One of the reasons why people are willing to spend their savings to buy an iPhone is because of the ecosystem and functions it provides. One that is sure to be appreciated by many is the Find My feature to track a lost iPhone even when the device is turned off. For years this feature has been exclusive to Apple, this year the Google Pixel 9 will change that for Android devices.
On Android 15 there is a new API called Powered Off Finder. Google uses the same concept as Apple, where all Android devices with access to the Play Store can help find other Android devices through the Find My Device network. When a user's Android device is lost, Find My Device will use another Android device as a beacon.
In Android 15 users can also set whether to track devices without Internet access, with Internet access in high traffic areas or with Internet access in all areas. The Find My Device network by Google can also detect nearby object trackers but is turned off by Google while the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers (DULT) standard is approved by the Engineering Task Force (IETF) and used by Apple as well.
This feature is expected to be introduced on the Pixel 9 with Android 15 later. Samsung also has its own tracking system. With this version for Pixel, hopefully it will be universal and will be offered to all Android users.