The problem naming solves
Run a scan in a block of flats and you will see televisions, headphones, speakers, bulbs and cars, most of them not yours. Some show a model number, some show a rotating string of hex, and none of them tells you which one is the thing you are looking for.
Two identical pairs of headphones in one household are indistinguishable by their broadcast name, because they broadcast the model, not the owner.
What to do about it
- Rename devices where the manufacturer allows it, phones, tablets, laptops and Macs all let you set a name that is then broadcast.
- Save everything you own under My Devices with a name you will recognise under stress. Gym headphones beats LE_WH-1000XM4.
- Name by role, not by model. You will search for the thing you use, not the thing you bought.
- Delete anything you no longer own, so the list stays short enough to read at a glance.
The second benefit
Saved devices get their positions recorded, which is what makes the last-seen map useful. Naming is not cosmetic, it is the switch that turns on the passive record you will want later.
Related methods
If this was not the situation you are in, one of these probably is.
- How to find something lost in a garden, Method
- What to do if you find someone else’s device, Guidance
- What to set up before you travel, Prevention
- How to find your phone when it’s on silent, The silent phone problem
- How to find a phone lost in the house, Method
- Save the devices you care about, My Devices tab
- MAC randomisation: Rotating Bluetooth identifiers
- All how-to guides, the complete list
Common questions
Can I rename a device that is not mine to rename?
You can name it inside the app regardless. The broadcast name is set by the manufacturer or the device owner, but your own saved label is yours.
Why do two identical devices look the same in a scan?
Because they broadcast the model, not the owner. Saving each one separately with your own label is the only reliable way to tell them apart.
In the app: This is what the app is built for. Read about My Devices.