So you’ve lost your Android phone. Now what? Even if you didn’t have the foresight to install any of the tracking apps in the Google Play store, there’s still a simple way to track down your lost phone.
You can use Google’s Android Device Manager to locate your device.
For this to work—and we can’t stress this enough—you must have connected your Android device with your Google account at some point. Your Android also must be turned on and able to access the Internet.
If both of those items apply to you, finding your Android phone using Google is just one search away.
Simply type “Where is my phone” into Google.
Amrita Khalid/Google
This will allow you to do two things:
1) See the location of your phone on Google Maps.
2) Let you ring your phone in order to help you track it down. This will work even if you have your phone on vibrate or silent.
If you suspect your Android has been stolen, it’s a good idea to either remotely lock or wipe your device’s data. You’ll need to go to Google’s full Android Device Manager website for those options.
If you’ve yet to lose your phone but want to make sure Google’s Android Device Manager is enabled, here’s how.
1) Go to the Google Settings app.
2) Tap on Android Device Manager.
3) Select options to “Remotely locate this device” and “Allow remote lock and erase.”
Smriti Sinha/Android
And with that, you should be well-prepared for your next Android search-and-rescue mission.
H/T Business Insider | Photo via Uncalno Tekno/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)