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| Google is developing a network similar to Apple's Find My |
According to a 9to5Google analysis, Google is turning Android phones into a network that can find lost devices, similar to Apple's Find My Network service.
The network in development is called Spot and it is designed to use your Android phone to find other devices.
Information about this feature is appearing in the new beta version of Google Play Services, and the code shows that the phone can help detect other devices, indicating that it will be easy to find Android phones soon.
At this early stage, it's not clear what (if any) the limitations Spot Networking can address. But if you're looking for a lost phone, it's good to have an advantage.
Google has other projects that involve the use of Android cellular networks, including earthquake detection features.
Although the applications are different, the basic concepts can be very similar.
Google wants to use Android devices:
There are more than 3 billion active Android devices. It's a good source of information whether it's accelerometer data or a poor phone location.
According to the Google support page, the current Find My Device system can find phones that are turned on, have an internet connection, and have location services enabled.
This method is effective in most cases. However, Apple's Find My Network is taking extra steps to allow devices to send Bluetooth signals even when they're offline.
This signal can be captured by any other iOS device for broadcast and location on the cloud. Thus, you can find the lost tools in more situations.
9to5Google has detected a setting that allows users to disable this feature. This makes their phones unable to find other devices.
Spot is connected to the Eddystone protocol, which Google developed in the mid-2010s to send affinity messages.
Around this time, Google invested in creating a physical network that would allow real things to interact with your phone.
Examples include obtaining bus schedules at bus stops, obtaining guides at museums, and free wireless services.
However, these notifications are increasingly being used for spam. In 2018, Google removed the ability for Android phones to receive notifications from nearby devices.
Due to limited information, it is not clear whether the Find My Device network can find content other than mobile phones, such as Apple's Find My network or the Samsung Galaxy Find network.