Google defends itself against criticism for the default option of its Find My Device network

Google has come to the defense of the default setting in its Find My Device network, stating that it is a “key difference” compared to other location networks. The default setting for FMD, “With network, only in high-traffic areas”, requires multiple Android devices to detect an object before sharing its location, but users have found this setting ineffective in practice, as many trackers are not accurately located.

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In response to the criticism, Google assures on a support page that this measure offers “pioneering security protection”, making it difficult to track unwanted locations, such as the user’s home. Among other protections, the company highlights that it does not contribute with crowdsourcing location reports near the user’s home if the address has been saved in their Google account, and that it limits the speed and quantity of location reports.

However, Google acknowledges that this may affect the detection of Bluetooth trackers in low-traffic areas and encourages users to enable the “With network in all areas” setting. This option allows a single device to send the location of a found tracker, thus improving FMD’s ability to find lost objects in sparsely populated areas.

In the coming weeks, Google will release a series of improvements to the Find My Device network that will optimize the speed and ability to locate lost objects. The company is confident that accuracy will increase as more people join the network.

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