Find My Device trackers activate the network on your device

Google’s Find My Device network has been slow to reach all Android devices, but if you purchase a supported tracker, it will be activated during the initial setup phase on your device.

My colleague Ben Schoon recently described the process of adding a supported tracker to your account. The guide is great if you already have the Find My Device (FMD) network activated on your account. However, I was a little annoyed that I received some trackers but still had no access to FMD.

Still, I decided I might try setting up the latest Chipolo trackers before I leave for the long weekend. Without Find My Device enabled on my Pixel 8 Pro, I expected to be left high and dry with a useless tracker. Instead, the initial setup phase allowed me to connect to the enhanced network and integrate the first wave trackers almost immediately.

Again, none of my Pixel devices received a notification indicating they could access the updated network until this step. Instead, a pop-up confirmed that I would be pairing with my account. Then the “Use responsibly” prompt appeared, in which you agree to the terms of joining the network.

From here you should be able to see all trackers from the Find My Device app. Initially the location was not displayed, but after a few minutes it was updated. I expect this is due to system initialization due to the lack of prior activation on my account.

I’m sure that, like me, many of you are still waiting for the updated Find My Device network to be activated on your account. If you pre-ordered a tracker from Pebblebee or Chipolo and were worried you wouldn’t be able to use it on your devices, this news will certainly take the stress out of waiting for the functionality to finally roll out.

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