- You can now find OnePlus 13 after it is powered off because it now supports Powered Off Finding feature of Google’s Find My Device.
- OnePlus 13 has Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7900, hardware chip, which enables the Powered Off Finding feature.
- Other Android phones only show your phone’s last known location before it was powered off.
Google’s Find My Device network received a major upgrade last year allowing it to locate the devices even when they are powered off. Something like Apple’s Find My feature. Initially, it was only available on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series. Now, OnePlus 13 is one of the first Android phones outside the Pixel lineup to receive this feature. Google calls it Powered Off Finding and here is how it works.
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How Powered Off Finding Works
Android Authority found Powered Off Finding option during their OnePlus 13 tests. What happens is that OnePlus 13 will keep a tiny part of its Bluetooth hardware running even after the phone is switched off. Specifically, it will use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a power-efficient version of Bluetooth designed for continuous, low-power operation. Imagine a very low-power signal constantly being sent out using BLE. This signal contains encrypted information about your phone’s location, but it’s not sent directly to you. Instead, it relies on other Android phones and devices around you that are part of Google’s Find My Device network.
These nearby devices act like helpers, picking up the signal from your powered-off OnePlus 13 and secretly relaying that information to Google. When you open the Find My Device app, Google uses this information to show you where your phone is on a map. It’s like a digital search party, with other devices in the network helping you find your lost phone. This process isn’t continuous and only works for a limited time after the phone is powered down, giving you a few hours to recover it.
This indicates that there is a part of battery juice kept in reserve for Powered Off Finding option to work. Once the juice runs out, the feature is disabled automatically.
How to Set Up Find My Device on Your OnePlus 13
To ensure you can take advantage of the powered-off finding feature, it’s a good idea to double-check that Find My Device is properly set up on your OnePlus 13. Here’s how:
- Go to the Settings app on your OnePlus 13.
- Scroll down and tap on Security & privacy.
- Tap on Device finders.
- Tap on Find My Device.
- Tap on Find your offline devices.
- Select With network in all areas option. This ensures the phone can be located even when it’s not connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, relying on the Find My Device network instead.
How to Use Find My Device to Locate Your OnePlus 13
Google’s Find My Device network can be a lifesaver if someone steals your OnePlus 13 or you lose it, especially with the new powered-off finding capability. Here’s how to use it:
Using the Find My Device App:
- If you don’t already have it, download the Find My Device app from the Google Play Store.
- Open the app and sign in with the Google account linked to your OnePlus 13.
- The app will show you a map with the approximate location of your OnePlus 13. If the phone is powered on and has a data connection, you’ll see its real-time location. If it’s powered off, you’ll see its last known location before it was turned off. You will see a more recent location if it’s been detected by the Find My Device network while powered off.
The Find My Device app also offers other helpful actions. Here’s what you can do:
- Play Sound: This makes your phone ring at full volume, even if it’s on silent, which is useful if you’ve simply misplaced it nearby.
- Secure Device: This locks your phone with a password, pattern, or PIN, and can also display a message on the screen with contact information.
- Erase Device: As a last resort, this will remotely wipe all data from your phone, protecting your personal information.
Using Find My Device in a Web Browser:
- Open a web browser on any computer or device and go to google.com/android/find.
- Sign in with the Google account that’s linked to your OnePlus 13.
- Just like the app, the website will show you a map with your phone’s location and offer the same options to play a sound, secure the device, or erase it.
The offline device-finding feature extends the window of opportunity to locate your device.
The Hardware and Software Support Behind this Feature
Again, the Powered Off Finding option in Google’s Find My Device relies on specific hardware inside the OnePlus 13. The phone uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which includes a component called the FastConnect 7900. This FastConnect 7900 is what makes the low-power Bluetooth signaling possible even when the main phone is shut down.
Having the necessary hardware is only half the battle. Phone manufacturers must also enable the feature in their software. OnePlus has done so for the OnePlus 13, which is why older models like the OnePlus 12 (with a different processor and FastConnect version) and the OnePlus 13R lack this capability. They simply don’t have the required hardware and software support.
Opening the power menu in OnePlus 13 displays the message ‘You can locate this phone with ‘Find My Device’ even when powered off‘. Moreover, opening the Find My Device app on OnePlus 13 shows a message that states your phone can be found when ‘it’s powered off or out of battery‘.
Powered Off Finding makes the OnePlus 13 a more secure smartphone. We hope this valuable feature becomes a standard across the Android ecosystem securing all Android devices.
