Google's Find My Device Network: Challenges and Improvements

Google's Find My Device Network faces rollout issues and technical limitations compared to Apple's Find My, impacting its reliability.

### Google Find My Device: Challenges and Future Improvements
* 🔍  Google's Find My Device, launched in April 2024, utilizes an **encrypted crowdsource network of over a billion Android devices** to help locate lost items, but the rollout has been **slow and plagued with issues**.
* 🍎  Compared to Apple's AirTags, which use both Bluetooth and Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology for precise tracking, Find My Device trackers from brands like Chipolo and Pebblebee only support **Bluetooth**.
* 🔒  Google has implemented various privacy safeguards in its Find My Device network, such as **rate limiting and throttling requests**, but these measures may also contribute to its **performance challenges**.
* 📱  Changing the Find My Device network setting to "**With Network in all areas**" is recommended to improve the network's ability to find lost items, but this change primarily helps **other users find their devices faster**.
* 🏃‍♂️  In an unscientific test comparing an AirTag and a Chipolo tag, the AirTag was found by Apple's network **significantly faster and with greater precision**.
* 💬  According to a Google spokesperson, the company is working to **improve the speed and accuracy of locating lost items** on the Find My Device network, and encourages **more devices to join the network** to enhance its capabilities.
* 🛠️  The fundamental difference between Apple's Find My network, which requires only **one other iOS device to pass by an item to determine its location**, and Google's network, which needs **multiple Android devices to triangulate a location**, poses a **significant challenge for Find My Device**.
* 🌍  As more devices across the world join the Find My Device network, it is hoped that Google will address the current issues and make the network a **reliable solution for finding lost items**.

Google now has a way to find your lost stuff with Find My Device, but the network is off to a bit of a rocky start. Hi, I'm Lexi. Welcome to your weekly dose of all things mobile. Let's get into what Google Find My Device is, how it works, and what Google can do to make it better. Just like Apple's Find My for iOS, Google's Find My Device uses an encrypted crowdsource network of other Android devices to help you find your lost items. Google has always had a way to find your phone using Android Device Manager since 2013, but fast forward to 2024, and we have the overhauled Find My Device Network. It now tracks Android phones and tablets, Wear OS devices like the Pixel Watch, things like the Pixel Buds, some supported headphones like the Sony XM5s, and compatible third-party Bluetooth trackers like Chipolo's One Point and the Pebble B-Clip. Now, in theory, it sounds great. You can leverage over a billion Android devices across the globe running Android 9 or later.

you should definitely be able to find your items, except it's not that simple. Find My Device officially launched in April 2024, starting in the US and Canada, then rolling out across the globe. But it's been staggered and super slow. Here in the US in May, I was able to get on the network through a Google Play services update and then use the Find My Devices app with compatible devices, including this Chipolo tracker. But then in June, weeks later after I'd been on the network already, I got an email from Google saying I'd get a notification on my Android devices when this feature gets turned on. And according to Android Authority, some people in the UK and Japan were actually able to get in earlier, opt into the network in May, which shouldn't have been possible. Color me and many other users pretty confused. Do let me know if you are on the network yet. Roll out issues aside though, this is where we have to talk about Apple's AirTags and how, at least for now, they are way more reliable than the trackers on

Google's Network first as of July 2024. The F my device trackers from Brands like chipolo and pebblebee only support blueooth. Apple's air tags use both Bluetooth and Ultra wideband. This is the technology that helps you pinpoint a precise location and show distance indicators and arrows when you're getting closer to your device as long as your phone also has Ultra wideband. Motorola's Moto tag comes out in August with ultra wideband support yay but here's the rub according to 95 Google Ultra wideband won't be available in the find my device app at launch. Google's next Hardware event is scheduled for August 13th so I'm really hoping one of the things that we'll see is either a Google branded or a pixel tag and for WWB to be standard in the pixel 9 series because right now it's only in the pixel 8 Pro and on some other Flagship Android phones like the Galaxy s24 Ultra. Secondly air tags also have separation alerts called notify.

when left behind find my device trackers currently don't have this. Okay, okay, I know exactly what you're thinking. Separation alerts and UWB support are hopefully pretty easy fixes, and we know at least one tag is coming out with them. But crucially, the difference between Apple and Google here is not the trackers. It's actually how the networks are fundamentally set up. Apple's find my network only needs one other iOS device to pass by an item to be able to determine its location. If that device isn't connected to the internet and comes across a lost item, the item's location is encrypted and passed on from device to device until it gets to one that is connected to the internet, like an iPhone. By contrast, Google's network needs multiple Android devices to pass by, and only then is it able to triangulate a location. This is the default setting, and let's be frank, 99% of people are probably never going to change this or even know that it needs to be changed to help improve device tracking. A few weeks ago, I took an air

tag and a Chipolo 1.2 Pier 39 in San Francisco. In a highly unscientific test, lost both of them in a populated area to see which one was found first. The AirTag was found by the Find My network in 4 minutes, 45 seconds, and then again 5 minutes later. Ah, I got another notification, the keys on AirTag, would see again. Confusingly though, the Chipolo tag on Google's Network never got a notification from Find My device in the 30 minutes that I waited. Now I could see an approximate location on a map, but it was nowhere near as precise as the AirTag. And it's not just me who's had issues with finding lost items. Many other people testing the network have had them too. So how does this all get fixed? In a statement to CET, a Google spokesperson said the company is working to improve both the speed and the ability to locate lost items on its Network in the coming weeks. And quote, Devices are continuing to join the new Find My device Network, and we expect the network to grow, which

