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Google's working on some handy new Android tools for the absent-minded
Sep 10, 2026 — 2:00 PM ET
- Google appears to be borrowing some device-tracking features from popular accessories to build into Android.
- The system could notify you when you walk away from earbuds or Bluetooth trackers.
- Users could also use the buttons on trackers to help find missing phones.
Between all the distractions the modern world presents, and the sheer number of gadgets many of us haul around on a daily basis, it’s a small miracle that we manage not to accidentally leave behind more than we do. Thankfully, there are plenty of technical solutions to both help reconnect us with lost gear, as well as make it a little harder for us to lose things in the first place. Today we’re checking out a couple new upgrades along this line that Google appears to be cooking up.
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Compact earbuds are a super convenient way to listen to music on the go, but their extreme portability also makes them just that much easier to overlook and leave behind. Models like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds have offered their own system for helping owners avoid that, by notifying them when they walk away from their earbuds.
Looking through some of the changes present in version 26.36.30 of Google Play Services, we’re finding text strings that hint at Google bringing this same sort of system to Android:
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_title">Get left-behind notifications</string>
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_subtitle_tag">"You'll get a notification when separated from this tag, except when you leave it at home."</string>
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_subtitle_earbuds">"You'll get a notification when separated from these earbuds, except when you leave them at home."</string>As you can see, in addition to earbuds, it looks like this functionality is similarly in the works for dedicated tracker tags. And so you’re not being bombarded by alerts when you’re just choosing not to use your earbuds one day, it appears that we’ll have a geofencing system that suppresses notifications when they’re safe at home.
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_chip">Notify when left behind</string>
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_error_subtitle_skip_off">You can turn it off later in the app</string>
<string name="customization_left_behind_reminder_error_subtitle_skip_on">You can turn it on later in the app</string>What’s a little less clear is how we’ll interact with these options. Google makes direct reference to placing controls for the notifications in an app, but which? Could this surface in the Find Hub, or somewhere else?
In addition to this option for helping us avoid leaving accessories behind, Google also appears to be working on the reverse: a new tool for helping us track down a phone when we walked off, accessory in hand.
<string name="customization_reverse_ringing_title">Ring this phone with your tag</string>
<string name="customization_reverse_ringing_chip">Reverse phone ringing</string>
<string name="customization_reverse_ringing_subtitle">"Press this tag's button twice to make your phone ring if it's within Bluetooth range. It will ring even if Do Not Disturb is on or it's set to silent."</string>
<string name="customization_reverse_ringing_error_subtitle_retry_off">You can try again or turn it off later in the app</string>
<string name="customization_reverse_ringing_error_subtitle_retry_on">You can try again or turn it on later in the app</string>Pressing the button on your tracker to make your phone play a noise is a feature we’re already familiar with from devices like Motorola’s Moto Tag, and Google sure seems interested in baking that same functionality into Android.
Right now, none of this is yet functional, so it’s anyone’s guess how much longer it might take for Google to finish up work and push any of this live.
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