Soon you’ll be able to find your Android device with augmented reality

The ‘Find My Device’ (Find My Device) app, designed for helping you find your lost or stolen Android phone, is evolving with new features. Until now, the app has used Bluetooth and other nearby devices to locate devices, but it didn’t offer precise directional tracking. This seems to be changing, because a new update suggests the future incorporation of advanced augmented reality (AR) features and support for ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.

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The website 9to5Google discovered evidence in version v3.1.078-1 of the app that Google plans to include directional tracking functionality. Several lines of code in the app reveal that ‘Find My Device’ will require Google Play Services for augmented reality, which will allow cameras on Android devices to overlay AR graphics to help locate objects. This feature is already used by Samsung in its SmartThings app to track SmartTags.

Additionally, Android Authority has found references to the use of UWB and the necessary libraries for this functionality in some code contained in the latest update, although it’s not yet activated in the application. The integration of UWB promises to significantly improve tracking accuracy. While current Bluetooth trackers wouldn’t benefit much from these improvements, devices equipped with UWB, like those designed by Samsung and Apple, will be able to take advantage of the new directional capabilities.

In addition to AR and UWB support, the ‘Find My Device’ update also refers to a feature called ‘Location History’. This will allow users to see the “last known location” of an accessory, a resource that already exists in a basic form, though this update appears to offer more detailed control, including the ability to disable this feature when not needed.

Finally, the update also includes improvements in the wording and clarity of the descriptions, making it easier for users to understand certain functions.

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