Android users have embraced Google’s Find My Device network, and it’s proven to be effective. As far as hardware is concerned, there are still only a handful of trackers available for Google’s FMD network. Google, for some reason, hasn’t developed its own tracker for a network it designed. There are a few reasons why it needs to design a Find My Device Tracker for Pixel.
What is Find My Device?
For the uninitiated, Google’s Find My Device network follows a very familiar recipe to that of Apple’s Find My network, just with more words.
It effectively allows users to track devices and tracking tags across the globe, with one major caveat. The network relies on Android devices like Pixels or Samsung Galaxy phones to be on the lookout for trackers or other lost phones. When a tracker comes within range of an Android device, the location data of that device will be sent to the owner.
Since the network relies on real user location data, the company launched the feature and set it to work only in high-traffic areas as a precaution for the network. Google has emphatically stated that the Find My Device network is E2E encrypted, where neither Google nor the tag owners know what device is responsible for locating the tracker.
Only the Bluetooth tag owner (and those they’ve chosen to share access with) can decrypt and view the tag’s location. With end-to-end encrypted location data, Google cannot decrypt, see, or otherwise use the location data.
There are further safeguards in place to ensure that multiple reports from the same device are overwritten, and how often the owner can request the location of a tag. These rules limit how much the system can be manipulated to capture someone’s location data.
Clearly, users trust the system, or at least prioritize function over privacy. A 9to5Google poll posted last month asked users whether or not they trust Google’s security measures. The goal was to determine whether or not Android devices are out in public with the right network settings enabled, which allows other lost phones and trackers to return a positive ping to the owner.
Over 85% of responses indicated that users have the full-send option enabled, which is the “with all networks in all areas” option. This setting allows your Android device to stay in a constant state of discovery, where, under any network conditions, your device keeps an eye out for nearby trackers.
This is opposed to the “off” or “without network” options, which account for less than 9% of the vote. That option also hinders the network, as it’s a crowdsourced project that relies on roaming devices to pinpoint trackers and lost Android devices. The second most popular option was the “with network in high-traffic areas only,” which surprisingly only took up less than 7% of the vote.
Again, Google states that this device state is safe and neither Google nor the tracker owner will know your device is responsible for the spot.
There’s plenty of room for a Pixel tracker
Only a handful of tracking tags have been introduced to the market since launch. Some are solely compatible with Google’s FMD network, and some are usable with both Google and the competing network from Apple.
So far, there are only four or five true options in the Find My Device space, some from brands we love like Pebblebee, Chipolo, and even Motorola. They all bring different builds, with Motorola’s Moto Tag taking on a very similar profile to Apple’s AirTag. Pebblebee also makes some great universal options that don’t conform to the standard circular tag, including ones for wallets and general use.
So, as strong as the Find My Device network is right now, why hasn’t Google developed a Bluetooth/UWB tracker that fits into the mold of the Pixel lineup?
There’s no reason to assume that Google can’t do it, or devote enough energy to developing a new device that takes up the real estate of a small pebble. After all, Google has already incorporated water droplet shapes into the Pixel Watch and Buds, so it seemingly could use that for something slightly smaller.
It also wouldn’t be unrealistic to think Google hasn’t already drawn up designs for a tracker. The general recipe is already available in what Google offers for its Pixel phones and accessories, and a tracker would likely take much less work to mock up.
That design philosophy would do well to enter the tracker space, likely competing heavily with what’s already on the market.
In reality, though, a Pixel tracker could bring certain features that might be locked away for third-party manufacturers. For instance, it would be nice to see a tracker that utilizes the latest Pixel Watch charger when needed, instead of a cable, to top off. Maybe the tracker incorporates wireless charging instead of pins, and can be reverse-charged wirelessly. A Pixel-branded tracker could even steal Motorola’s remote shutter feature for Google’s phones, though that may come off as gimmicky.
Google may also be able to develop a tracker that incorporates the right internal specs to optimize visibility in high-traffic or even low-network scenarios. After all, it knows the network better than a third-party likely ever could.nice
A complete ecosystem
Pixel phone users often pair a set of Pixel Buds with their phone, so why not a Pixel tracker hooked to a backpack or slipped into a wallet?
That’s the other big reason we want to see a Pixel tracker; Google’s tracker could easily become the top option for many users, considering the underlying ecosystem is a proprietary product.
That isn’t to say that Google’s Find My Device network is closed off. Clearly, other companies are able to develop hardware around a network that’s friendly enough to developers for options to exist and to work well, because they do.
The fact is that Google developed the Find My Device network to be open to product developers who wish to appeal to Android users. The market is still growing, though it will take time for more devices to come to market, similar to Apple’s network. The only difference is that Apple pioneered the network with paired hardware, which Google did not. An addition to Google’s growing ecosystem could be integrated easily into a user’s daily carry without a second thought, and it would ideally be inexpensive enough for users to hop on board.
Truthfully, an FMD tracker isn’t as complicated as another Android phone or Pixel Watch, but we may never see a Pixel-branded tracker from Google. It would certainly be a welcome addition to an already short list of trackers available.
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