One of the biggest nightmares that confront us in this technological era is touching your pocket or your bag and not locating our mobile phone at the first touch. The tension increases as we dip our hand into the bag, feeling and discarding objects and nothing, that the damned phone refuses to appear. It is probably one of the moments that gives us the most chills today. But Google has been working on a technology plan that would find lost mobile devices around the world, so from now on we can be calmer.
Imagine if this catastrophic event that we have told you about happens during a trip. You get off the plane and when you go to reach for the phone, it doesn't appear. Be careful that the same terror and the same solution can also be applied to your tablet. Nowadays we live as if we were a kind of gadget inspector and the phone and tablet were an extension of our bodies. But surely the inspector's legs don't shake like we do when we think we've lost our device.
Our documents, our contacts, our emails, thoughts, photos and lives. It's all there, stored on our phones and tablets. And the worst: exposed to prying eyes and God knows what intentions. However, maybe thanks to Google, we can breathe a little easier.
Google's technological plan to track Android devices
At any time your Android device or your Android or Apple smartphone or tablet can be lost. There is no time or place for this to happen. But if it happens in a crowded place such as the subway, an airport or one of these public places where thousands and thousands of people pass through every day, the chances of finding it are reduced almost to nothing.
Google's goal is to minimize this risk of permanent loss of its users' mobile devices and increase the chances of being found. As it could not be otherwise, it will do so through technology, using to its advantage the other devices that are in the area in which the smartphone or tablet in question has disappeared.
The method to track those lost smartphones with the help of Google
The method that Google proposes and that could clearly be quite successful in the search for Android devices is to take advantage of all the number of these in the world, so that through their coverage, the one that has disappeared can be tracked. All mobile phones, tablets or Android devices, in short, that were in the area of ​​the loss, would be activated to locate the location of the lost device.
These Android devices spread around the world would function as a kind of network of antennas through which we can locate the mobile phone or tablet that we do not know where it is.
This method reminds us a lot of the one we already have at our disposal with Find My (in this case from Apple), or to the Samsung network Smartthings Find. But it aims to be a larger project.
In conflict with security and with Apple
The project sounds pretty good and if it helps us find our lost phone or tablet, bless it! Now, let's not clap our hands so quickly, because, for now, the project remains in standby and who knows if, in the end, you will not be able to continue if you do not resolve the conflict you currently have.
The impediment for Google to carry out this heroic act that countless users, among whom we do not know if one day we will be there (hopefully not), is called Apple. We are not very clear if both Google and Apple are friends or enemies, since this depends on the interests that are at stake at any given time. Although it seems that, at this moment, the apple is being a difficult rock to drag for the other giant, Google.
Tracking devices can be a vulnerability, exposing users to being exploited by strangers. This, in the 21st century, cannot be tolerated. And it is the obligation of both companies to guarantee the safety of their users. To this end, the two have jointly designed a plan for which they have agreed to design a specification. The problem is that Apple seems to be in no hurry to launch similar protection on iOS. Once it does, Google will be able to give the green light for the technology plan to be activated and start helping its users track their Android devices when they have lost them.
When will this happen? It's the million dollar question. Well, only then can we check if said plan is really effective or if it needs to improve something, failed or remained a mere promise.
Options to find lost mobile devices
There are already some proposals that you can use to find lost mobile devices. They are the following.
Find My Device Network
For now, what we know is that the system that Google wants to implement is as a Find My Device Network, with an operation very similar to the one that was imposed when we were in the middle of the Covid pandemic. You will remember that app that told you if you had contact with an infected person. Well, this new app works in a similar way, but with the aim of tracking lost devices.
AirTags, from Apple
They are Bluetooth locators that you can place on an object, in this case on your mobile phone or tablet, and they allow you to have them located. They were an Apple creation.
SmartThingsFind
Samsung also added a tracking system to its devices that can be activated in case of loss.
What happens now is that Google wanted to create its own method and do it in a big way. As users, any help is welcome when it comes to finding our mobile or tablet, so we look forward to this plan Google technology will come true.
If you are also interested, we recommend that you pay close attention to the news, because at any moment we could be giving you the good news that the Google's tech plan to find lost mobile devices around the world It is already a reality.