The odds of locating and finding a lost Android device just improved dramatically.
GoogleGoogle has officially revealed its new and improved Find My Device feature on Android for the U.S. and Canada. It aims to match the utility of Apple’s Find My functionality for Android devices via a similar implementation.
The service relies on a “crowdsourced network of a billion Android devices” to help users pinpoint the current location of an Android device, presuming it’s running Android 9 or later.
Practically, the new update provides Android users with a few key benefits that previously were only available to iOS users.
Android owners can now locate offline devices
The most significant improvement is the ability to locate a lost Android phone, even if it’s offline. Owners can choose to ring the device or locate it on a map via an app. Pixel 8 and Pixel Pro owners can remarkably even find their device if it is powered off or even if the battery is dead thanks to specialized hardware.
Android owners will soon also have their own version of Airtags
Similar to Apple Airtags and other non-Apple-made gadgets that support its Find My Network, a new slew of Bluetooth tracking tags from third-party makers like Chipplo, Pebblebee, and more are also launching in May that will leverage the new network to allow buyers to keep track of anything they’re attached to with a high level of accuracy.
Not only will they show the location of the item on a map, but once you get close, tapping a “Find Nearby” button in the updated Find My App will launch a quasi-radar screen to help you pinpoint the exact location of your item. For items you’ve misplaced in your house, the app can also show the nearest Nest Device to your item, presuming you own Nest Hardware. Finally, you can also share the location of tracked items with others you trust.
How Google is addressing the obvious privacy concerns
Naturally, technology like this begs the question of how it might be used in nefarious hands. Apple is already grappling with issues related to Airtags being used for sketchy purposes out in the wild, which has prompted the company to unveil a new Personal Safety User Guide.
We’re not here to carry water for either tech behemoth, but Google, like Apple, states its Find My Device network is secure by default thanks to end-to-end encryption of location data. According to the company, the way the data is collected also prevents Google from identifying the owners of the devices providing the location information. More information on the network’s security measures can be found here.
Google also partnered with Apple on a new cross-compatible specification to alert device owners about unwanted trackers.
The collaboration allows Google to send automatic alerts if it detects a Bluetooth tracker that belongs to someone else but is traveling with another individual – even if the individual who needs the alert is using an iPhone. Android users can also activate a manual tracker scanning function if they’d prefer not to rely on Google’s automatic system.
