Finally, what Android users have been waiting for has come when Google officially launches the Find My Device network.
Find My Device is rolling out today and uses a crowdsourced network to help Android device owners find their devices when lost or stolen, much like iOS's Find My network.
Find My Device has officially launched, starting in the US and Canada.
With the new feature, Android users can find their phone even when it's offline by using help from other Android devices that silently relay the phone's approximate location thanks to Bluetooth signals. . If the user's lost device is nearby, they will receive a visual cue in the Find My app as they move closer to it. In particular, Pixel 8 phones also have an additional feature, which is to locate devices even when they are powered off.
Starting in May, Find My Device will also support new Bluetooth tracking tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee so users can use the network to track their wallet or keys. Other compatible cards from Motorola, Jio and Eufy are promised later this year. Just like on iOS, users can share access to their cards with multiple users.
Tracking tags are handy, but if they fall into the wrong hands, they can be abused. With this in mind, Find My Device supports unwanted tracking alerts on Android and iOS, so users will receive notifications if a tracking tag that isn't theirs is moving with them, even if the other person user is using iPhone. The network also limits the number of times a user can receive the location of a tracking tag as an additional effort to deter trackers.
Pixel 8 users can also find their lost device even when it is powered off.
It is known that Google is exploiting many types of utilities to make the Find My Device network more useful. Headphones from JBL and Sony will also receive a software update so they can be located using the network. If a user's item is lost at home and the user has a Nest Hub, they will receive information about the distance between the item and the Nest device.
Find My Device has been upgraded to support devices running Android 9 and above, equivalent to extremely large numbers. The network will be rolled out first in the US and Canada before expanding to Android devices "worldwide".