Summary
Thefirst trackersto support Google’s new Find My Device network all had one blatantly obvious problem: very few Android phones had opted in to the network. This made it essentially useless for finding items, but Google appears to be addressing this shortcoming.
A tracking network is only as powerful as the number of devices it has, and while there are a lot more Android phones than iPhones in the world,Google’s networkhas not been as reliable as Apple’s Find My network. That’s because Apple is more aggressive in getting devices to opt in, which is where Google is focusing its efforts now.
The folks atAndroid Authorityhave spotted hints of upcoming changesin a recent beta release of Google Play Services. It seems Google is preparing to roll out several new ways for devices to enroll in the network automatically. Find My Device already opts you in when you add a Google Account. However, the current language of the prompts seems almost to encourage people to disable it. The new enrollment triggers are a bit more nuanced and persuasive.
First, there’s a string that suggests devices will be automatically enrolled when they turn on Location access. Another string indicates that devices will be automatically enrolled if they use the Find Hub app to “sync recent location” of another device—including Fast Pair accessories. Yet another string suggests that if you stop using one device, a new one will automatically take its place in the network.
All of these changes have one thing in common: Google is trying to make enrollment a more seamless part of the user experience, rather than a one-time decision. Location access is obviously one of the more important privacy permissions, but the Find My Device network is not helpful if no one is opting in to it. Google is clearly hoping more people will make that decision with these new prompts.
You’ll always be able to opt out of the network if you’re concerned about privacy. Still, these new enrollment methods will make it harder to sit on the sidelines accidentally (or intentionally). There’s also a string that indicates Google will be sending an email to explain these new changes, which is something they’ve done in the past as well. With the company’srecent rebrandand focus on making the network faster and more effective, it’s a good bet we’ll see more improvements down the line.
