Google Assistant can now help you find your misplaced iPhone

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Google just announced that Google Assistant isn’t just for finding your Google devices. Yes, now you can use Assistant to find out where you left your iPhone.

You’ll need a few things for that connection to work. That includes opting-in to critical alerts from the Google Home app (and presumably installing the Google Home app for iOS) and having another Google Assistant-enabled device to actually ask the question to.

Doing all of that will let you ask the Assistant to find your phone, and you’ll be rewarded by hearing a custom ringtone (even if your phone has the Do Not Disturb switch enabled). At least, you’ll hear it if you’re close enough to hear sound and you haven’t dropped your iPhone in the back of an Uber or something.

Which is good. I mean, we’re all about choice and freedom to use whichever service you want. “Hey Google, find my phone” is also easier to say than going to Apple’s Find My website, and I can’t remember the last time I actually used Siri (we’re mostly an Alexa household).

The only question I have is “do you really want to give your data to another service if you don’t have to?” Especially location data, which would be needed to get Google Assistant to find your iPhone. Apple already tracks your iDevices if you enroll them in Find My, so you’d really want to use Google’s service to enable all of this.

Then again, maybe you’re the lone iOS user in a home full of Androids. If so, it’s good that you have the choice to use the devices that are already in your home to find your errant iPhone.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.