Security News > 2024 > April > Google rolls out new Find My Device network to Android devices
Google is rolling out an upgraded Find My Device network to Android devices in the United States and Canada, almost one year after it was first unveiled during the Google I/O 2023 conference in May. Users with Android 9 or later can now use the Find My Device application to locate their phones and tablets-even when offline or with dead batteries, if they're Pixel 8 and 8 Pro devices).
The newly upgraded Find My Device network utilizes the Bluetooth proximity of over one billion active Android devices to help locate lost phones and tablets.
"Nearby Android devices participating in the Find My Device network report the location of the Bluetooth tag," said Dave Kleidermacher, Android Security and Privacy VP Engineering.
To make it even faster to find devices you lost around your home, Google's Find My Device app now also displays a lost device's proximity to your home Nest devices for easy reference.
"Multi-layered protections built into the Find My Device network help keep you safe and your personal information private, while keeping you in control of the devices connected to the Find My Device network," said Erik Kay, VP of Engineering.
Google has also added the newly introduced Find My Device network to the Android security vulnerability rewards program to take advantage of Android's global ecosystem of security researchers.