Google Introduces Find Hub: Satellite Connectivity and Location Sharing for Android Users

At this year's Google I/O, the tech giant announced that it is renaming Android's Find My Device network to Find Hub and that it would have satellite connectivity, at least in some capacity.

Satellite Location Sharing Details

New strings of code found in the Find Hub app are giving a glimpse of how the new functionality would work. According to a recent APK teardown by Android Authority, Google Find Hub v3.1.399-3 release has a few text strings which clearly refer to the upcoming functionality.

When Android users share their location with others using the Find Hub app, the app will send a "one-off ping with your location". This means it won't continuously transmit your location in real-time, but instead drop a pin similar to Google Maps.

The code also suggests that Find Hub's satellite location sharing feature won't be used as a replacement for contacting emergency services in areas with no network.

Location Updates and Daily Limits

While Find Hub will let you send single location pings to people you are sharing your location with, the app will also update your location every 15 minutes, but you may have to manually update it by coming back to the app.

There may be a daily limit to how many times you can ping your location using satellites, but currently, no specific numbers are known. Given that satellite connectivity is limited and expensive to maintain, these restrictions seem reasonable. Google will reportedly show how many pings a user has left for the day and how long they must wait before using the feature again.

Expected Rollout Timeline

Google had announced that Find Hub will be getting satellite connectivity sometime later, but the tech giant has yet to share a timeline on when it will be rolling out to everyone. Some speculations suggest the feature could be announced at the upcoming Made by Google event, where the Pixel 10 series phones are expected to launch.