Ever lost track of where your Android phone has gone? We’ve all been there! With the amount of personal information and the expensive cost, losing a smartphone can be an overwhelming experience. Losing an Android phone can be a stressful experience. However, thanks to modern GPS and tracking systems, it’s easier than ever before to locate your device if you’ve set up the correct settings beforehand. In this article, we cover several ways you can use to find your Android phone—no matter whether it’s just in silent mode or has been taken by someone else. From locating phone services to tracking apps and more, here are five simple ways you can use to find your lost Android phone. Read on below to see how you can get back together with your beloved device!
Instead of Panicking Prepare For the Next Move
We totally understand the deadly feeling of losing an Android smartphone and it’s human nature to panic in that situation. If you’ve lost your Android phone, chances are the anxiety may have set in. Your Android device contains a wealth of confidential information such as bank account details, personal photos and messages, usernames and passwords. Without swift action, scammers can easily access this data or use it to clear out bank accounts. To ensure the best possible outcome when dealing with a lost Android phone, don’t panic – instead, take immediate steps to locate and protect your device.
1. Use Find My Device feature with ADM (Android Device Manager)
These days, Find My Device is a built-in function on almost all Android devices. Therefore, if you have misplaced your phone, you may be able to locate it by using your laptop or the phone of a family member or a friend. You can track your Android smartphone automatically with this Google service. To access the Find My Device map, just put “Where is my phone” into Google Chrome while connected to your Google account.
On the map, a green symbol denotes the precise position or region of the last signal received by your phone. If locating the device’s location is not sufficient, Find My Device has these three further features that allow you to play sound, secure the device, and even make it possible for you to erase data from your device. Here is how you can make use of those features to find your lost Android phone.
- Play Sound: Even if your device is in silent and vibration mode, tapping on that option will allow you to play sound on your device continuously for 5 minutes. Therefore, you will be able to hear exactly where your device is if it is close by. You might also try following the sound to see if it would take you to your device. The ping may notify a kind person who can pick up the gadget and keep it safe for you, even if it is not nearby.
- Secure Device: By selecting this option, you can lock your phone and will be able to prevent it from data theft. Additionally, this function will let you write brief notes to your phone in a limited number of words, which will enable someone who discovers your phone to assist you to get it back. If you are using the “ Play sound and Secure Device” functions simultaneously to find your device, then it is advisable to activate the sound feature after locking your Android device so that if anyone finds it, they won’t be able to use it.
- Erase Device: When you feel like you really lost your phone this is the last option you should opt for, as there is no going back. This option will erase all the data permanently from your device, including the Find My Device function. As a result, you will no longer be able to track the location of your phone. However, if your phone involves some sensitive data that is much more significant to protect than getting your phone back, then you can tap on the “ Erase Device “ option to wipe out all of your phone data.
2. Smart Home Speaker
Instead of just playing music and answering queries, smart devices like Alexa and Google Home Hub are considerably more helpful. You have to use the standard command set in for different devices. For instance, if you are tracking your phone with the help of Google Home Hub, you can say “Hey Google, find my phone.” These smart speakers will help your device to ring even if you have your device in quiet or vibration mode. However, they won’t track down the location of your smartphone. This technique can only be used to locate your phone in the closest places, such as within your house and under the couch, etc.
3. Take Help of your Smartwatch
Almost all smartwatches come with a pre-default Find My Device function, whether it be a fitness tracker or a watch with all-rounder functionality like the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch. For instance, you may hit the “Find my phone” app on Samsung 3 or older versions of the wristwatch by opening the watch’s app drawer. However, more recent Android smartwatches, such as the Galaxy Watch 4, the Fossil watches, and others, often have a ‘find my phone’ option in the pull-down menu on the watch face. From there you can select the Find My Phone button. If you can’t find this icon, swipe left to go through the subsequent pages of icons. The position of your smartphone will be displayed via Find My Device if it is currently connected to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi of your phone. So, you might be able to find your phone by ringing it with the help of your smartwatch.
