You can use Google’s Find My Device service totrack your lost or stolen Android phones, and while it might get the job done, it is nowhere as good as Apple’s excellent Find My network. Google has been working on some much-needed updates to its device tracking service to make it more robust. This includes borrowing a trick from Apple’s book and developing the Find My Device network. It now appears Google will bring one of the best bits of the Find My network to Pixel phones: offline finding.
Mishaal Rahman, writing forAndroid Authority, details being able to surface a Find My Device dialog on the power-off screen highlighting the offline phone finding functionality. Reliable Google tipster Kuba Wojciechowski was the first toreport about the feature in April this year.
Right now, if a thief turns off your stolen Android phone, there’s not much you can do to track it. This could change once the Find My Device network rolls out with offline tracking support. The feature will enable you to track your Pixel for a few hours after it is powered off. That is only until the Bluetooth chip runs out of battery. But if you act quickly, this should still be good enough to help you track down your stolen device.
you’re able to track iPhones, Apple Watches, and iPads even when powered off. Coupled with Apple’s robust Find My network, finding lost or stolen iOS devices is much easier. So, it is good to see that Google intends to bring the same offline finding functionality to Pixel phones through Find My Device.
Since offline phone finding requires tight integration between hardware and software, it might not be available on some of ourfavorite budget Android devices. Instead, the feature could debut on thePixel 8 seriesand eventually expand to moreflagship Android phones.
Afteryears of rumors, Google formally announced the enhanced Find My Device network at I/O in May this year. The service was to launch soon after, but Google has had to delay its release as it waits for Apple to add a safeguard in iOS for unknown tracking tags. The launch is imminent, though, as Google recently startedrolling out Find My Device v3 with a new app logo. There are multiple references to the Find My Device network in the app’s code, including the ability to share a device’s location with a specific person for up to 24 hours.
With the iPhone 15 and iOS 17 now out, it is possible we could see Google finally announce the release of the Find My Device network alongside the launch of the Pixel 8 series and thePixel Watch 2at its October 4th event.
