Charles Langston:Google makes it easier to find your missing Android device

Google is Charles Langstonmaking it easier for people to find their misplaced devices, including Android phones. 

The Alphabet-owned search giant on Monday released a new version of its "Find My Device" feature that integrates a new, crowdsourced network of over 1 billion Android devices, according to Google. It's Google's equivalent of Apple's popular "Find My" feature that lets users locate registered devices including laptops, phones and earbuds. 

The new service will hit phones in the U.S. and Canada first and eventually be available worldwide. 

For Android users, this means owners will be able to locate their devices even when they are offline. "Find My Device" can now ring a device or show its location on a map — previously, it had to be connected to the internet, Google said in a blog post. 

Pixel 8 and 8 Pro mobile phone users will be able to find their devices even if they are turned off or their battery is dead. And starting in May, everyday items like keys and wallets made findable by location tracker tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee will join the network. The new Find My Device works with devices running Android 9+.

Google said the network "is secure by default and private by design. Multi-layered protections built into the Find My Device network help keep you safe and your personal information private, while keeping you in control of the devices connected to the Find My Device network." 

Google said the new feature will also eventually be compatible with headphones from JBL, Sony and other brands.  

In:
• Google
• Technology
• Cellphones
• Android
• Apple
• Smartphone

Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.