14 ms·
Find My Device on Android
- XorNot 3y agoAnd here I am still wanting a damn widget I can put my Android which will "find my phone" my wife's phone, and vice versa without her needing to log into her google account.
- ranguna 3y agoTake a look, maybe this'll help https://f-droid.org/packages/de.nulide.findmydevice/ https://f-droid.org/packages/de.nulide.findmydevice/
- el_duderino 3y agoGoogle posted another blog on how they built the new Find My Device network: https://security.googleblog.com/2024/04/find-my-device-network-security-privacy-protections.html https://security.googleblog.com/2024/04/find-my-device-netwo...
- ryukoposting 3y agoAs a chronic loser of keys and wallets, I recognize the user need here. However, this is a prime example of a piece of software that can only be trusted when an open-source implementation is provided. Google and their customers don't have much to gain through a proprietary implementation. If anything, open-sourcing Find My Device Network would allow third party devices to join the network, enhancing its value to Google's customers. Google emphasizes ad nauseum that this system is extremely private and secure, so third party implementations shouldn't be cause for worry. Governments and various potentially dangerous organizations stand to benefit greatly from a closed implementation for reasons that hardly need explaining. Google makes a lot of lofty claims about E2EE and privacy considerations in that blog post, I'd just like to see them prove it.
- phkahler 3y agoWould an open source version allow anyone to track anyone? The ultimate stalker app...
- cookiengineer 3y ago> Would an open source version allow anyone to track anyone? The ultimate stalker app... An open source version would make absolute no difference on what is trackable. That's the point: transparency is necessary with critical data like this.
- ssl-3 3y agoOpen-source software would allow us to see how that published software handles our data, but it would not allow us to see how the cumulative sum of that data is handled after it is passed over to a central body. Unless, of course: That centralized data store were also open -- perhaps even by using something like DNS -- but then, anyone of sufficient skill would be able to craft an application to see where others' things are. (Unless... E2E encryption for location data, so it can only be understood by those who generate it? Hmm.)
- cookiengineer 3y agoAn open source backend that requires end to end encryption on a per-user-storage basis, while not sharing those keys in the open source client (reference implementation) could effectively prevent third parties from seeing the data. Something like shamir's secret sharing with split up keys effectively making the encrypted data useless, or based on time frames so you can only track the last "epoche" (like the last 24 hours, maybe?) similar to how HOTP/TOTP works could work nicely I'd imagine. At Tholian (my company) we're using team based keys where at least 2 of x keys (the elected lead and co lead) in the team must co-sign a data changing action. It's peer to peer, meaning those peers can find each other and co-sign this without our servers having to store any transaction queue that could be compromised. This way we prevent abuse, and if the feds come knocking on our doors, our users stay protected because without those keys we cannot see what's going on in any of the registered teams. That's how I think it should be like, for any web service that supposedly keeps their privacy promises. If they don't do this, their promises were likely lies and once the root keys or the databases are compromised there's no turning back. Looking at you, cross-tenant keys at Azure. Everyone knows you were and are still lying about the security aspects.
- ddalex 3y agoI love my Tile(s), but since the AirTag and now Android networks now feature the same capability, I feel their model is dead in the water since they don't own the platform and can't compete on the installed base. They should have sold out (edit: to a mobile platform company, either Google or Apple) while they had the chance.
- jsheard 3y agoThey did sell out, they were acquired by Life360 a while ago. edit: I don't think Google would have had much to gain by acquiring Tile, the actual technology is very simple, their moat was just the fact that they had the largest install base of tracking apps on Android. Google could, and did, just rug-pull them by pushing their own network out to every Android device with Play Services (so nearly all of them). The only thing Tile really has going for it now is that their trackers can be used with both Android and iOS simultaneously, if you have devices in both ecosystems.
- accrual 3y agoAgreed. I bought a couple Tiles before AirTags were available. They worked fine, but AirTags are just better in every way.
- foooorsyth 3y agoAirTags are not better in one very important way: they don't prevent theft. They will notify thieves that they are hidden in a valuable item that they are stealing if the thief carries an iPhone. Tile has a feature where you can submit your info and sign some sort of extra contract stating that you won't use your Tile for stalking/illegal activity, and you can actually hide a Tile in your bike frame and it can be used to find your bike if it goes missing. AirTags are useless for this because Apple doesn't want them used for stalking.
