Google wants all Android phones to have Powered Off Finding, so owners can find them even if they got switched off.
Smartphones today have tracking capabilities so you can find them when they’re lost. But there’s a huge weakness: they should be powered on or it gets a bit tricky.
So, what’s Google doing about this big downside? The tech giant is now working with various smartphone brands and SoC manufacturers to deliver a solution from one of its own devices – the Google Pixel 8.
Find My Device lets you track your device as long as it’s connected to the internet. This was upgraded to let you locate your devices even if they’re offline.
But Pixel 8 has the powered-off version where it’s still traceable when offline, turned off, or with a dead battery. So, how’s that going to work on other Android phones?
OEMs just need to figure out how to keep the Bluetooth chip awake even if a phone is turned off. That said, the implementation is possible on upcoming releases while on existing ones, a mystery.
The reason is when an Android device is switched off, there’s no way you can ping its Bluetooth. This is the hardware limitation of Google’s solution. Apple, however, already implemented this feature for quite some time on the iPhone.
Apart from that, a software update must be rolled out to many devices to give them precomputer Finder Network keys for the Bluetooth chip.
But what’s your take in this? Do you think this is so relevant today? If not, what should Google address first?
