Google Find My Device network could come along iOS 17.5's tracking alerts

As Google’s Find My Device (FMD) network — previously slated to debut in the summer of 2023 — was delayed owing to the implementation of unknown tracker alerts by Apple, the feature is on the verge to be offered with upcoming iOS 17.5 update.

Rolled out today, the iOS 17.5 Beta 1 entails strings that cover in great detail how it will infuse in the iPhones the ability to detect third-party trackers. After finding them, the latest iOS update will offer a set of instructions to users, explaining the procedure to disable those trackers.

For instance, the iPhone might display the following instruction: “This item isn’t certified on the Apple Find My network. You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item.”

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Since the beta version of the iOS 17.5, released today, does not have this feature, we can expect it to go big with future beta updates and on the stable version of the iOS 17.5 once out.

iOS 17.5 release date

Gives us an idea of iOS 17.5's release schedule are the previous iOS releases. In view of those releases, iOS 17.5 could launch in May, and after rolling out in a full-fledged manner, it is expected to give rise to Google's FMD network and popularise it among wider audiences.

To release its own FMD, Google has been in the queue, awaiting the implementation of "protections for iOS" by Apple, so that FMD devices cannot be used to track iPhone owners without warning.

What sets Google's new Find My Device network apart is its capability of locating “devices that are offline or that don’t have location capabilities.”