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Android Google

Google Finally Launches Android's 'Find My Device' Network (zdnet.com) 41

Posted by EditorDavid from the finding-phones dept.
This week the new "Find My Device" feature rolled out to Android devices around the world, starting in the U.S. and Canada.

"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," according to a Google blog post. ZDNet explains: Although Google already offers a Find My Device setting on Android phones, the device you're looking for must be powered on and connected for the feature to work. The new Find My Device network is designed to use Bluetooth to track down missing phones and other devices that are disconnected from a Wi-Fi or cellular network. A Powered Off Finding feature would let each device store beacons in its Bluetooth controller's memory, letting the network see any supported device even if it's not connected.
From Google's blog post: Locate your compatible Android phone and tablet by ringing them or viewing their location on a map in the app — even when they're offline. And thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they're powered off or the battery is dead.

Starting in May, you'll be able to locate everyday items like your keys, wallet or luggage with Bluetooth tracker tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee in the Find My Device app.
Google promises "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." Find My Device is available on compatible devices running Android 9 or higher.

In addition, "Sometimes what we're looking for is right under our noses. If you're close to your lost device but need a little extra help tracking it down, a 'Find nearby' button will appear to help you figure out exactly where it's hiding. You'll also be able to use this to find everyday items, like your wallet or keys, when Bluetooth tags launch in May.

"More often than not, we lose everyday items like our keys or phone right at home. So the Find My Device app now shows a lost device's proximity to your home Nest devices, giving you an easy reference point."
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Google Finally Launches Android's 'Find My Device' Network More

Google Finally Launches Android's 'Find My Device' Network

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  • Goodbye Battery (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DewDude ( 537374 ) on Saturday April 13, 2024 @12:50PM (#64391730) Homepage

    Google is forcing bluetooth to be always on for this...so now we have yet another battery draining issue for something some of us don't want to participate in.

    • And here I was, about to post about what I was being forced into and how to get out of it. Thank you for answering the question I hadn't asked yet.

    • Doesn't Apple have the best (by far) such tracking network and the iDevices have WAY better battery life, with smaller batteries? Never mind that Samsung had it just as well since 2020 or so, and they're the top Android seller ... this horse has left the barn and you're quite late to the bickering party.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Apple's tracking network is now second best, because Android has far more devices contributing to it.

        As for battery life, the iPhone 15 has about 85% of the battery capacity of a Pixel 8, but far less than 85% of the features... So take your pick, slightly better battery performance or a slightly bigger battery and a load of features Apple won't let you have.

        It will be interesting to see what happens as the EU forces Apple to open up the iPhone, if adding the features causes a dip in battery life. My guess

      • Apple has always had horrible battery life. I knew someone who refused to even use GPS tracking because his phone wouldn't last the day.

        • "even use GPS tracking" isn't a low power use as you seem to imply, it's expected for the phone not to last the whole day that way. Many phones don't even last a whole day with regular semi-light usage anyway but GPS is surely not that. You might want to have it on for navigation, or if you want to log some track precisely but you use it for a couple hours and that's it; even then that might eat into your battery enough so it doesn't last the whole day.

          • Well maybe don't buy your phone for the "thinness" and you will see that many people can run the GPS for a full day with no issue. I have used my phone for long drive navigation without needing to plug it in. Just another downside of iOS I guess. You have to believe the claims that phones can't run GPS for a day and that it's normal.

    • This feels like the final nail in the coffin to having any semblance of being able to unplug. If you buy an Android phone, someone always will know where that device is.

    • Who is forcing you to participate? I can still disable both Bluetooth and Find my Device on my phone.

    • Re:Goodbye Battery (Score:4, Interesting)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Saturday April 13, 2024 @01:52PM (#64391850) Homepage Journal

      It's not forced on, you can still turn it off.

      It doesn't seem to have any noticeable impact on battery life either. My guess would be because if you have WiFi on it uses the same 2.4GHz radio, which is software defined and requires no extra energy to detect Bluetooth packets. I suppose there must be some extra energy used to store the beacon IDs and upload them, but it's too small to notice on my devices.

      Anyway, even if you don't like the fact that Google released this feature, you need it on anyway to prevent people stalking you with Apple AirTags. Personally I am looking forward to cheaper tags with a bigger choice of form factors.

      • why would you need it on to do that?

      • Do you keep WiFi on all the time? I keep it off even when I am home, mostly due to battery usage concerns, 4g/5g data always on dain battery much slower than WiFi and 4g/5g data speed is good enough for me 99% of the time. Bluetooth? Even rarer gets on, only when I need to connect to a device (usually external speaker/sound system).

    • My last two phones have had easily two days of battery, and I'm talking *economy* phones. Maybe you are buying the wrong phones?

    • Listening for beacons with BLE is so low power that putting your phone in your pocket is going to have a bigger impact on energy use. (Because cellphone radio has to increase transmit power).

    • There's not going to be any difference, because, surprise surprise, turning off Bluetooth on Android actually doesn't turn it off, it just disables any communication over Bluetooth to any app. If you don't believe me, I use MyPhoneExplorer to synch my phone with my Windows work PC outlook, and if I trigger the sync whilst forgetting to turn on Bluetooth on my phone, the display off my phone wakes up anyway. Go ahead and find out for yourself. Yes, Android Bluetooth toggle will not actually turn off the Blue
  • Given Google's track record of introducing stuff then discontinuing it a few years later ... how long will this feature actually be available to us users ?

    • Given Google's track record of introducing stuff then discontinuing it a few years later ... how long will this feature actually be available to us users ?

      It encourages users to have both Bluetooth and internet connectivity turned on, which means that more people are more trackable more of the the time. Given that it compromises users' privacy more effectively, it seems unlikely to me that Google will ever discontinue it.

      • Why I would keep *my* Bluetooth always on so *other* people can easily track *their* devices?

  • Google can now geolocate phones with GPS off (Score:4, Interesting)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Saturday April 13, 2024 @02:35PM (#64391914)
    This means that turning GPS off to obscure your location from advertisers is useless if you don't also turn this feature off, assuming it could be turned off and assuming it would stay turned off.
    • In theory advertisers can't see your phone location if an app / website isn't provided permissions to see your phone location.

      • Yeah, I want to live in Theory, because everything always works there.

        • If they can bypass the permission mechanism, they don't need this "new feature" for advertisers to track you. As said by another comment below, police are locating phones via tower triangulation. You have to place the trust at some point.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by sinij ( 911942 )
            I know they can bypass it but not all the time. I had to turn on GPS while visiting DC to get walking directions on my iPhone, as for some reason my old Garmin was being jammed. Despite not being granted location permissions, Spotify immediately and for a few weeks after server me DC-relevant ads. I wasn't in DC anymore, but as GPS was off it was not updating location.

    • This is true even without "Find My Device." Your phone, even a dumbphone, can be located via tower triangulation. This is how police located the Austin package bomber a few years ago.

  • Android has LONG had a "Find my device" feature, in the Google Play store as "PlanB".

  • Can you turn it off, and if, how?

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