Google Pixel 8, 8a and 8 Pro can be located even when powered off

Thanks to the Find My Device network, Google Pixel 8, 8a, and 8 Pro can be located even when powered off. Google initiated the rollout of upgraded Find My Device functionality last month, which is still expanding slowly in the United States and Canada.

Google made it possible on Pixel 8, 8a, and 8 Pro with specialized hardware. It means over-the-air Android updates may not bring the powered-off finder service to older devices. It’s quite disappointing for users having phones like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 series.

Find My Device network

Android phones supporting the Find My Device network broadcast a beacon over Bluetooth that other nearby Android devices can pick up on. The receiver device encrypts the location of the broadcasting device and uploads it to Google’s servers.

The Pixel 8 series phones have reserve power channeled to the Bluetooth chip for several hours even after the battery is dead. This makes it possible to broadcast beacons over Bluetooth when powered off or out of battery, which most Android devices can’t.

The newly launched Pixel 8a comes with the same Tensor and Bluetooth chip as the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. While Google hasn’t officially revealed the offline finding feature on 8a, it supports Powered-Off Finding because Google set the system property ro.bluetooth.finder.supported to true on the device.

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