Skip to main content

Google’s Find My Device app can now show the indoor layouts of large buildings

Google’s Find My Device app can now show the indoor layouts of large buildings

/

Google doesn’t specifically list out which buildings, so you’ll have to test your luck

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

NYC Apple Stores in historic buildings

Google has tinkered with its Find My Device app so that it displays indoor maps to show you where you might have dropped your phone inside a large building. It’s the result of years of recording the layouts of complex spaces like department stores, malls, and airports. That way, when you lose your phone, you don’t just see that it’s somewhere in the building — you might actually have a clearer idea of exactly where. Besides adding large buildings, the new update to the Find My Device app also brings support for work profiles.

Google doesn’t specifically list out which buildings the new feature applies to, so you’ll have to test your luck. And GPS is always a little bit off, so while this might help narrow things down a fair bit, your phone may still not be where you think it is. One time, my phone appeared to be running away from me on a highway, abducted by thieves, when it was really just at the bottom of a dark movie theater. There’s only so much Find My Device can do to help with that.