- aabhay 3y agoIf you hide the tag in a way that it can’t be removed (locked to the bike etc) then what option does the thief have? They might actually decide not to steal the item!
- jsheard 3y agoFinally, this was announced about a year ago but kept getting held up by the effort to standardize stalker detection across Android and iOS. Seems like they've finally got it figured out.
- Scene_Cast2 3y agoAfter a car break-in, I got myself airtags and an old iPhone. I was really hoping that the rumors of airtag support coming to Android were true.
- imp0cat 3y agoSamsung Smart Tags work quite well for this. The devices are detected by most Samsung devices (so not just phones, also TV sets).
- renewiltord 3y agoGoogle is like store-brand Apple. But their home devices are so much better (but still somehow not ‘good’) that more people have coverage with them rather than HomePod so they’ll get the search assist from there. I’m surprised they can only do proximity, though. AirTags do direction quite well and can sometimes even tell altitude difference.
- jsheard 3y agoDirection requires UWB, which is unfortunately still scarcely supported by Android devices. I believe the only ones which have it are the Pixel Pro models (but not the base Pixels or A-series) and Samsungs S+/SU/Z models (but not the base S models or anything lower end) while the entire iPhone stack has had it since the iPhone 11.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- FredPret 3y agoCurious to know about the home devices. I'd never allow any google hardware a permanent place in my home even if it's amazing, but it's hard to see another major tech co coming up with something better than Apple TV. The Homepod is amazing too. It's stuck with Siri (is this what you mean?) but has fantastic sound that integrates with the TV for movies and Mac when playing music.
- kelnos 3y ago> I'd never allow any google hardware a permanent place in my home The irrational part of me agrees with you, but I already have an Android phone, so the Google Home doesn't really give Google any extra insight into my private life that they don't already have. This is why I don't get it when people are weirded out by a stationary always-on microphone in their homes, when they carry around a mobile, always-on microphone (and tracking device!) in their pockets. (If you also refuse to have an Android phone on these same grounds, then your position seems pretty reasonable, of course.)
- 3y ago
- amluto 3y agoGoogle is quite good at these little screw-you features: > At home protection. If a user has chosen to save their home address in their Google Account, their Android device will also ensure that it does not contribute crowdsourced location reports to the Find My Device network when it is near the user’s home. This is a feature that is fundamentally on-device, and it’s even a privacy feature, but for some reason it requires a Google account.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- e44858 3y agoDoes any part of Find My work without a Google account?
- amluto 3y agoThat’s a fair question — if your phone doesn’t report beacons without a Google account, then requiring a Google account to mask off areas isn’t so bad. But you should still be able to mask off areas without telling Google your home address.
- rickdeckard 3y agoYeah, I was laughing when I saw this. "Come on...tell us where you live. We already know anyway, but it's better if you tell us. It's for your own protection!"
- portify 3y agoDoes it still require the device to be signed into a Google account?
- Scene_Cast2 3y agoWould anyone have details on how Pixels can be found even when out of battery?
- saganus 3y agoIt says they have specialized hardware so I imagine they use some ultra-low power chips and perhaps even a small extra battery?
- CobrastanJorji 3y agoSame question here. I have to assume this would either work by the device sending out a last gasp "I'm about to die" GPS location call home (for finding it when it's far away), or else there's a mostly passive RFID-like thing in the phone that makes it findable by nearby devices (for finding it when it's somewhere in the house/car/office with you).
- wolverine876 3y agoHow much energy would be needed to power a minimal wireless network node, of some sufficient capability, for let's say 1 day? Any IoT devs out there?
- ianburrell 3y agoIf it is using a similar technology to AirTags, then it could broadcast signal for a long time on remaining battery. Even Bluetooth can do months on coin cell battery.
- bigiain 3y agoAirTags get about 12 months on a CR2032 - which is about 200mAhr
- justsomehnguy 3y agoMoto g30 without cell modem but with enabled WiFi easily gets two weeks of the runtime without much of display time. My RAZR MAXX could sit for months on the one charge (with already busted battery) without any cell activity. So if you don't need the display and a hungry wireless tech to keep on constantly you can have enough juice for days, even when the phone is no longer in the power profile to have a full run.
- someplaceguy 3y agoSure. But more importantly, how do I disable this completely?
- SamuelAdams 3y agoFaraday bags are fairly inexpensive. I use these with my car key fobs because my neighbors teenagers discovered key fob amplification attacks.
