Pebblebee’s Halo watches my back and my belongings

I live in a part of Los Angeles where I feel safer bringing pepper spray on walks. The problem is, I don’t always remember to bring it with me, and it’s not legal to carry it everywhere I go. Pebblebee’s $59.99 Halo Bluetooth tracker surprised me by being a suitable replacement because it doubles as a siren-equipped personal safety device, and I can bring it anywhere.A quick pull of its cap triggers a bunch of safety features: Its 130dB siren will sound, its LEDs will strobe, and it will automatically alert up to five trusted contacts with text messages (Pebblebee’s Alert Live service shares your location for 24 hours, or as a one-time location snapshot). Alert Live comes free for the first year, after which it costs $24.99 annually. If you choose not to renew, the only features you’ll lose are real-time location sharing and the ability to alert more than one emergency contact at a time.$60The Halo supports both Apple’s Find My network and Google’s Find Hub, just like Pebblebee’s more basic Clip 5, one of our favorite Bluetooth trackers. Tracking performance is very good, though neither offers the precise tracking you’ll get with Apple’s AirTags and other trackers that have an ultra-wideband chip. The difference may not matter to you, or it might matter a lot.Connecting the Halo to Pebblebee’s app took seconds, though it wasn’t as quick to pair with Apple’s Find My network as the company claimed it would be; Pebblebee says five button presses should start the process, but it took several more tries for me. Once it was up and running, it was effortless to incorporate the Halo into my life. It’s bigger than other Bluetooth trackers, but it stays out of the way while it’s clipped to my purse.I used the Halo in a moment of panic during a recent evening walk when I heard some rustling behind me. Its light revealed a very confused, very adorable raccoon in a bush, so I stopped shy of sounding the Halo’s loud siren. False alarm this time, thankfully, but I nevertheless appreciated how effortless it was to feel safer in the moment.You can turn on live location sharing in the app.I’d be glad to have the Halo instead of Pebblebee’s Clip 5 or any other Bluetooth tracker in a scarier scenario. Its bright light and siren could deter a would-be attacker without the possibility of causing harm with pepper spray (or having it turned against me). The Clip 5 requires six presses of its button to trigger a siren, whereas you just grab the Halo and pull it apart. It also makes the Halo easier to recommend for less tech-savvy users, or those with dexterity issues.There’s also a silent alert option, which I appreciate. A blaring siren and flashing strobe might be helpful in some situations, but quietly notifying trusted contacts and sharing your location without drawing attention may be safer in others.Photo: Sheena Vasani / The VergeAt $59.99, the Halo costs almost twice as much as Bluetooth trackers like the Clip 5 or AirTag and even some personal safety devices like She’s Birdie 3.0. But it has a great, easy-to-use design, and offers more features than most of its competitors.I’ll still stick with the AirTag as my primary tracker for things like traveling and tracking down luggage at the airport. And I’ll probably also keep the Halo strapped to my purse since it can do more, including making me feel safer during everyday activities around town. Having two Bluetooth trackers on my person is overkill, but I’d rather have it that way than resort to pepper spray — assuming I don’t forget it at home.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Sheena Vasani