For quite a bit of time, Google has been developing the Find My Device function. For offline Android devices to work properly, they must be able to transmit a signal even when they are not powered on. This indicates that they require particular hardware in order to operate a particular type of Bluetooth controller. It appears that the firm has finally made progress toward using Find My Device offline, despite these challenges.
The ability to utilize Find My Device offline has been noticed by Android code sleuth AssembleDebug for some users of the Google Play Services beta. The offline discovering feature that users are experiencing has four different settings: Off, Without network, With network in high-traffic regions only, and With network everywhere.
The source claims that Google Play Services beta version 24.12.14 may be connected to the installation, however we’re not sure if this is the case because this functionality wasn’t instantly available on the devices we loaded this version on. It seems to be a server-side push, since an Android Police tipster has also reported seeing the new options on Play Services version 24.10.59. The new option may be found under Settings → Security & privacy → Device finders → Find My Device for devices that are capable of enabling the capability.
Mishaal Rahman notes that when the settings became live for these users, no opt-in communication was sent out. It also means that the feature rollout by Google may not be entirely ready. This feature won’t be very helpful in the near future, assuming it works at all, given that the enhanced Find My Device network is anticipated to use opted-in devices to locate and manage offline devices. Additionally, the rollout is restricted and an opt-in prompt hasn’t surfaced.
It is expected that Android 15 will be the first version to fully support the offline Find My Device feature when it officially launches. The required APIs should be included in the app to guarantee that the device’s Bluetooth hardware supports offline location services. Google hasn’t allowed the functionality to lag in its distribution, despite the appearance of it doing so. Actually, UI support for Android has been developed, and the company claims to have been working on it since 2023.
The functionality of Google’s Find My Device network is one obstacle that has to be addressed. Google must find a means to protect its users from unwanted tracking in order for the feature to function as best it can. To this purpose, the business is collaborating with Apple to create a system for informing users about this kind of tracking. Find My Device’s complete functionality will grow closer to being a reality as these components are worked out.