- someplaceguy 3y agoLet me qualify my question: how do I disable this completely without otherwise losing network connectivity or other features? i.e. how do I opt out of tracking other people and being tracked myself, i.e. without explicit consent?
- otachack 3y agoOne way is to support orgs like EFF that push for policy change to force Google and other powers-that-be to give you fine grain control.
- someplaceguy 3y agoSo you're saying that it's not possible to do what I asked, currently. And judging by the other comments in this thread ATM (with one possible exception), nobody seems to care...
- topherclay 3y agoThese seems like the most interesting thing to come from the post and every time you refresh the comments you will see more people asking about this feature.
- mcsniff 3y agoHow you read "X is an option to try and stop this" as "it's not possible" is about as ridiculous as wanting other people to spoon-feed you a solution. Stop using Google services if you don't want to be tracked by Google tracking services.
- modeless 3y agoWhen will we get precise positioning using UWB? UWB has been in three generations of Pixel phones now and I haven't been able to use it a single time. Not even once. I want a direction finding arrow that points to my lost headphones case or my wife's phone. I want a smart door lock that unlocks automatically when I approach from the outside but not the inside. I want to stop relying on flaky Bluetooth for Tesla's car key. Why are there literally zero products on the market that support UWB on Android as far as I can tell?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- sudosysgen 3y agoI don't see why UWB should have anything to do with the Find My network. It's something the tag manufacturer would add separately. Since UWB range is lower than BLE range, the Find My network would get you close enough and then the manufacturer's app would enable you to use UWB. So the answer is, whenever a manufacturer thinks it's worth including in the tag.
- spants 3y agosamsung have this.
- imp0cat 3y agoThis. Samsung Smart Tags work great, but not all Samsung phones support UWB do do check before you commit to a purchase.
- modeless 3y agoAccording to this article you use Google's "Find My Device" app to find tags, not the manufacturer's app. Google's app needs to support UWB tags and display appropriate direction finding UI. Like Apple's has for years.
- 3y ago
- MarkusWandel 3y agoIronically, yesterday my wife couldn't find her phone while we were at a restaurant. Is it at home? Well, let's try this. Google it, go to http://android.com/find http://android.com/find Ah, but it only shows devices logged into my account. Well, let's log into hers. Which required 2FA from... her device. Sooo useful.
- XargonEnder 3y agoMy wife and I had this exact same sort of situation and now we're both logged into each other's accounts. We never have trouble finding our phones now but it does introduce other problems. Such as not knowing if some sort of security alert is being generated by my spouse and now we have to communicate about it.
- nemothekid 3y agoDoes Android have an equivalent of the "Find my Friends" feature? I assume that would be easier/more secure than logging into each others accounts.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- spurgu 3y agoSeems like that's what was just released.
- nemothekid 3y agoThe article mentions sharing accessories, but not the device. I assumed that maybe sharing the device feature already existed, but judging by GP's comment that doesn't seem to be the case.
- spurgu 3y agoYeah I'm just assuming that it includes devices as well.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- graiz 3y agoSeems like the type of thing that would benefit from a joint iOS/Android W3C protocol between Apple/Google/Samsung. Perhaps a find my Matter device?
- Onavo 3y agoWill Google give up your location to the feds if they issue a broad area geolocation warrant?
- someplaceguy 3y agoEven Google has to comply with warrants. Even secret ones. You should assume the location of your devices will be disclosed whenever the US gov has a plausible reason for requesting it, regardless of which part of the globe you live in.
- hansvm 3y agoPragmatically, the standard for the US having your information is much weaker, but your sentiment is correct.
- kelnos 3y agoSure, and this announcement doesn't change that.
- fsflover 3y agoIt does, since now your location is available even if you switch off your phone.
- wolverine876 3y ago> thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or the battery is dead. This suggests there is separate hardware with its own power and network capabilities, designed for location tracking, designed to be always on. Is there a way to disable it?
- encom 3y agoI was considering a Pixel 8a when it's released, now I'm not so sure. Not really keen on a mobile botnet.
- nolist_policy 3y agoIMHO if you cary around anything that contains a cellular modem you're fair game anyways.
- TheSkyHasEyes 3y agoThe if here is some phones can be turned off and not transmit anything, at all.
- nolist_policy 3y agoModems are usually directly connected to the battery rail, because (so the saying goes) they have high peak power consumption.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Aerbil313 3y agoI once built a cell phone from scratch. They do have high peak power consumption, and I did connect it to the battery rail directly, along with some capacitors to handle the surges.
