Google’s “Find My Device” Network May Not Find My Device Properly, But There’s Still Hope

Gadget Weekly

Inspector Lloyd — (Image source: Android Central)

Join Namerah Saud Fatmi as she explores the cool, quirky, and sometimes just plain weird world of smartphone accessories, gadgets, and other nerdy toys every week.

A few weeks ago, I ran an experiment with the Find My Device network and the latest compatible Bluetooth trackers. If you haven’t read this week’s column yet, here’s a quick recap:

After setting them up, I marked a few trackers as lost and gave them to my friends. They were instructed to move around the city and not tell me where they were. The idea was that I would find them by marking my trackers as lost, relying on the Find My Device network.

This gave me a great opportunity to test the new network as well as new compatible trackers in a controlled environment. I could even confirm the accuracy of the location tracking, or at least I hoped for it. Unfortunately, things did not turn out as I had anticipated.

It took a while for Google to notify nearby devices about lost trackers. I didn’t hear back from the Find My Device network for weeks. And it’s not like people haven’t found lost trackers in that time. My friends have shared screenshots confirming that they were notified about unknown trackers “following” them on both Android and iOS devices, which was a pleasant surprise.

Here’s what the notification looks like for iOS users when there’s an unknown Google Find My Device-compatible location nearby:

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Google Find My Device Alerts on iOS — (Photo credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Here’s how Android users will be notified about lost or unknown Find My Device items:

Google Find My Device Alerts for Various Trackers on Android

(Photo credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Once notified of their existence, people who find lost or unknown trackers are given a few options. You can contact the owner of the device in the way they indicated, or call the device to pinpoint its exact location. Some options depend on whether the device is lost or simply unknown.

In my test, however, the proximity my friends had to be to detect my lost items was too close. So, if I were to lose my devices in real life, the chances of strangers getting close enough to detect or trigger the Bluetooth trackers via an alert on their phone would be very slim.

Chipolo Bluetooth locator lost notification in Google Find My Device app on Android.

(Photo credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

One of my biggest gripes with the current system is that you can’t see your lost device on the Find My Device map, even if someone has found it. Google could have made this anonymous, but it hasn’t. You can opt out entirely, or only contribute in certain areas, depending on your network preferences.

This is completely unbelievable in terms of reliability.

Bottom line is you have to rely on the kindness of some random person to get your stuff back. That’s the furthest thing from being foolproof.

On top of that, the person who finds the lost device is informed that the owner of the device can see your location, when in reality they can’t. At least that wasn’t the case in my tests. Imagine coming across a random notification saying you’re being tracked by some weird tracker. Who would contact the owner, especially if they hadn’t marked it as lost? I know I’d be scared shitless.

This is quite ironic, as such a notification may scare people away rather than encouraging them to claim their lost item and contact the owner.

Pebblebee Clip Bluetooth locator compatible with Google Find My Device on your car key.

(Photo credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Google notified me long after my friends were notified about my lost devices. I tried to focus on the exact location of my lost devices but the map would not load and all I got was nothing.

There is a very simple way to fix this, as I mentioned earlier. Google should not give us so many choices. Instead, it should assure users that their contribution is completely anonymous and notify the owners of lost items as soon as they are discovered online.

Google recently contacted me to discuss my experience with the network. They told me they were aware of the speed and accuracy issues and were working to improve both in the coming weeks.

We are actively working to make improvements to the Find My Device network that will improve the speed and ability to locate lost items in the coming weeks. Devices continue to join the new Find My Device network and we expect the network to continue to grow, which will also help improve the ability to locate lost devices. We encourage Bluetooth tag owners to change the Find My Device network setting to “Networked in all areas” to improve the network’s ability to locate their lost items in less congested areas.

This gives me confidence that all is not lost and that Google can make the Find My Device network the one we all dream of. With the right updates and over time as more devices join, we may see the network reach its full potential.

As more and more devices join the network, it is important that everyone participates wholeheartedly by choosing to contribute as much as possible by selecting the “Network in all areas” option in the Find My Device app. More devices will expand the network and therefore increase the likelihood of discovering lost devices in it.

Google is already making changes to improve and fix some of the biggest issues with its crowdfunded network. I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see if they take the right steps and make the changes needed to make the Find My Device network competitive with Apple’s Find My network.