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Google working on iPhone-like Find My Device feature for Pixel 8
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Google is working on an iPhone-like feature for thePixel 8to help users track down lost or stolen phones, even when the device is powered off.
According to a report from91Mobiles, Google is prepping a feature that would keep the Bluetooth radio active even when the phone has been powered off.
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This, the report says, would enable discovery of the phone and its location using nearby devices and Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology. It’s sounds similar to the‘Find My’ networkApple uses with iPhones, Macs and its dedicated AirTag trackers.
Google is reportedly set to unveil its own version of theAirTagtrackersunder the codename ‘Grogu’, which is presumably a nod to the ‘Baby Yoda’ character from The Mandalorian.
The feature is said to rely on hardware to communicate with the Bluetooth chip in the phone, so it might not be a feature we see trickle down to older phones. Google is said to be working with Android phone manufacturers to encourage adoption for their next smartphones.
The discovery of the feature came from digging around in the Android 14 source code, with one string reading “hardware.google.bluetooth.power_off_finder“.
This would seemingly ensure the phone continued to send power to the Bluetooth chip even when the phone is powered off. Of course, there would still need to be power within the phone to send to the Bluetooth chip, but it’s likely there’ll be enough residual power within the phone to keep the Bluetooth chip discoverable in most cases.
It would likely take plenty of phones to adopt the feature for it to become truly useful, given the Apple version leverages a massive network of hundreds of millions of compatible iPhones.
This is potentially something we could see Google announce as part ofAndroid 14 at Google I/O in Mayand definitely one to keep an eye on.
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Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
