Google has finally improved its location system for Android devices to bring it up to par with that of Apple products.
Deployed in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2024, the Mountain View company’s Find My Device network update includes the following features:
- Offline location using Bluetooth;
- A visual aid to easily locate nearby devices;
- Support for location trackers, including Chipolo and Pebblebee starting in May.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are entitled to an exclusive new feature. Google indeed specifies in its blog post that, thanks to “Pixel specific hardware”, its latest high-end smartphones can now be located when they run out of battery. From the media The VergeGoogle spokesperson Natalie Johnson explained that this is made possible by “a reserve of energy of several hours which is routed to the Bluetooth chip”.
For his part, 9to5Google obtained additional important information from Mountain View: the upcoming arrival of the functionality on smartphones from other brands. “Google tells us that support for this feature is already available [sur les Pixel 8] without the owners needing to do anything. It will work with other OEMs and chipmakers to extend this functionality to high-end Android devices.”.
The precision “top of the line” makes you wonder if Google’s next affordable models will have the right to battery-free localization. A doubt which will be resolved very soon, given that the announcement of the Pixel 8a is expected in May 2024 during Google I/O.