Google is making it easier for people to find lost devices, including Android phones.
The Alphabet-owned search giant on Monday released a new version of its “Find My Device” feature that integrates a new network with more than a billion Android devices, according to Google. It’s Google’s equivalent of Apple’s popular “Find My” feature, which allows users to locate registered devices including laptops, phones and headphones.
The new service will first appear on phones in the US and Canada, and will eventually be available worldwide.
For Android users, this means that owners will be able to locate their devices even when they are offline. “Find My Device” can now ring the device or show its location on a map — previously it had to be connected to the Internet, Google said in a blog post.
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro users will be able to find their devices even if they’re turned off or the battery is dead. And starting in May, everyday items like keys and wallets that can be found using location-tracking tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee will join the network. The new Find My Device works with Android 9+ devices.
Google said the network is “secure by default and private by design. The multi-layered protections built into the Find My Device network help keep your personal information secure and private while keeping you in control of the devices connected to the Find My Device network .”
Google said the new feature will eventually also be compatible with headphones from JBL, Sony and other brands.
Megan Cerullo
