Google's AirTag rival gets a BIG upgrade! Know all about Find My Device feature

Take a glimpse at the upcoming Find My Device feature that can help you locate stolen or lost belongings, as well as Google’s Unknown Tracker alerts that will let you know if an unknown tracker is following you.

Unknown tracker alerts prevent unwanted tracking by BT location trackers. (Google)

Google made several key announcements at its annual developer event Google I/O 2023 with a primary focus on artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, it was revealed that Google was also working on an Apple AirTag rival as well as an advanced upgrade to Find My Device to prevent Bluetooth tracker stalking, with a release date planned for “later this summer”. Currently, Find My Device helps users locate misplaced devices that have location capabilities and are connected to the internet. We finally now have a glimpse of what these new features could look like.

Find My Device

A new logo that resembles other Google logos has popped up on some devices running beta builds of Android, and testers have received emails that their device was found using the new Find My Device network, according to a report by Tech Radar. Moreover, the emails contain a link to a Google Support page which gives a description of the workings of Google's new Find My Device network. At Google I/O 2023, Google announced that the revamped Find My Device feature makes it easier to find misplaced gadgets by ringing compatible devices or viewing their location on a map in the app.

The new network will allow tracking of phones, tablets, earbuds, and Bluetooth trackers by allowing them to ping Android devices around the world, and will offer more accurate tracking than third-party trackers.

Unknown Tracker Alerts

Coming to the issues around unknown Bluetooth tracker stalking, Android tester Mishaal Rahman recently shared screenshots of the interface of the 'Unknown tracker alerts' feature that will alert you if unknown Bluetooth trackers are following you.

Here are some screenshots of Android's soon-to-be-released unknown tracker alerts feature, which alerts you of potentially unwanted tracker tags near you.

Screenshots: @AssembleDebug pic.twitter.com/zoMM8Iw1vp

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 26, 2023

This feature comes after Apple and Google jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking, according to a statement released by Apple.

This will be the first-of-its-kind specification that will not only detect if people are being tracked unwantedly but also issue alerts to iOS and Android users.