How we built the new Find My Device network with user security and privacy in mind
security.googleblog.com
external-link
Posted by Dave Kleidermacher, VP Engineering, Android Security and Privacy Keeping people safe and their data secure and private is a t...

I saw this on infinity for Reddit earlier, I don’t know if there’s a workaround for this or not.

LaggyKar
link
fedilink
368M

Where is that mentioned? I can’t find that in the article

Fredrik
link
fedilink
158M

It’s mentioned in the linked article about Find My Device.

This is what it says

1. Locate offline devices

Locate your compatible Android phone and tablet by ringing them or viewing their location on a map in the app — even when they’re offline. And thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or the battery is dead.

Proteus
link
fedilink
138M

I don’t know that means Bluetooth will be running when the device is off. “Specialized hardware” could mean a full Bluetooth modem on backup power, but more likely it’s means there’s a low power beacon. Would be interesting if anyone does a teardown of the Pixel 8.

For non-Pixel 8 devices, definitely not. I assume “Offline” refers to the case where your device doesn’t have WiFi/LTE, but can still use Bluetooth to communicate with devices that do.

Proteus
link
fedilink
238M

I also couldn’t find a mention, and it definitely does not make sense (and likely isn’t even possible) to run Bluetooth without Android itself running

…which uses a crowdsourced device-locating network to help you find your lost or misplaced devices and belongings quickly – even when they’re offline.

Maybe this line is being misinterpreted?

It’s definitely possible. It may be using specific hardware to do the powered off tasks. Or it never be truly off, a small os running to managing these powered off tasks.

The second is more likely, it’s cheaper and easier. It can also be applied to older devices and requires less integrated design.

The Doctor
link
fedilink
38M

That is why we took our time when designing the new Find My Device, which uses a crowdsourced device-locating network to help you find your lost or misplaced devices and belongings quickly – even when they’re offline.

LaggyKar
link
fedilink
98M

That doesn’t say that. Although the article linked from there does, for Pixels.

And thanks to specialized Pixel hardware, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners will also be able to find their devices if they’re powered off or the battery is dead.

even with a dead battery? how? there must be something ‘turned on’ to send bluetooth signals or is this magic?

lemmyvore
link
fedilink
58M

Not necessarily, there are lots of completely passive beacon technologies. I seem to remember reading a few years ago about beacons powered by Wifi signals.

Obviously you also need other phones to be able to pick up those signals so it might take until phones with Android 15 become commonplace which might take a while. But it’s definitely doable.

I suspect it still draws battery power, but extremely small amounts. Few mah left in the battery could power a BLE beacon for weeks. There would be some limit to this as draining the lithium battery too deeply will damage it.

Create a post

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

  • Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn’t great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
  • Don’t promote proprietary software
  • Try to keep things on topic
  • If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
  • Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
  • Be nice :)

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

  • 0 users online
  • 57 users / day
  • 383 users / week
  • 1.5K users / month
  • 5.7K users / 6 months
  • 1 subscriber
  • 3.11K Posts
  • 78K Comments
  • Modlog