Google today debuted its Find My Device network for Android-based devices. The network works much like Apple’s long-existing “Find My” service that allows Apple users to locate their devices and other users.
The Android Find My Device is available for Android devices running Android 9 or later to track down stolen or lost Android devices and item trackers. Lost Android devices can ping other nearby Android devices via Bluetooth, relaying location information back to its owner.
The network is Bluetooth-based, allowing an Android device that has no WiFi or cellular connection to still relay its location. The Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro can even be located if they are powered down or have a dead battery.
Support for Bluetooth trackers from companies like Chipolo and Pebblebee will be available starting in May, with support for additional Bluetooth tags from eufy, Jio, Motorola, and others being added later this year. The third-party trackers will work the same way Apple’s AirTag trackers do.
Software updates for headphones from JBL, Sony, and others are on the way to allow them to be tracked via the Find My Device network.
Google’s Find My Device app also displays a lost device’s proximity to Nest devices in a home, making it easier to find the lost device. (Google says many lost items or devices are lost at home.)
Users can also share tracking of devices, allowing more than one user to locate it with the app.
Google and Apple have cooperated to prevent iPhone users from being tracked without their knowledge over the Android network, allowing both Apple and Android users to receive alerts if a tracker is located nearby.
