Last year, Google and Apple announced that they had teamed up to address unwanted tracking by AirTags and other trackers. They were working on a specification appropriate for this purpose. A few months later, Google rolled out unwanted tracker warnings to devices running Android 6.0 and later. They also delayed the rollout of their Find My Device network until Apple implements similar unwanted tracking protections in iOS.
After a long wait, it finally appears that we are almost there. Google has sent out an email to some Android users informing them that the long-awaited Find My Device network is launching in a matter of days.
The email specifically states “in three days,” indicating it may go live this Sunday, or more likely, next Monday, on April 8. The email from Google reads:
With the new Find My Device network, you’ll be able to locate your devices even when they’re offline. You can also find compatible Fast Pair accessories when they are disconnected from your device. These include earbuds, headphones, and trackers that you can attach to your wallet, keys, or bike. You will receive a notification on your Android device when this feature is turned on in 3 days. Until then, you can opt out of the network using Find My Device on the web.
You can choose to opt out of the tracking network’s capabilities ahead of time by visiting this link, which is also shared in the email mentioned above – but it only works if you’ve received such an email from Google yourself. When you select a setting (either leaving the default “Search using the Find My Device network” or opting out), please note that it applies to all Android devices connected to that specific Google Account.
If you’re curious about what prompted this somewhat sudden rollout, it seems iOS 17.5 finally includes the required unwanted tracking protection that was first discussed with Google in 2023. Google’s launch timeline indicates that iOS 17.5 will be released next Monday, so it appears that all the pieces of the puzzle are almost in place.