- 3y ago
- wolverine876 3y agoCan anyone recommend a similar device small enough for eyeglasses? An elderly person I know loses theirs (and it's a significant problem; they are very limited without them, on top of other difficulties of aging). I can find their phone for them remotely, but not their eyeglasses.
- jeffbee 3y agoThis seems like something achievable with the optics that a phone already has. It should be possible to wave your phone around and have it identify your glasses, if they are somewhere in the room.
- ruune 3y agoQuick search gave these. I've never used any of those so I can't recommend one, but I have heard some good stuff about Orbit. Maybe there is someone here who has actual first hand experiences with them? https://findorbit.com/en-eu/products/orbit-x-glasses-eu https://findorbit.com/en-eu/products/orbit-x-glasses-eu https://home.tag8.co/products/dolphin-smart-eye-wear-tracker https://home.tag8.co/products/dolphin-smart-eye-wear-tracker
- prmoustache 3y agohttps://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=glasses+cord&iax=images&ia=images https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=glasses+cord&iax=images&ia=...
- wildrhythms 3y agoLow-tech solution: Maybe they just need some eyeglasses cords?
- add-sub-mul-div 3y agoI've never needed this feature before but if a chance of losing my phone once per decade is the price to pay for not having my phone tracked at all times, then I'm cool with it.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoBeing connected to a mobile network tracks your phone at all times.
- fsflover 3y agoUnless you disconnect from it.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoThat defeats some of the purpose of the phone, which is to be reachable by others.
- fsflover 3y agoYou can disconnect whenever you need privacy.
- nikeee 3y agoThis is not compatible with AirTags in any way, no? Wouldn't this be a great opportunity for a common standard? Or is there one?
- accrual 3y agoI don't know the answer but I agree this tech should be standardized. Over time there will be a massive network of phones and tags capable of finding each other, but it's silly to bifurcate it such that you might not find your device because nobody on the "correct" network is nearby.
- lxgr 3y agoCouldn't agree more – just like it's quite silly to not be able to "AirDrop" a photo to an Android device, even though Bluetooth could do it just fine 20 years ago from a Nokia to an Ericsson or Motorola.
- FateOfNations 3y agoApple and Google have agreed on a standard for the anti-stalking functionality. Everything else is still separate.
- kelnos 3y agoOh sure, it would be a great opportunity, but the idea of Apple voluntarily interoperating with anyone else on most things is just funny to think about. Google isn't significantly better on that metric, of course, but I feel like it's often in Google's business interests to interoperate more often than it is in Apple's.
- MBCook 3y agoYep. They never adopted or pushed USB-C (it was on laptops for years), Thunderbolt, SCSI, USB, Ethernet, HDMI, WiFi, Bluetooth, FireWire…
- lightbritefight 3y ago
- thimkerbell 3y agoThere should be a config seeting. The 2nd time within 2 minutes that your phone is called from [other phone number] it will ring with increasing loudness, regardless of other settings. (Enable/disable)
- kelnos 3y agoThat's fine for the phone, but not for other devices and trackers.
- agilob 3y agoWhen I read the title I thought "NO!" thinking that Google is discontinuing the app.
- m4lvin 3y agoFor anyone looking for a free alternative that works without google play services: https://f-droid.org/packages/de.nulide.findmydevice/ https://f-droid.org/packages/de.nulide.findmydevice/
- kelnos 3y agoThis isn't really what the article is about. This app only does one small piece of what Google is announcing.
- shp0ngle 3y agoAirTags/Find My is THE reason why me and my whole family is on iOS. This is great. I wanted my next phone to be Z Flip since Apple stopped making small iPhones (and no foldables in sight), but reliance on Find My stopped me. This is great
- bityard 3y agoYou may want to watch some videos on the longevity of foldable screens, consensus is that they still don't hold up over time and become especially brittle after being exposed to cooler temperatures.
- MBCook 3y agoI can’t imagine anyone, even Apple, solving the issues of the screen being perfectly flat at the hinge. I don’t think it can be made to feel the same as the rest of the screen or have no visual difference either. And I like my iPhone. If it was twice as thick and half as tall when folded, I just don’t see that as “better”. If it was the same thickness as today when folded and half as thick when unfolded I’m not sure that’s better either (and would be harder to make anyway). Folding phones seem like one of those neat things that can be made but don’t solve any problem most people have. It seems like it would be most useful to make something the size of a lipstick case that unfolds into something a bit wider. That would’ve been cool 20 years ago. But I don’t wanna phone that tiny these days.
