Android Find My Device: what is the new tracker network and how does it work?

Google's Find My Device network for Android devices just got a massive upgrade, with the tech giant's "all-new" system for finding lost devices rolling out worldwide from April 8, starting with the US and Canada.

But wait, didn't Find My Device already exist? Yes, but this upgraded version is a different beast and much more like Apple's powerful, crowdsourced Find My system for iPhones and AirTags.

In short, Google's previous Find My Device service let you find your Android phone, if it was connected to the internet. But the new one will let you locate almost anything, whether it has internet and location capabilities or not.

The new Find My Device network was announced at Google IO 2023, but has now finally started rolling out after Google spent some extra development time working on data privacy and security (and also potentially waiting ...