Android’s New Find My Device Network is Here; How to Enable it

Apr. 4, 2024

What is the New Find My Device Experience?

We know that the feature was delayed due to Apple but how? Well, Apple has been waiting for DULT (Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers) spec and Unwanted Tracker Alerts to be rolled out in iOS. Google is waiting for Apple to launch it in iOS because tracker tags have been used to stalk people. The company wants to ensure that doesn’t happen.Image Courtesy: Apple

Fast forward to today and Apple seems to be rolling out iOS 17.5 Beta (Link once published) which references unwanted tracker alerts and its arrival on iOS. This would finally let Google push its new Find My Device experience to the masses.

Once enabled, if you misplace your device, your phone will send Bluetooth signals to other devices on the Find My Device network. Similarly, your phone acts as a beacon when someone loses their Android device and helps them locate it.

The other devices on the network in the range can receive the signal from the lost device, upload it to Google’s server, and let the owner know the precise location of their Android device even when it’s offline.

The feature is partially active now, and that too on devices enrolled in the Google Play Services beta. Hence, you might not find it. Anyway, the feature is currently unusable as Google has yet to roll out the improved Find My Device app. However, here’s how to enable a part of the feature.

And voila! You’ve enrolled in the new Find My Device experience, albeit one that doesn’t work right now.

That said, you should keep your hopes low as Google could push the release of Find My Device further for whatever reasons. What are your thoughts about the new Find My Experience? Let us know in the comments below.