In April, we learned thanks to the code failure of one of Google’s applications that the technology giant was going to “force” the activation of the Bluetooth connection on Android phones. The reason why we force this activation is that deployment of the ‘Find my Device’ or Find my Device network in Europe. In a few days you will receive the notification on your mobile when it is available.
This network allows you to remotely search for a mobile device if, for some reason, it has been lost or stolen. Not only to be able to find it, but to be able to reset it to factory state to delete all files that could contain. The user, even knowing where the stolen mobile phone is, does not always try to recover it, so it always remains to delete everything.
What is surprising about this news, also announced in an email sent last weekend, is that the Find My Device network is now operational in Europe. And surprising because its initial deployment was announced just two weeks ago in the United States and Canada, so Google was quick to make it operational in these regions.
Google’s new option
Free Android
This system is based on the use of the Bluetooth connection of mobile phones to send signals like beacons to nearby devices and thus the location of the stolen or lost item can be discovered. If nearby mobile phones do not have an active Bluetooth connection, the possible nodes or paths through which this beacon passes until the device is found are disabled. Thus, Google wants to impose the use of the Bluetooth connection on mobile phones.
Google stated that will use the network of over a billion Android devices and will store their recent location. They will be encrypted under PIN, pattern or password, so only users will be able to see the locations. The option to turn off the network from the Google website is available. and you must also do it on the device if you do not want to be part of this network and find the mobile offline:
- If you don’t want to use Find My Device to locate devices when they’re online, you need to go to “Settings”, then “Google”, then “All Services” (if there are tabs ) and finally “Find my device” to deactivate it.
The next blocking method
The best of all is that Android Authority has found details on two new features, remote lock and fingerprint unlock, which will be available starting with Android 10 and later later this year.
This will allow you to erase everything from the device and lock it with the particularity that only mobile number is needed and a little challenge using any device. Regarding fingerprint unlocking in the Find My Device app, even if someone accesses the unlocked mobile, they will not be able to access the functions to search for the user’s other devices.
