The Google Find My Device network is active, but it’s not working as expected

What you need to know

In April 2024, Google rolled out the long-awaited Find My Device network for the Android ecosystem.
Now the first wave of Find My Device-powered item trackers is starting to hit the hands of reviewers and buyers.
Early reports indicate that Find My Device is less reliable than Apple’s Find My network, and the reason may be due to Google’s extensive opt-out options.

The best Android phones have a lot of advantages over iPhones, and there aren’t many iOS features that would really make Android users jealous. With that in mind, Apple’s Find My network is certainly something Android users would be a little envious of – and if they weren’t, they should be. The network uses over a billion active devices and works with $29 item trackers (AirTags) to make searching for technology and other items painless. Apple even goes so far as to say that your phone can’t even walk a block without updating its location in Find My.

Google has finally come up with a real answer to Apple’s Find My network with Find My Device. It’s a crowdsourcing network for Android that works similarly to Find My. In fact, Google claims the same thing, that Find My Device covers over a billion active devices. The network was rolled out in April and became more widely available in May. The first wave of item trackers supporting Find My Device is now available.

However, the use of Find My Device so far has not been what Google charges for. Some reviewers have already pointed out that Samsung phones may automatically hibernate the Find My Device app and that Find My Device won’t always find your items. There could be a number of reasons for this, but I suspect it’s because Google is making it too easy for users to opt out of using Find My Device.

We rarely criticize a company for being what it is too protect user privacy, but this may be the case here. Google’s language selection and default settings options make it seem like taking full advantage of Find My Device can compromise your security. The reality is much simpler: you help me find my lost things, and I will help you find yours. Crowdsourcing only works if people agree to it, and so far it doesn’t look like people are buying Find My Device.

Why the Find My Device network doesn’t work as well as Find My

Find my devices list on a colored background

(Photo: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

There are some network accessibility issues with Find My Device which may result in the network not being as robust as Google originally claimed. Even though Find My Device was rolled out widely last month, it’s still not available to everyone. This may go some way to explaining why Find My Device initially had mixed results, but there are more important factors explaining why this is the case.

According to Google’s official support page, there are four options for participating in the Find My Device network, including opting out entirely. Before we even break down each one, that’s probably too many choices. When faced with more than a few setting toggles, regular users are likely to simply turn off a feature rather than sift through complicated explanations for each one.

Another problem is that the default setting is Find My Device With network only in high traffic areas. Therefore, most Find My Device users only participate in places like airports or busy city streets. In other words, most Android users in many places don’t use Find My Device.

Home Find my device sign in Google account on colorful background

(Photo: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

A setting that will really help your crowdsourcing effort is With network in all areas. It also exists No network AND Off options. However, all the settings I mentioned are in the file Find your devices offline website and are not covered Use Find My Device switch. This is because in some cases you can still use Find My Device to locate and delete your devices without having to use a crowdsourcing network. This seems to be a big mistake as users are not encouraged to use Find My Device to its full extent.

If there were a real privacy concern with Find My Device, I would be in favor of extensive customization options, including opt-in and opt-out features. But this is not the case, as Google explains: “Device locations are encrypted and private to Google. Only you and the people you share your devices with in Find My Device will be able to see their locations.”

A bigger problem with tracking personal items is people using trackers to stalk or harm others, which is not covered by Google’s Find My Device crowdsourcing settings. Apple and Google offer a separate set of unwanted tracker detection features to address these concerns. Instead, Find My Device’s privacy settings are designed to avoid the unlikely (and almost impossible) event of your phone participating in the network compromising your location.

This doesn’t make much sense because the user has no way of knowing which Android device contributed to the crowdsourcing effort that provided them with the location of their own device. Even in low-density areas, it’s unclear which person, home, or car updated your device’s location in Find My Device.

Are slim picks really better?

Find My Device remote options

(Photo: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

This hasn’t been a problem with Apple’s Find My network of devices, and that’s because Apple hasn’t overcomplicated things. If you enable Find My, you will have access to all the remote access and search features and in return you will be able to support the crowdsource network. If you turn it off, your devices will not work with Find My and you will lose the benefits of Find My. It’s easy.

I’m concerned that Google is limiting the effectiveness of the Find My Device network in its attempt to appear privacy-minded. An overly complicated settings page may give the impression that there is a reason to be cautious when contributing. Additionally, the default setting will only make the network useful in high-density areas. There are many people who live in or near American cities, but there are also many who do not.

Sometimes too much choice is a bad thing, and that may be the case with Find My Device. This should be simple. Support the Find My Device network and get the benefits, or opt out and don’t do it.