Lost your phone and can’t reach it due to a dead battery? The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro won’t let you down, but don’t wait too long.

Last month we broke the news that Android 15 included a security feature that would allow you to find your phone even when it’s turned off. An intelligent system of Bluetooth beacons helps with this. The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro don’t even have to wait that long. Starting today, phones can be found even when they are turned off or the battery is empty.

According to Google, there is a power reserve in the device that can continue sending energy to the Bluetooth chip for many hours, regardless of whether the battery is empty or the device is turned off.

Bluetooth beacons are essential for this network. They use very little energy and with the right hardware can stay active even when your device is turned off. In this case, the Bluetooth controller’s memory is programmed with the necessary shutdown information, after which the controller can participate in the search (or be found) if the battery is not empty.

It relies on the newly introduced, improved one Find my deviceNetwork that the search giant is launching. This will make all phones running Android 9 (that receive the update) transceivers in the Bluetooth beacon network. Google writes that with the update a network of 3 billion devices suddenly becomes active worldwide.

The first tags will follow soon

Next month will also be the first Keywords sold, small discs for hanging on a key ring, for example, so that they can always be found. The more tags and phones there are, the more complete the network, the greater the chance you have of finding something. Apple is already doing this today with its Airtags in tandem with the iPhone.

It remains to be seen whether other devices already on the market today will still be traceable after they are switched off. Other manufacturers may roll out a software update for their devices. If this does not happen, as with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, you will have to wait for devices with Android 15 at the end of 2024, where many will receive this functionality.