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Find My Device on Android

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11–20 of 332 posts

Re: Find My Device on Android

#13

Google is like store-brand Apple. But their home devices are so much better (but still somehow not ‘good’) that more people have coverage with them rather than HomePod so they’ll get the search assist from there. I’m surprised they can only do proximity, though. AirTags do direction quite well and can sometimes even tell altitude difference.

Direction requires UWB, which is unfortunately still scarcely supported by Android devices. I believe the only ones which have it are the Pixel Pro models (but not the base Pixels or A-series) and Samsungs S+/SU/Z models (but not the base S models or anything lower end) while the entire iPhone stack has had it since the iPhone 11.

Re: Find My Device on Android

#14
When will we get precise positioning using UWB? UWB has been in three generations of Pixel phones now and I haven't been able to use it a single time. Not even once.

I want a direction finding arrow that points to my lost headphones case or my wife's phone. I want a smart door lock that unlocks automatically when I approach from the outside but not the inside. I want to stop relying on flaky Bluetooth for Tesla's car key. Why are there literally zero products on the market that support UWB on Android as far as I can tell?

Re: Find My Device on Android

#15

Google is like store-brand Apple. But their home devices are so much better (but still somehow not ‘good’) that more people have coverage with them rather than HomePod so they’ll get the search assist from there. I’m surprised they can only do proximity, though. AirTags do direction quite well and can sometimes even tell altitude difference.

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Re: Find My Device on Android

#16
post #3

I love my Tile(s), but since the AirTag and now Android networks now feature the same capability, I feel their model is dead in the water since they don't own the platform and can't compete on the installed base. They should have sold out (edit: to a mobile platform company, either Google or Apple) while they had the chance.

So Airtags work with android now?

Re: Find My Device on Android

#17
post #9

Google is quite good at these little screw-you features: > At home protection. If a user has chosen to save their home address in their Google Account, their Android device will also ensure that it does not contribute crowdsourced location reports to the Find My Device network when it is near the user’s home. This is a feature that is fundamentally on-device, and it’s even a privacy feature, but for some reason it re…

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Re: Find My Device on Android

#18

When will we get precise positioning using UWB? UWB has been in three generations of Pixel phones now and I haven't been able to use it a single time. Not even once. I want a direction finding arrow that points to my lost headphones case or my wife's phone. I want a smart door lock that unlocks automatically when I approach from the outside but not the inside. I want to stop relying on flaky Bluetooth for Tesla's car…

[deleted]

Re: Find My Device on Android

#19
Ironically, yesterday my wife couldn't find her phone while we were at a restaurant. Is it at home? Well, let's try this. Google it, go to http://android.com/find

Ah, but it only shows devices logged into my account. Well, let's log into hers. Which required 2FA from... her device.

Sooo useful.

Re: Find My Device on Android

#20
post #5
post #3

I love my Tile(s), but since the AirTag and now Android networks now feature the same capability, I feel their model is dead in the water since they don't own the platform and can't compete on the installed base. They should have sold out (edit: to a mobile platform company, either Google or Apple) while they had the chance.

Agreed. I bought a couple Tiles before AirTags were available. They worked fine, but AirTags are just better in every way.

AirTags are not better in one very important way: they don't prevent theft. They will notify thieves that they are hidden in a valuable item that they are stealing if the thief carries an iPhone.

Tile has a feature where you can submit your info and sign some sort of extra contract stating that you won't use your Tile for stalking/illegal activity, and you can actually hide a Tile in your bike frame and it can be used to find your bike if it goes missing. AirTags are useless for this because Apple doesn't want them used for stalking.

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