Future Android phones running Android 14 and later will make devices easier to find even when the devices are turned off.
Future Android phones running Android 14 and later will make devices easier to find even when the devices are turned off. Older iPhones dating back to the current iPhone 14 and iPhone 11 are already capable of performing this functionality, but Google plans to add the feature to its upcoming Android upgrade and hopes to gain broader support from phone manufacturers.
There are several ways a phone can remain discoverable even when the device is technically turned off. According to leakers, after Google’s update, the phone will continue to send power to the Bluetooth module even after you turn it off. The Bluetooth feature can broadcast various data to nearby devices, including location data and personal identifiers.
All modern iPhones and some of the best Android phones also feature ultra-wideband radio (UWB) for location. This is the technology Apple uses in their AirTags and it works great. Google is also said to be working on a UWB geolocation tag and perhaps launching it with the next Pixel phones.
