as for the last generation of iPhone, Android will allow localization in the “off” position

Bad news for thieves. It will become easier to locate your cell phone in the event of theft. You can retrieve your GPS position, even when it is turned off.

A thief’s first instinct is to turn off the stolen phone or put the phone in airplane mode. So remote location, which requires an internet connection, does not work. Until now, it was only Apple that allowed, since the iPhone 11, its devices to be detected both offline and turned off. In the coming months, this will also be the case for Android phones and this provision should deter thieves a little more.

Radio wave localization

To locate a turned off phone, the principle is based on “cheating”. In fact, the phone isn’t really turned off. It manages to always keep enough battery to operate the Bluetooth module. His radio will continue to transmit, signaling his presence to all phones in the area. And it is these other phones which will give the position of the device we are looking for.

It’s really very effective. The only constraint is that at least one phone switched on and connected to the internet must be nearby. If the device finds itself in a deserted corner, without the slightest passage, it will have no one to give its position to.

If until now, it only worked with iPhones, there needed to be at least another one nearby. It will be the same with Android phones. With one nuance: in France, there are three times more Android mobiles than iPhones. We therefore have a much greater chance of coming across them.

Incomplete update

For the calendar, an update can partially “upgrade” old phones. For offline localization – this should be announced in mid-May – it will only need an update. And it will work on almost all Android phones.

On the other hand, to be able to benefit from mobile location when it is turned off, you will need a new device. The phone needs specific components, so this is a feature that will only be available on future generations of devices.