- shp0ngle 3y agoWell they do solve problem for me - I want a small phone, flip is. I like my iPhone Mini but apparently most people didn't.
- MBCook 3y agoI’m really surprised this took 3 years after AirTags. Especially since AirTags have been rumored to launch for a very long time before that, and it was a surprise to people that they seemed to be done and just not available (IIRC).
- neurostimulant 3y agoGoogle decided to delay the release until apple updated their unknown tracker alert to support google's bluetooth tracking devices. Not sure why, but it took one year for apple to implement the support.
- MBCook 3y agoSeems odd. Unless that was going to require hardware changes I don’t see why you’d need to delay. That still leaves 2 years past Apple’s long rumored debut.
- kelnos 3y agoAnti-competitive behavior is why. Apple had no need to update their unknown tracker alert software on any particular timescale. And if Google was willing to wait until Apple made that update, Apple could certainly drag their feet and delay Google's launch for a while. Presumably Google would have, eventually, said "ok, enough is enough, we're releasing on X date whether or not you've updated yet". And maybe that's indeed what happened! At that point Apple really would want to finish that update, since not doing so could be a privacy hole for their customers. (The same privacy hole Android users had to deal with in the early days of AirTags when we couldn't detect them.)
- MBCook 3y agoApple not updating Apple software is why Google couldn’t release a Google product for Google phones?
- 3y ago
- MBCook 3y agoCan the Pixel phones do the UWB finding like iPhones can where they tell you it’s 10.7 feet to your left? Or is this more like the older iPhones where it simply tells you if you’re getting closer or further away?
- kelnos 3y agoBased on the mockups and description in the article, it seems like it's the latter, unfortunately. If it did the UWB thing, I'm sure Google would have prominently pointed that out.
- MBCook 3y agoThat’s what I was afraid of. It’s nice that AirTags can tell if they’re at home or whatever. But they got so much better with UWB on the phone for pinpoint locating. Hopefully they’ll add that in the future.
- lxgr 3y agoUWB (at least as used by Apple, i.e. without using angle-of-arrival techniques) only provides precise distance as well. The rest is done on the iPhone using ARKit and trilateration. Since Android supports UWB [1] (depending on the device of course), I don't see why they couldn't support the same feature. [1] https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/uwb https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/uwb
- AlexanderTheGr8 3y agoDoes anyone have a comparison of Airtag vs "Bluetooth tracker tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee"? I imagine Airtag is superior due to non-reliance on Bluetooth? Can Chipolo/Pebblebee tap into the Android network without Bluetooth? And is their tech comparable to Apple's work?
- NoahKAndrews 3y agoAirTag relies on Bluetooth as well, right? It certainly doesn't have a cellular connection.
- bdcravens 3y agoIn addition to BLE, AirTags use UWB. I assume this is how AirTags can provide fairly high-fidelity directional guidance, something that wasn't clear the new set of Android tags provide.
- WinstonSmith84 3y agoMight not be an Android tag limitation rather than a smartphone limitation. Few android smartphones offer UWB, but maybe this will change
- WinstonSmith84 3y agoI can't really see how Airtag can be superior in most places around the world: it's simple, there are many more Android users than iPhone users so the Google network can only be better (if not right now, then over time, give it 12 months...?) This difference is even stronger when you leave EU + US and go to Asia, Central / South America, Africa where iPhone users are not less, but very rare. My use case is clearly to track my hand luggage, wallet, backpack etc. when I travel and I'm a nomad. Gonna wait on reviews but I'm very excited!
- ganarajpr 3y agoThe one thing I want to find is my earpods inside their case. I mean how hard is it to implement this for a company? Take my money please ? Just allow me to find my earpod and its case ?
- ClassyJacket 3y agoYeah, Airpods Pro have this, I'm sure Samsung will follow suit soon
- vineyardmike 3y agoApple supports this for their (newer?) AirPods. You can find either ear piece, and/or the case.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- brunoqc 3y agoI think the pixel pods have it too.
- 23B1 3y agoImpressed that Google was able to follow Apple - only 14 years later. (I know I know)
- fy20 3y agoIs there a technical reason why this can't work with Apple's Find My network, or is it just that they don't want to work together? Using the "Unknown Trackers" feature my Samsung phone can scan for nearby AirTags and tell them to play sounds.
