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After Apple and Samsung, Google may also start using Android devices to search for a lost or stolen phone or tablet.
Giuseppe Croce Journalist
Peppe Croce, a journalist since 2008, deals with electronic devices and new technologies used in the automotive world. He joined Libero Tecnologia in 2018.
After Apple, Google is also introducing its search function for lost or stolen devices. As is already the case with the iPhone, iPad and other members of the Cupertino family, Big G decided to develop a custom version of the feature, which could be called “Find My Android”. Users will be able to locate and recover devices managed by the robot’s operating system, new compared to the past.
A very short time after the release, some experts from the XDA Developers site have been working on version 21.24.13 of Google Play Services posted on the beta channel of Mountain View Os. to catch any bugs and get them back working properly before the update is made available to everyone. Although there is no official name yet, in the strings found in the package, the service has been described as “allowing the phone to help locate its own or someone else’s device”.
Find My Android how does it work?
First, it must be admitted that Android already has a similar function. We are talking about what is called “Find My Device” which allows you to track cell phones or tablets registered with your Google account. And it is this limitation that makes the difference to the recent evolution of a bitten apple.
In fact, if for Big G it has until now only been possible to search on devices that it owns or that are associated with its personal profile, Apple has created a real network where anyone can also help find someone’s device that is identified anonymously. But that’s not all, as Apple’s anonymously connected network can also help you find any items connected to the new Apple AirTags.
In such a system, every Android smartphone in the world (and there are over 3 billion) could help find a single missing or stolen device. Such a network could also be used by Google for a possible “Pixel Tag”. For the full picture, Samsung also has a similar function, but the network only consists of other Samsung devices.
Find My Android, when will it be live?
There are currently no clues as to when the feature will be released. As a result, “Find My Android” may not be part of the Release 12 feature, or it may only be present on some phones with over three billion devices (not just smartphones) with a robot OS.
Certainly, if so, Google itself will provide more information on how to introduce the feature. Many wonder if there will be a choice between opt-in and opt-out from the service, a detail that would significantly reduce the number of devices available but would give important support in protecting user privacy: what does the Big G decide to do? All we can do now is wait.
