Google drops $7 Rope Wristlet as Apple’s $59 strap trend hits

Google just slipped out a $7 Rope Wristlet for Pixel owners, and the timing is impossible to ignore. Days after Apple unveiled a premium Crossbody Strap for iPhone 17, Google’s polyester rope lands as the ultra-cheap, stick-free way to keep your phone on your wrist.

This isn’t a Pixelsnap-style accessory play. It’s a simple plate-and-D-ring that sits between your phone and its case, letting the rope clip on without adhesives. That also means it works with most phones, not just Pixels.

There’s one exception: Pixel Fold owners are out of luck. Foldable cases typically don’t grip all four sides, making the D-ring insert unreliable. Everyone else gets a colorful impulse buy in Blue/Purple, Black/Gray, or Green/Yellow.

Why it matters: phone makers are finally blessing straps and danglers after years of leaving the space to third-parties. Apple’s doing it with a woven, magnet-adjusted crossbody; Google’s doing it with a $7 wrist rope. Different audiences, same idea—don’t drop your phone, and keep it handy for photos.

Core facts

• Release/version/build: Rope Wristlet accessory announced September 17, 2025 (EEST).
• Features/changes: Polyester rope wrist strap; plate + D-ring insert sits between phone and case; no adhesives; wrist carry.
• Availability/regions/devices: Works with most phones/cases; explicitly not compatible with Pixel Fold devices.
• Price/requirements/rollout: $7; three dual-tone colorways (Blue/Purple, Black/Gray, Green/Yellow); available now.
• Source signal: per Google Store listing and contemporaneous coverage; Apple strap details per Apple Store/Product pages and Newsroom brief.

Editor’s take
Google isn’t chasing fashion here—it’s normalizing a behavior. At $7, this is about adoption at scale, not margins. It also complements Pixels’ “ready-to-shoot” camera identity: wrist-dangling beats pocket-fishing when a quick shot appears. Apple’s $59 premium strap sets a style bar; Google’s price sets the volume play. Expect third-party makers to flood the middle with nicer materials under $20.