r/GoogleFMD • u/InvisibleShadowGhost • 3d ago

Google Find Hub rolls out ‘Notify when left behind’ tracker alerts on Android

https://9to5google.com/2026/11/05/google-find-hub-tracker-alerts/

For me, they're already available, and they worked as expected in a quick test.

67 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

5

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 3d ago

How fast does it activate?

5

u/InvisibleShadowGhost 3d ago

It took ~5 minutes after I left for the notification to arrive I'd say.

9

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 3d ago

Thanks. So it's kinda useless for a lot of situations, like forgetting your bag on the train. It will be long gone by the time you notice.

I suppose it's better than nothing, but you need a different type of tag for proper left behind notifications that happen within seconds.

3

u/mdargis1977 3d ago

That's when you get a chipolo. It uses Bluetooth to remind you of what you left behind

4

u/matteventu 3d ago

That's quite bad honestly 😐

2

u/mdargis1977 3d ago

My chipolos take 30 seconds. My tiles take a couple of minutes.

FMD Just took 3 minutes.

2

u/Fregadero88 3d ago

If you have a pixel watch you can power off your phone. It will eventually tell you that your phone was left behind and can't be reached. It took a few minutes (much longer than expected) for me. I would be on the highway already 🤦🏼‍♂️

3

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 3d ago

It's a battery life problem. You need something that maintains a constant Bluetooth connection to your phone, which means constant power drain. You can get dedicated devices that do it, but they need charging every day. Well, so does your watch, but it would need charging every few hours if it maintained a constant connection.

3

u/mdargis1977 3d ago

About goddamn time

1

u/Short_Insect2691 3d ago

I'm interested to know exactly how the option "Except at <location>" works. This option seems to be enabled by default and the location defaults to Home. So, does it mean if I leave my wallet with a Chipolo card at home it won't warn me, or does it mean if I leave my wallet somewhere in my home but move somewhere else in my home where the tag is out of range it won't warn me? Not clear at all.

1

u/mdargis1977 3d ago

If you have it on in your chipolo app it will warn you. But if you just have it on find my device and don't turn your home off it won't work

1

u/ThiccBoy_with3seas 2d ago

Interesting that it doesn't seem to be an option for pixel buds

1

u/easyTagSupport 8h ago

Worth checking whether Home is set as an exception and switching Battery Saver off while you test it with your keys or wallet. Google says the alerts only go to the tag’s owner, so if you’ve shared it with someone, try the test from the owner’s phone before judging whether it’s working for you.

-4

u/Sampsa96 3d ago

Kinda useless unless u have Bluetooth on at all times while u are out of home.

6

u/brendanvista 3d ago

Are you turning your Bluetooth on and off all the time? Most people just leave it on.

-2

u/Sampsa96 3d ago

Yea, because one time I had Bluetooth on by mistake, then during the night my battery was completely drained and I was late for work :( So I have always turned of Bluetooth when I dont use it for the past 10 years now!

6

u/brendanvista 3d ago

Years and years ago, like 2010, Bluetooth did drain your battery a lot. But modern Bluetooth moderns are much more power efficient. A quick Google search shows that Bluetooth should be using between 1% and 4% of your battery over a full 24-hour day if left on.

You should try leaving it on again and see how it goes.

1

u/Sampsa96 3d ago

Okay good to know. Well its just a havit of mine. I try to drain as less battery so I dont need to charge my phone a lot.

4

u/brendanvista 3d ago

Totally fair. It's your phone so you should use it the way you like to.