Summary
- Google is developing a stuff-tracking solution called the Finder Network to compete with Apple and Tile’s location-tracking services.
- The updated icon for Google’s Find My Device app features abstract fan-like shapes that represent scanning and pinpointing lost objects.
- The new version of the app could have additional features, including temporarily sharing device locations and editing contact information for accessories.
With most people losing their belongings almost on a regular basis, it’s no surprise that there’s been a sudden surge of Bluetooth tracking devices on the market. Thankfully, tech companies are also building out their own tracking networks. Google is one company that’s been looking into a stuff-tracking solution that uses its massive network of Android devices. When it rolls out, the new Finder network, as it’s aptly called, will expand the platform and bring it more in line with Apple and Tile’s location-tracking services. Ahead of its release, Google seems to have revamped the app’s icon with a more visually appealing look and theme.
As spotted by Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii, version 3.0.046-4 of Find My Device shows off an updated icon wearing Google’s colors, which include shades of blue, green, yellow, and red. We first caught a glimpse of the new icon back in June, when it appeared in a notification you get on your phone when you or someone else looks for a missing device.
It replaces the old green map pin engulfing a phone. Moreover, the new icon is more abstract, with two fan-like shapes that help to convey the idea of scanning and pinpointing. The updated design also looks like radar waves or sonar pings.
This is a fitting change, as the new Find My Device app will soon be able to track more devices, including Bluetooth trackers, apparently. So, in a way, the new icon is a preview of the app’s newfound ability to find things that are lost, with Mishaal Rahman noting that a new button has been added to its interface. The button allows you to mark an item as lost, so you’ll receive notifications once the Finder network locates it.
Google will presumably introduce new features to the app in order to make it easier to find your lost devices. Rahman mentioned a few potential new features for the Find My Device app, such as the ability to temporarily let other people know the location of your device and change the contact information that others can see for your accessories. It sounds like you might also be able to do things like assign categories to your devices, set the ring volume of your device, play a sound on found trackers, and see the battery level of an accessory.
Version 3.0 of the Find My Device app is now available on Google Play, though it is not yet widely available. But if you’re impatient, you can always sideload it from APKMirror.
