It's really annoying when you lose your devices, and it can be expensive too. Code from the latest Google Play Services beta suggests that Google might be working on a rival to Apple's Find My network to help fix this problem.
Google Might Be Working on a Find My Network Rival
The latest beta version of Google Play Services, version 21.24.13, includes code that suggests Google is working on a rival to Apple's Find My network. As first spotted by XDA Developers, lines of code in the beta app reference a 'Find Device network'. There is also a line that reads 'Allows your phone to help locate your and other people’s devices.'
From the code in this beta update, it sounds as though Google might be working on a Find My network rival. At the very least, it seems Google is testing the feature, even if it never gets released. As the app version was beta software, Google may decide not to include the feature in the official update later on.
Currently, users can use Google’s Find My Device feature to recover their lost devices, but this feature has some major drawbacks. Devices need to be powered on, signed in to a Google account you have access to, and have an active internet connection.
How Would Google's Find Device Network Work?
Google's Find Device network will likely work the same way as Apple's Find My network does. A lost Android device with Google Play Services installed would connect to another devices in the background to establish its location.
Looking back at the code, it appears that Google's device-finding network would require users to opt in. This means that users who haven't opted-in won't be able to use the new network to find their lost device, and would have to rely on the existing Find My Device feature.
One advantage Google's device-finding network has over Apple's Find My network, is that there are many more Android devices. At Apple's spring event, the company explained there are over a billion devices on the Find My network. However, there are over three billion active Android devices, three times more devices than Apple's network.
Google Doesn't Want to Leave Users Behind
The idea of Google's rival device-finding network shows that the company doesn't want to leave its users behind. With the new feature set to rival one of Apple's latest releases, Google is proving its ongoing commitment to Android users.