When Google announced its Find My Device network during the I/O event earlier this year, it said that it would be launching it widely this summer. But the company now says that it’s delaying that launch - and it’s all Apple’s fault.
The Find My Device network will “will help you locate your missing belongings like headphones, phones, and other everyday items,” Google says. It’ll function in a similar way to theverysimilarly-namedFind Mynetwork that Apple already operates forAirTagsand other item trackers. But Google’s worried about its network being misused, and it wants Apple to hurry up and add unwanted tracker notifications to iOS before it brings it online.
A joint unwanted tracker alert specification
Following a spate of AirTags being used to stalk people and property Apple has already implemented features to warn people if an unknown tracker is traveling with them. As part of a jointunwanted tracker alert specificationGoogle and Apple are working to make sure iOS and Android can alert of similar unknown trackers, and rolling Google’s Find My Device network into that is part of the plan.
However, in ablog postdiscussing Android’s end of the bargain, Google says that it has taken the decision to delay the launch of the Find My Device network until Apple gets its act together.
“User safety and the prevention of unwanted location tracking is a top priority for Android,” the blog post says. “We are working in partnership with Apple to help finalize the joint unwanted tracker alert specification by the end of this year.” However, the final sentence of the entire blog post is the zinger that will no doubt have got Apple’s attention. “At this time we’ve made the decision to hold the rollout of the Find My Device network until Apple has implemented protections for iOS,” meaning the ball is now very much in Apple’s court.
For now,Android will alert of unknown trackersjust fine, and iOS will do the same so long as they’re AirTags. Google appears not to want to add more item trackers to the market, using its own network, until it’s sure that iPhone owners will be warned if one is being used to track them. Now it’s over to Apple to do its part.
