other announcing) presently clarifies that accuracy finding through UWB is upheld as it were on Pixel 8 Pro (and more up to date) (and other select UWB phones), not on Pixel 6 Pro or Pixel 7 Pro. 


androidauthority.com


+2


9to5Google


+2




The specialized indicate: The foundation extending restriction (per designer docs) proposes that the 6 Pro and 7 Pro cannot keep up a UWB extending session the way more up to date gadgets can — conceivably due to lost equipment capability (e.g., lost angle‑of‑arrival back, less recieving wires, firmware, calibration, or secure extending profile) or since Google has impaired that include for generally shown models. 


Gadget Hacks


+1




Even in spite of the fact that the phones have UWB equipment, the capacity to back the particular “distance + directional arrow” mode of Find Hub is subordinate on both equipment + firmware + Google’s benefit back — and the documentation clearly shows that back stops at 7 Pro for that feature.




Thus: in spite of the fact that you may have UWB chip and UWB flip, you won’t get the full “precision item‑finding with heading" include of Find Hub on those models. Instep you’ll likely get as it were the more fundamental usefulness: e.g., Bluetooth “last known location”, ring the tag, perhaps UWB extending in restricted settings (or none) but not the full directional bolt interface.




 What you can still do on Pixel 6 Pro / Pixel 7 Pro




While the full “precision finding” highlight is not upheld, you still hold numerous of the standard tracker features:




You can still utilize Bluetooth tracker labels (that are consistent with Find Hub) and get map‑based last‑location, ring the tag, and inform when you move absent. (The fundamental Discover Center highlight set)




Your phone still has a UWB chip, so there may be a few restricted UWB highlights empowered by third‑party apps (e.g., for car‑keys, vicinity opening, other specialty employments) in spite of the fact that Google’s item‑tracking accuracy portion is disabled.




If you don’t require the directional bolt + remove meter, you can still successfully utilize a tracker — fair you won’t have the additional “walk‑toward it with arrow” UI.




It’s too conceivable that future firmware or Google benefit overhauls might grow highlights, but as of current documentation (late 2025) Google has affirmed the restriction. 


9to5Google


+1




 Why this things — and what the suggestions are




For clients who accepted that “UWB chip = precision thing tracking” on the Pixel 6 Pro or 7 Pro, this is a enormous caveat. Here are a few of the implications:




Feature desire hole: At buy you may have seen “UWB included” in specs and expected that you’d have full tracker‑finding capability. That’s not the case for Find Hub exactness finding.




Tag environment constrained besides: The number of UWB‑enabled thing trackers consistent with Android (and with Find Hub) is still little; the best illustration nowadays is the Moto Tag. 


androidauthority.com


+1


 So the esteem of full accuracy UWB depends too on tag availability.




Future resale / buying choices: If you are buying a gadget for item‑tracking accuracy (e.g., as a key tracker, wallet tracker, etc.), at that point it’s worth noticing that Pixel 6 Pro/7 Pro will drop brief. Overhauling to Pixel 8 Pro or comparable UWB‑fully backed phones would be necessary.




Car‑key / other utilize cases: UWB is moreover utilized for car‑keys (advanced car opening) and secure nearness highlights. Indeed if full tracker accuracy is crippled, a few other UWB capacities might still work — but those depend on the vehicle producer and computer program layering.




Software/firmware hazard: Since Google debilitated bolster for 6 Pro/7 Pro for this include, there is chance that upgrades may not alter that; it may be a equipment or certification limitation.




 Why did Google cripple (or not empower) exactness finding on 6 Pro /7 Pro? A few speculation




Google hasn’t freely nitty gritty the correct specialized reason why Pixel 6 Pro and 7 Pro were prohibited from the precision‑finding bolster in spite of having UWB chips. The articles and designer docs imply at a few possibilities:




Lack of foundation UWB extending bolster in those models, agreeing to dev docs. Without foundation extending the “walk toward the tag” UI may get out of hand when the phone screen is off or the session goes foundation. 


Android Developers


+1




Possibly restricted angle‑of‑arrival (AoA) bolster or less radio wires on those models, diminishing directional exactness to a degree that Google chose not to empower the full highlight. (A few reports say that the 6 Pro’s teardown appeared as it were one UWB radio wire transmit way vs. double on competitors) 


TechInsights


+1




Calibration, firmware or security (secure extending) bolster may be lost or less strong on more seasoned equipment, meaning Google may have chosen to empower the include as it were on more up to date Pixel models where the biological system is completely validated.




A business/hardware guide choice: some of the time companies save full include sets for more current models as motivating force for overhaul. That may be portion of the energetic here.




While we don’t have an official novel from Google clarifying the choice, it’s well‑documented (through bolster pages and third‑party investigation) that the restriction exists. 


PhoneArena


+1

Post a Comment

0 Comments