Android Network Find My Device seems to work much better now

The Find My Device network was full of promise, but the Android alternative to the technology behind Apple’s AirTag got off to a rocky start in 2024. Over time, however, it finally seems to be getting better. Do you actually use it?

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After a year of delay, for the benefit of Apple, Google finally activated the Find My Device network for Android in mid-2024. The staged rollout lasted months and left trackers Pebblebee And Chipolo practically worthless. Compared to the AirTag and even Samsung’s Galaxy-only network, Google’s just wasn’t as good as we found it in our testing, and as others have shown similarly.

The main difficulty with the Find My Device network was apparently Google’s privacy-conscious decision to default the network to a “high traffic” status, preventing many Android phones from contributing to the network in more rural areas . Beyond that, Google also designed the network to require two devices to locate the same tracker. Both handsets put the network at a serious disadvantage in the United States, a market dominated by the iPhone, and didn’t really improve the situation internationally.

Google, however, is committed to improving things.

One way this appears to be happening is through the broader use of a message in the Find My Device app that tells users to enable tracking in all areas, not just high-traffic locations. This prompt has been around for a while, but it seems to appear more consistently in recent months on devices that don’t have “low traffic” tracking enabled.

Anecdotally, the network also seems to be working better lately than in the past. Trackers connect faster – perhaps thanks to firmware and app updates – and appear to be located faster. During my trip to Las Vegas for CES 2025 this week, the motorcycle tag in my checked suitcase, I received location updates just as quickly, otherwise faster than the AirTag next to it. This was far from true just a few months ago, and I’m impressed!

I’m sure there have been many behind-the-scenes improvements involved here, although I suspect most of them are simply due to mass adoption and the slow process of getting people to enable “at-home” support. low traffic.”

What do you think? Have you noticed better performance from Find My Device trackers? Have you used them? I wouldn’t blame anyone for throwing in the towel on these trackers – I almost did too – but I’m glad that, months later, things finally seem to be getting a lot better.

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