“My Cell Phone Is My Best Friend. It’s My Lifeline To The Outside World”- Carrie Underwood
4. Use Third-Party Apps
Although the built-in Google function is best to find your Android device. But, you can also consider using third-party apps which are absolutely free and are super easy to find on the play store. Here we are listing a few third-party apps that you can use to track down your phone.
- Where’s My Droid:
This app has a variety of free features, including a GPS tracker, the ring function, the ability to remotely enable the screen lock, and the ability to send alert notifications when the SIM card is removed. Therefore, if your phone is stolen, this app will let you remotely access it from another device to a certain level. Keeping your device under your control as a consequence. By purchasing their elite edition, you may access additional features like managing your device’s camera and preventing app uninstallation, etc.
- Life360
Life360 is a hybrid application available on the play store and is popular due to its wide range of features. This software is designed to save you from experiencing any uncertainty when you are away from your family and enable you to connect with them in such situations. This app comes with different membership plans you can choose from according to your budget and requirement. This app permits your family members to join a private group of people known as a “Circle” within the app who agree to have their phones tracked in real-time. In the app’s live maps, your family members will display as little icons so you can see where they are at any given time. So with the help of your family members’ phones, you can locate your phone address.
- Prey Anti-Theft
Prey is an excellent anti-theft system for a variety of devices such as iPhones, Windows, and Android. To use the basic version, you only need to text “GO PREY” or log into the control panel and mark your device as missing. Afterwards, you’ll be able to access a multitude of features like locking down the device, capturing photos, tracking GPS location and more. The Pro version is better suited for businesses because it allows for tracking up to 500 devices with shorter intervals between checks, automatic updates when logged in to Prey and much more. Once logged into Prey users can easily lock down their lost device, capture a photo of the thief, find its exact location using GPS tracking and more.
5. Track your Lost Device with the Help of Wireless carriers
If your Android phone has gone missing, wireless carriers can help you track it down. Each carrier utilizes a network of towers that are designed to send and receive signals from your phone. By analyzing the time taken for the signal to make a round trip between the tower and the device, the carrier is able to locate your lost device. Mobile carriers provide location monitoring features that can be used to track down the missing Android phone. If you don’t know where or how to get your phone back, you can report it as stolen or lost on the website or mobile app of your telecom provider. You can also use this technique to remotely lock or erase your phone data.
How To Protect Your Data When You Are Unable To Find Your Device
When you find yourself in a situation where nothing seems to work out, you can still prevent your personal data from further possible loss by considering the following methods.
- Block your Phone IMEI
Every mobile phone is assigned a unique 15-digit identifying code called an IMEI, which stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. If your phone is factory reset after being stolen, all of the original data that may be needed to locate your Android smartphone remotely will be lost. Then, you can either opt for the option of disabling your Android smartphone using its IMEI number or you may track it using its IMEI number by installing any third-party app. At the very least, blocking the IMEI number ensures that nobody else may register the phone on mobile networks. Make sure you alert the authorities so that they will block your IMEI number.
- Change Essential Service Passwords
We all use several banking and shopping apps on our phones but when you don’t find your phone then it’s important that you change all the credentials of these apps. In this way, you will prevent unauthorised access to the account and can secure your data and money.
- Last Resort: Wipe All the Data of your Android Phone
You can wipe your gadget clean as a final resort if it is stolen or lost. To use this function you can use Google or any third-party app. Simply type “Where is my phone” into Google Chrome while signing into your Google account. There you will see the option “Erase Device,” by tapping on that option all the data from your Android device will be deleted. Be certain because the data will be permanently removed from your Android phone. However, if your Android device consists of some data in your SD card then you won’t be able to delete it, as this function will only work on wiping out your phone’s internal storage.
However, If your Android phone contains data in your SD card, you won’t be able to delete that data as this function will only perform in wiping out your phone’s internal storage.
Conclusion
These days, smartphones are an essential part of our lives and contain a lot of information, both personal and professional. Losing your Android phone might be an uncertain and unpreventable situation that comes with the risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and more. However, now that you are aware of the methods that you may take to find your Android phone, you should try to retrieve it as safely as you can. Even though it may seem sensible to locate your phone using your memories and ideas about where you may have left it, these above-mentioned methods can help you locate your lost Android phone a lot faster than normal.
