Android Could Get iPhone-Like 'Find My Device' Feature: How It Works

Android phones in future could see its Find My Device feature get a major overhaul, getting inspired by Apple¡¯s Find My Network.

Reuters

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Some features on the iPhones and iOS put them in an entirely different class where Android just can¡¯t compete. One of those features is the Find My network.

How does Apple Find My Network work?

In case you didn¡¯t know Apple¡¯s Find My network is a community of Apple devices that allow a lost or stolen Apple device to be tracked and located in real-time, even if the device is offline.

It uses Bluetooth wireless technology to detect missing devices nearby, creating a mesh network of sorts, using just the iPhones and reporting their approximate location back to the owner.

Even if the phone isn¡¯t connected to the internet, the device¡¯s Bluetooth connects with other iPhones in the vicinity that update the lost device¡¯s location. And now it seems like Google is bringing this feature to Android.

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Android¡¯s own Find My Device?

People at XDA Developers have deciphered some strings in the most recent Google Play Services Beta that hint Android might be getting its own 'Find My' network. The strings describe ¡®Find My Device Network¡¯ as a service that ¡°allows your phone to help locate your and other people¡¯s devices.¡±

XDA Developers

In case you were wondering that Android already has a Find My Device feature, and you¡¯re right. However, it only works if the device is online. It doesn¡¯t have crowdsourced encrypted data like the Apple devices.

Also Read: Don't Panic! Here's What You Should Do Before & After You Lose Your Precious Smartphone

And since proportionally, there are so many Android phones in the world, the network could easily and accurately help to locate a lost or stolen device.

We don¡¯t know when this feature will actually go live. Moreover, we don¡¯t know if this would go live as an app update or as a feature update with the newly announced Android 12. Although it would really suck if only Android 12 devices would support it, which would be a handful of devices at launch.

What do you think about the Find My Device network coming to Android? Tell us in the comments below.