Android Could Steal 1 of iPhone's Best Features - and We're Delighted

Android Could Steal 1 of iPhone's Best Features - and We're Delighted

Google may be developing an Android version of the "Find My Network" found on the best iPhones and other Apple devices; by leveraging the power of the Play service and the vast number of Android phones, Google could come up with an even better solution Google may come up with an even better solution.

While "Find My network" is an interesting concept, and one that makes us a little nervous, it was only a matter of time before Google focused on its own product. But to truly rival Apple's Find My ecosystem, it needs a few pixel tags.

In case you don't know, Find My is a huge network of Apple devices that builds a web of device location information. This means that it can track lost items, such as iPhones and anything with an AirTag attached. So an Android equivalent would be great.

Google already has an excellent "Find My Device" app that allows you to track the last location of your phone when you sign in with another device. This app works well most of the time, even if there is an extra step to activate it. Turning it into something like Find My would help billions of Android users.

XDA Developers found two references to "find_device_network" in the latest Play Services beta version. The string description reads "Allows your phone to help locate your and other people's devices." This theoretically means that having another Android device nearby (such as a friend or family member's phone) would make locating the lost device even easier.

If Google gets its act together, this could be a huge boon. Outside of China, essentially all Android devices run Play Services, so you can see the usefulness here; other than these two strings that XDA found, we know nothing about this Find My equivalent, but perhaps Google may announce it with the Pixel 6 later this year.

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