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Google’s ‘Find My Device’ feature lets you track your phone even when it’s turned off

  • April 6, 2023
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There are things Apple does better than Google. First, the Cupertino-based company allows users to track their iPhone even when it’s turned off, while Google requires the phone

There are things Apple does better than Google. First, the Cupertino-based company allows users to track their iPhone even when it’s turned off, while Google requires the phone to be turned on. That may soon change, as Big G is reportedly working on improving Android’s Find My Device feature and will let you search for a lost or stolen device even if it’s turned off.

As 91Mobiles shared, developer Kuba Wojciechowski found evidence that Google is working on a Find My Device feature that will let you find your device when it’s turned off, similar to what Apple’s Find My app does. The report states that it will be called Pixel Power-off Finder on Google phones.

It looks like Google will build a massive network of all Android devices to implement this feature, including on-demand support or UWB and Google’s own tag codenamed “grogu”. This network can help your lost device connect to other devices via Bluetooth and transmit its location.

According to Wojciechowski, the code reveals a new definition of hardware abstraction layer (HAL) named “hardware.google.bluetooth.power_off_finder”. This definition will include pre-calculated Finger Network keys that are sent to the device’s Bluetooth chip, which keep it active even when the phone is turned off.

However, it looks like only future Pixel 8 phones will be able to support this new feature, as it requires hardware support to keep the Bluetooth chip always on. It is unclear whether current Pixel 7 smartphones have such technology.

Source: Port Altele

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