will also help improve lost device findability. We encourage Bluetooth tag owners to change their Find My Device network setting to With Network in all areas to help improve the network's ability to find their lost items in lower traffic areas. So, a PSA: go to Security, find my device, find your offline devices, and change that to With Network in all areas, and hope that other Android users out there do the same so you can hopefully find your lost items faster. But here's the catch: changing your setting doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to find your lost devices faster. It's really just helping other people find their lost devices faster, and it's only going to help bring the network closer in functionality to Apple's Find My if lots of other Android users turn this setting on. So, your next question: does changing this setting actually help? So, of course, I had to do another highly unscientific test. This time, I attached the Bluetooth trackers from Apple and Chipolo to a bike and watched as it traveled around San Francisco. The AirTag updated with a

precise location of the bike from point A to you guessed it Pier 39. When the chipolo tag finally updated, it was a few blocks away from where the bike actually was, and I definitely knew it was at Pier 39 overlooking the sea. Li specifically because I was using Garmin's live track system as my control. And before you ask, the person riding the bike was using an Android. Okay, so what about Samsung? Now it has its own Bluetooth tracker called the smart tag that helps you find lost stuff. Samsung's tags are not currently compatible with Google's Network, and they use its own network of Samsung Galaxy phones to find lost stuff, so the pool of available devices is more limited than either Google or Apple's networks. Don't forget Apple's F my network isn't just about iPhones, it's AirPods, iPads, Apple Watches, and third-party devices like Nomad's tracking card. Important to know if you have a Samsung phone and you already have smart tags set up, that's okay because you're actually also a part of Google's F my.

device Network. It operates at the Android system level. Hopefully, all that makes sense. Now you may remember the countless privacy issues that cropped up when air tags rolled out in 2021, and Google has been very careful to try and address concerns with how the find my device network is set up, which is part of why it might not work so well, especially compared to Apple's implementation. Right now, there is an extensive blog post that goes into detail about all of the privacy safeguards in place, but the most interesting one is that it's actually rate limiting and throttling requests. So, it's basically limiting the number of times that an Android device can give the location for a tag, and also limiting how often you can ping that tag for an updated location. Google also waited to start the roll out of its network until Apple had unknown tracker detection baked into iOS 17.5, so I do applaud that. But do we have to trade privacy for an effective network that can track our lost devices? I really hope not, and I am

looking forward to seeing how Google adapts the network to find this balance especially as more devices across the world get on board. Because right now, I know that I'm trusting the AirTag to find my lost keys versus the Find My Device trackers. And I truly, truly hope that in a few months, this whole video is actually obsolete and out of date because Google has gone to hopefully have addressed all of these issues and made the network a reliable way to find your lost devices. Thanks for watching. As always, let me know your experiences with both Google's Find My Device and Apple's Find My, and I will catch you next time. See you. [Music]

Google Find My Device vs Apple Find My: Why Apple Wins (for Now)

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CNET

Google's Find My Device is similar to Apple's Find My, using a crowdsource network to find lost items, but its launch in April 2024 has been slow and staggered, causing confusion for users.

The network is supposed to cover a wide range of Android devices and third-party Bluetooth trackers, but the rollout has been problematic, with some users experiencing delays and inconsistent access.

Despite its potential, the reliability of Google's Find My Device lags behind Apple's AirTags for now.

Google's upcoming hardware event may introduce a new Google or Pixel tag with Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, potentially becoming a standard feature in the Pixel 9 series.

Unlike Apple's find my network, Google's network requires multiple Android devices to pass by for location triangulation, which may be less efficient.

The difference between Apple and Google lies in how their networks are fundamentally set up, with Apple requiring only one iOS device to determine an item's location, while Google needs multiple Android devices for the same.

Separation alerts and UWB support are expected to be addressed in the upcoming find my device trackers, offering potential fixes to the current limitations.

A Comparison of AirTag and Chipolo for Lost Item Tracking

AirTag was found by the Find My network in just 4 minutes and 45 seconds, with a precise location, while the Chipolo tag on Google's Network never received a notification in the 30-minute test.

Google is working to improve the speed and accuracy of its Network for locating lost items in response to issues raised by users and encourages Bluetooth tag owners to change their Find My Device network setting.

Changing the setting to "With Network in all areas" may not necessarily help individuals find their lost devices faster, but it can contribute to improving the overall functionality of the network, especially if adopted by many Android users.

A Comparison of Bluetooth Trackers: Garmin, Samsung, and Apple

The Garmin live track system was used to accurately locate a bike, while the smart tag from Samsung operates on its own network of Galaxy phones.

Apple's Find My network not only works for iPhones but also for other Apple devices and third-party products.

Google's Find My Device network, while addressing privacy concerns with rate limiting and unknown tracker detection, may not be as effective as Apple's implementation.

Google's Network Adaptation for Device Tracking

Google's adaptation of the network is highly anticipated as more devices worldwide come on board for tracking.

The hope is that Google will address issues and make the network a reliable way to find lost devices, potentially making the video obsolete in a few months.

The speaker encourages viewers to share their experiences with Google's Find My Device and Apple's Find My.