If you’ve been waiting for Google to launch its Find My Device network, the wait just got a little longer. Google has delayed the rollout, and it may be Apple’s fault.
Today, Google shared an update on the status of its Find My Device network launch. According to the company, it has chosen to delay the rollout of the Find My Device network “until Apple has implemented protections for iOS.”
Google initially announced that the new tracking network would come to Android this summer at Google I/O 2023. A week before that, however, Google announced that it and Apple had jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to prevent unwanted tracking.
The first-of-its-kind specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across Android and iOS platforms. Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have expressed support for the draft specification, which offers best practices and instructions for manufacturers, should they choose to build these capabilities into their products.
Google doesn’t provide a date for when it expects to launch the Find My Device network. but the blog mentions that Google and Apple plan to finalize the joint unwanted tracker alert specification by the end of this year.
These delays have already had an impact on the tracker market. Earlier this month, Chipolo announced it was delaying the release of its Find My Device trackers until “the updated version of Google’s Find My Device app is released to users across the globe.”
