Google introduced the Android Device Manager in 2013. Now, the company is updating it with a new name, ‘Find My Device’, and making it part of the new Google Play Protect tools it announced this week.
Google’s I/O developer conference is taking place this week in Mountain View, California, where the company has made a ton of announcements about its products and services. Among them was the launch of Google Play Protect, which is built into the Play Store, and designed to make Android’s security features « more visible » to users.
« One of the biggest security risks you’ re likely to face is simply losing your phone, » Google said . « To help in these times of need, we’ re launching Find My Device as part of Google Play Protect. »
This might sound like a completely new service, but in practice, this is really just a rebranding of the existing Android Device Manager (ADM) tools – which Google launched in 2013 – with some refinements. Key features of Find My Device include:
Find My Device is available to download from the Google Play Store; if you already have the Android Device Manager app installed, you should find it renamed as Find My Device the next time you update it.
