A new update will allow Samsung’s Find My Mobile app to work for lost phones even after they have been taken offline.
Find My Mobile’s offline finding feature is currently rolling out to Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the app’s version 7.1.08.0 update, according to 9to5Google. It works by making other Galaxy smartphones with offline finding able to scan for others nearby, and report their location. The feature can also find smartwatches and earbuds, if they were last connected to the smartphone that will be looking for them.
Traditionally, trackers such as Find My Mobile and Google’s Find My Device utilize Wi-Fi or mobile data to pinpoint the lost phone’s location. However, in places where internet connections are spotty, or in instances when a thief steals a device and turns off its connectivity, the offline finding feature may save the day, though you will need another Galaxy smartphone.
Offline finding will not be activated by default once the Find My Mobile app is updated, but Samsung is sending push notifications to inform Galaxy smartphone owners of the feature, as spotted by XDA’s Max Weinbach.
Digital Trends has reached out to Samsung for more information on how Find My Mobile’s offline finding feature works, and whether it will be made available to all of the company’s smartphones. We will update this article when we hear back.
Samsung follows Apple in enabling offline finding
Apple beat Samsung to the punch in enabling offline finding for lost devices, as the feature was introduced last year for the Find My app with the launch of iOS 13.
Offline finding for iOS devices may be activated through the user’s Apple ID in Settings, where turning on the Find My option will also bring up the option to enable the feature.
