Google's Find Hub app for Android now has a 'Notify when left behind' switch for item trackers, showing up for US and European users with Chipolo tags and the Moto Tag in app version 3.1.787-06. Your saved Home address is excluded by default. Headphones and earbuds don't get it yet.
If you carry a Bluetooth tracker on your keys or laptop bag and use an Android phone, open Find Hub and check for a new switch. Google has started adding “Notify when left behind” alerts to item trackers in its Find Hub app, according to 9to5Google and Android Authority. Your phone then pings you when a tag gets separated from it.
What changed and who gets it
9to5Google says it sees the option with Chipolo trackers and the Moto Tag in version 3.1.787-06 of Find Hub for Android, for users in both the US and Europe. Android Authority reports the same: the switch shows up for item trackers and not for other device types. Neither outlet saw it for headphones or earbuds.
Google first listed “Left-Behind Reminders” in its Google Play services release notes in October, 9to5Google says. We found no Google help page describing the feature when this story ran, so treat the list of supported tags as what reporters have seen so far. Pebblebee tags work with Find Hub too, but neither report confirms they get the switch yet.
Two details from the reports:
- Home is excluded by default. Find Hub adds an exception for the Home address saved in your Google Account, according to both outlets, so you won’t get an alert every time you leave your keys on the counter.
- Android only. Both reports describe the feature in the Find Hub app for Android.
Turn it on before your next trip
The switch is per tag, so set it on each tracker you care about:
- Open the Find Hub app and pick a tag.
- Tap the settings gear in the top-right corner of the bottom sheet.
- Turn on Notify when left behind. The description reads “Receive a notification when this tag is separated from your phone.”
If the switch isn’t there, update Find Hub from the Play Store and check again later. The reports describe a rollout that has started, with no schedule from Google.
Put a tag on the things that cost you a workday when they go missing: your laptop bag, your keys, a charger kit or a passport pouch. If you work from coffee shops or coworking spaces, the alert is the difference between turning back at the door and finding out at your next stop.
Android trackers finally match the iPhone’s basic safety net
Apple’s Find My has warned iPhone owners about items left behind for years. Android Authority calls the missing alert “a really obvious oversight” in Find Hub. Some tag makers filled the gap with their own apps, but that meant running a second app for one feature. Now the alert lives in the app that already finds the tag.
That changes the buying math a little. If you passed on Android trackers because only AirTags warned you about a forgotten bag, a Chipolo or Moto Tag now covers that job from Find Hub, at least for the trackers reporters have seen it on. It still doesn’t help with earbuds: if a lost case is your worry, wait for Google to extend the alert to audio devices, which Android Authority expects in a future update. For earbuds that suit travel days, see our guide to earbuds for calls and travel.
I haven’t tested Find Hub’s left-behind alerts.