Image: © Mojahid Mottakin/Stock.adobe.com
Now rolling out in the US and Canada, the feature will allow users to track their devices – sometimes even if they’re switched off – and other everyday items.
Google has finally launched a Find My Device feature that will allow users to locate their Android smartphones in the same way Apple users can find their lost devices.
In an announcement yesterday (8 April), Google said that Find My Device is rolling out to Android devices around the world – starting with the US and Canada. It will be available on devices running Android 9 and later.
“With a new, crowdsourced network of over a billion Android devices, Find My Device can help you find your misplaced Android devices and everyday items quickly and securely,” Erik Kay, VP of engineering wrote in a blogpost.
Google also announced that, come May, users will be able to locate everyday items like keys, wallets or luggage with Bluetooth tracker tags from tracker manufacturers Chipolo and Pebblebee. Built specifically for the Find My Device network, Google said the tags will be compatible with unknown tracker alerts across Android and iOS to help protect users from unwanted tracking – a concern that was raised after Apple released its AirTags in 2021.
Companies like Eufy, Jio and Motorola will also be releasing Bluetooth tags later this year.
The new Find My Device app has begun rolling out to Android devices around the world. With a new, crowdsourced network of over a billion devices, Find My Device can help you find your misplaced devices and everyday items – quickly and securely. https://t.co/ZrO78OFvUt
— Android (@Android) April 8, 2024
First announced in the Google I/O conference last year, the Find My Device network is the Android equivalent of the Find My app on Apple devices such as the iPhone. The idea is to be able to locate a lost device through an app even when the device is offline and far away.
Thanks to specialised Pixel hardware, Google said that Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or if the battery is dead.
To allay any privacy and security concerns, Google noted that the Find My Device network is “secure by default and private by design” with in-built protections to help keep the user in control of private information and the devices.
“This includes end-to-end encryption of location data as well as aggregated device location reporting, a first-of-its-kind safety feature that provides additional protection against unwanted tracking back to a home or private location,” Kay wrote.
Last week, Google agreed to destroy billions of data records it collected through its private browsing service Incognito on its Chrome browser as part of a “groundbreaking” settlement of a class action lawsuit in the US first brought against it in 2020.
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