Android adds one of the iPhone’s most requested features: how to find a lost cell phone, even when it’s turned off

One of key features From any cell phone – be it Android or iOS – it is the one that allows it in the event of theft or loss find your location. In recent years, while Apple has improved its tracker, Google has lost ground. Until now: Android has just announced a new research method.

Until now, this feature allowed you to find your device as long as it was turned on. The main new feature is that it is no longer necessary for the smartphone to be turned on: now it is possible to find the phone even when it is turned off.

To do this, your phone must have the necessary hardware to reserve some of them battery level to maintain Bluetooth connectivity even if you no longer have enough to power the device. This battery “reserve” guarantees autonomy of a few hours.

As with iPhones, Android terminals will also have access to a common network which, even if they have no connection or are turned off, will be able to carry out this process in a better way.

The tracking system works anonymously and private and is the same concept offered by Apple’s Find My which is also used with AirTags, but with Android phones instead of the iPhone.

This location information, collected by Google on its blog, it is encrypted end-to-end to protect consumer safety.

Even though it’s several years late, Google didn’t have all its stars lit when it launched this location network, because it had to wait for Apple to implement tracking protection.

This free service will arrive in the United States and Canada first, but Google has announced that it will be rolled out to Android devices around the world, including Argentina, to be part of this collaborative network.

How Android cell phone networking works

According to data from the software manager it is more than billion of devices. Although it is initially compatible with Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro and, in fact, it should already be active for users regardless of the Android version.

Furthermore, all mobile phones running Android 9 or later will contribute information to this location network, being more than enough to generate information on any type of lost device.

Another important fact is that this new network will exponentially improve the way in which a lost device is found. From the Find My Device app itself, you can access a list of all the phones that are registered in your Google account and clicking on each will take you to a more detailed view.

Not everyone has the same possibilities, given that cell phones are capable of ringing, and it is also possible to delete them remotely.

Among the options offered by this update is sharing devices with other people so that they can also locate them more easily to find a device when you are nearby: with a graph showing proximity and directions based on other smart devices like “It’s next” to Google Home.”