- bevekspldnw 3y agoTypical Apple hiding behind the walled garden to avoid actual competition via users not having any path to switching platforms. The Apple value prop used to be “it all works together”, now it’s “half the shit you spent thousands on won’t work if you leave the island”. The Tim Cook era is great for stock holders, but he’s one of the prime enshittifiers in Silicon Valley.
- HumblyTossed 3y agoAs much as I hate defending them, Apple does license out "Find My" tech, so is this really their fault?
- bevekspldnw 3y agoYes, but the entire MFi program is just a consumer tax paid to Apple. It’s an extortion racket.
- GaryNumanVevo 3y agoIs it a "walled garden" or is it an "extortion racket" then?
- bevekspldnw 3y agoThe first is the mechanism for the second.
- cbeach 3y agoIf we were to force all new technologies to be interoperable with all technologies from all possible competitors we’d create a Kafkaesque nightmare for innovators and particularly early stage startups.
- rickdeckard 3y agoThis is a prime example of the "big-corp issue" of today's tech. In the landscape of 20 years ago this "Find-My" use-case would have already been made an industry-standard, with an Alliance or SIG of the industry controlling a global spec and roadmap. Tech-companies would have proposed a spec, lobbied competitors and other players to join and contribute to an industry standard to make this happen, because no single company was large enough to launch such a multi-disciplinary product all by itself. You would get a wide range of companies joining, reviewing and vetting the specification to create a strong ecosystem for service providers, component makers, device-manufacturers, etc. Now, a few established big corporations happily use those legacy industry standards (WiFi, BT,...), and instead of contributing back to it to make it stronger, they create proprietary products/services on top, ensuring that everyone else is just a petitioner/supplicant.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- newaccount74 3y agoWhat makes me sad about this is how it effectively stops innovation. The barrier to entry is so high, that only a handful companies can launch an item tracker service. And everyone who wants to offer a product in that space needs to play by their rules, they prohibit a lot of use cases. I use a few Chipolo trackers with my iPhone, and I find it infuriating how limited they are. There doesn't seem to be a way to query the data, so I can't eg. make a dashboard that shows location of my items, or make my own app that makes it easier to find my stuff. Every time I look for my keys, it takes me 30 seconds to navigate through Apple's stupid interface, wait for it to update, scroll to the right button, and press the "make sound" button. Without competition we're forever stuck with mediocre software and a fraction of what would be technically possible.
- rickdeckard 3y agoAbsolutely agree. Even worse, I doubt that ANY company can actually compete with such a service. Apple and Google create the tracking-network by baking the capability to scan for trackers into the Smartphone-OS. A competitor first needs to make users install an app to "manually" build this network. There's no company capable to build a global network of equal scale.
- hoseja 3y ago>And thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or the battery is dead. Mask off moment.
- ggm 3y agoWant but also worry digital stalking cannot be avoided.
- ReptileMan 3y ago>Locate your compatible Android phone and tablet by ringing them or viewing their location on a map in the app — even when they’re offline. And thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or the battery is dead. Then they are not really offline or off are they? Bring back removable batteries in the phones.
- smeej 3y agoYeah, I'd like more details about this. If I can use it to find my phone in this state, other people can too.
- justinmarsan 3y agoDoes anyone know of a good way to have an Android phone ring from another Android phone, without sharing all account access ? My wife keeps her phone on silent but loses it multiple times a day. We use the computer to make it ring using Find my Device, but it'd be a lot easier if I could just do it from my phone, which I can if I install the app and then add her Google account to the accounts on my phone, but then I get access (and notified of) all her emails, google photos and stuff like that. Is there an alternative ? Some way to just have both phones agree to sync somehow and then one can make the other ring, regardless of sound settings.
- olabyne 3y agoI'm working on a 3D print + PCB device that turn off/on Airtags periodically. This way, it re-purpose the airtag into a good theft-tracking device (and not just a i-don'know-where-my-keys-are-device). Apple impletemented notifications because a few sktechy people used it to track people. But the downside is it can warn thieves as well. Turning off the Airtag ensure the iphone does not see the device enought to enable warning.
- fkkffdddd 3y agoIn your experience, what is the threshold for detection?
- ivanjermakov 3y agoIs there an open protocol any device makers can use to support this?
- isaac34555 3y ago[flagged]