Google wants you to allow the Find My Device Anywhere network to work

Find My Device for Android has been highly anticipated, but so far it has proven to be extremely disappointing. Google says improvements are coming, but it also encourages Android users to enable the Find My Device Everywhere network – here’s how.

Google began rolling out the Find My Device network in April, and AirTag-like trackers began shipping in May. In our experience, trackers work relatively well, especially those from Pebblebee, but the network itself holds them back. There are several factors at play, but one of the biggest issues we noticed was that Google decided to default the Find My Device network to only work in “high-traffic areas,” rather than working all the time.

Now the company is pushing users to change this setting.

In a statement to 9to5Google this week, Google confirmed that improvements to the Find My Device network are coming, but directly encouraged Android users to change settings on their devices to make the Find My Device network work “across the board.”

Google says:

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 find lost items in less trafficked areas.

Doing this is quite simple. By opening the Find My Device app, you can access your network settings by using your profile picture and tapping “Find My Device Settings.” From there, as shown below, you can click “Find your offline devices” and then change the setting to “Networked in all areas.”

The entire process only takes a moment and will allow your Android device to discover devices on your network wherever you go.

However, the impact of this change will only truly be felt when allor at least a whole lot of people will make a change. Currently, Google sets the network to “only in high-traffic areas” for all users, presumably to ensure privacy.

So spread the word! Share this post with other Android users in your life to help them make the same change. If everyone does this, the network will work much better for everyone.

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