In an extensive series of tests conducted by Rita El Khoury from Android Authority, the reliability of Google's offline phone tracking feature was put under scrutiny. Using various devices, including the Pixel 9 Pro and Moto Tag, alongside Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max for comparison, El Khoury sought to determine how well Google's Find My Device network performs when a phone is powered off. Despite the promise of continuous location updates through Bluetooth networks, the results were inconsistent and often disappointing, particularly with Google's devices failing to deliver expected performance.
El Khoury began her investigation after realizing that little attention had been paid to testing Google’s offline finding capabilities. She compared the performance of Google's system against Apple's established Find My network, which reliably tracked locations even when devices were turned off. To ensure comprehensive results, she involved multiple devices and scenarios over several days.
The first experiment pitted the Pixel 9 Pro against both an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a Moto Tag. Turning off these devices at night and entrusting them to her husband for transport during his workday, El Khoury monitored their respective location updates. While the iPhone consistently provided accurate and timely data, and the Moto Tag eventually caught up, the Pixel 9 Pro failed to update its location throughout the day, sticking stubbornly to its last known position before being powered down.
This pattern persisted across subsequent tests, including one involving a Pixel 9 Pro Fold running on stable Android 15 software. Even under optimal conditions—carrying the powered-off device personally rather than relying on external networks—the Fold only sporadically updated its location before ceasing entirely within mere minutes or hours of being turned off. One baffling instance saw the device incorrectly report its location as "home" while physically located elsewhere, later correcting itself inexplicably two days afterward.
Despite these issues, feedback from colleagues like Mishaal Rahman indicated that others experienced successful outcomes with the same feature. This discrepancy raises questions about potential regional differences in network strength, software bugs specific to certain builds such as Android 16 beta, or other unexplained variables affecting performance. However, regardless of possible explanations, the core issue remains: users cannot consistently rely on this critical safety feature functioning correctly when needed most.
Ultimately, El Khoury's experiments highlight significant shortcomings in Google's implementation of offline phone tracking. For users seeking assurance that they can recover lost or stolen devices, these findings underscore the need for further improvements in reliability and accuracy before full trust can be placed in the system.