Apple’s Find My system is coming to Android

It is thought that Android users will soon gain access to Apple’s Find My network, enabling users on both Apple and Android platforms to find lost and stolen devices and protect against unwanted stalkers.

Apple’s three-year old Find My network isn’t perfect, but it does make it easier for people to track devices, family members, and certain items equipped with Find My support.

There are some problems. It can fail if a device isn’t detectible; law enforcement doesn’t always act when told the location of a stolen device; and stalkers have been known to use these devices to track people who don’t want to be tracked. That last concern should be improved once it is supported by Apple and on Android.

What did Apple and Google promise?

Apple and Google announced plans to work together to deal with unwanted stalkers using tracking services almost a year ago, and agreed to team up on the Find My network.  They promised to develop a draft standard to prevent Bluetooth location-tracking devices from being used without authorization and a draft specification was filed with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) with support from other manufacturers, including Samsung and Tile.

What this means

There are two pillars to this news:

• People attempting to track others without permission using AirTags or other compatibled evices will find it harder to do so, as victims will be warned that tracking is taking place. There have been complaints about this kind of activity since Apple introduced AirTags.
• It also means Android users will be able to track their devices using the Find My network, which will now be able to gather signals from both Android and Apple devices. This should benefit users on both platforms since it means the Find My network itself will grow. At present, it relies only on Apple devices.

How this works

“With the new Find My Device network, you’ll be able to locate your devices even if they’re offline,” an email from the company states. That email also explains how the system can be used to track lots of different compatible devices, and how it works. Android users can opt out of the tracking system if they wish.

Piecing together online reports, the system works like this: If you’re using a compatible device and it detects you are being tracked, you will receive a notification warning you. You’ll also be able to disable the tracker from your device. iPhone users will get this message: “This item isn’t certified on the Apple Find My network. You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item.”

What Google said about Find My

“With the new Find My Device network, you’ll be able to locate your devices even if they’re offline,” an email from Google explains. That email also explains how the system can be used to track lots of different compatible devices, and how it works. Android users can opt out of the tracking system if they wish.

What isn’t yet clear is whether this support will extend across all Android devices or across all devices from all manufacturers, though it seems likely it will be supported by current devices running current iterations of the OS. The feature has been spotted in the wild by Android users running Google Play Services beta 24.12.14.

What happens next?

With almost a year’s work now done, it appears Find My is finally ready for cross platform take-off, with Google contacting some Android users to tell them the network will launch in “days.”

The long wait between last year’s announcement of the system and it becoming a shipping product reflects the deliberate nature of the standard specification process. News of the decision to work together on Find My was followed by a three-month period of review, updates to the original specification, and once that was set, work on the relevant device operating systems.

When will it be available?

Introduction of Find My support on Android might also require Apple’s own devices be updated to support the new specification. That suggests either that Apple will accelerate introduction of iOS 17.5 (unlikely, given that it was only recently made available in beta and is expected in May), or that it may have found some other way to introduce cross-platform support; perhaps it’s already in the system. iOS 17.5 is significant for two more reasons: Not only will it allow EU developers to sell software to iPhone users directly from their websites, but for enterprise users it will make it possible to enforce a beta version during automated device enrolment.

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