If your Android phone(Opens in a new tab) is ever lost or stolen, you have several options to track it down. Google offers an app and website called Find My Device that you can use to find your missing Android, backup it, and erase all data. Samsung devices have an additional feature called Find My Mobile that can help you track down your lost device. Here’s how to use Find My Device and Find My Mobile to track down your missing phone.
Can’t find your smartphone? Here are some tips(Opens in a new tab), courtesy of PCMag’s Lance Whitney.
Google Find My Device
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Google’s Find My Device service is available as an Android app(Opens in a new tab) and as a standalone website(Opens in a new tab) and works with any Android device. If you’re already signed in to your Google account, you should automatically see a map with all your registered devices. From here you can select the image of the device you want to find and track its location on the map(Opens in a new tab).
You can then play a sound to ping your device, lock it and display a message on the screen, or erase all personal data. Google provides some additional information(Opens in a new tab) to refer to when you need to find, lock, or erase your Android phone.
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When you think the device is within earshot, tap Play Sound to ping the phone or tablet. You can then track the audio to your device. Even if the device isn’t in your immediate vicinity, the ping can alert a Good Samaritan who might find it. When done, tap the Stop Sound button.
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If you can’t find your device or you’re not around, you can lock it so no one can access it. You can also add a message and phone number for anyone who finds you so they can reach you.
Tap Back up device, and then add a message and phone number to display on the lock screen. Tap Secure device to lock and lock the phone. The missing phone will be locked and your message and phone number will be displayed.
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If the device is lost or stolen, you can erase it as a last resort(Opens in a new tab). Tap Erase Device and then tap it again to complete this action. Be sure to read the information here about what’s about to happen to your phone, because there’s no going back.
You may be asked if you want to verify your Google account. Tap the Security check link and go through the security steps. If you change your mind about wiping your device, tap Forget.
Find My Mobile by Samsung
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If you have a Samsung phone, you can also use a special feature called Find My Mobile to track down a lost device. Set this up on your phone by going to Settings > Biometrics & Security and enabling Find My Mobile. Note that this feature requires a Samsung account.
Open Find My Mobile settings and turn on Remote Unlock to unlock and control your phone remotely. Enable the Send last location option to receive your phone’s last known location when the battery drops below a certain level. Activate offline search to be able to locate your phone even when it is offline.
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Once activated, use the SmartThings Find website(Opens in a new tab) or app(Opens in a new tab) to discover all Samsung devices connected to the same Samsung account. The service should show your Samsung phone’s location on the map, which includes other controls to help you with your missing device.
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Select the Ring option and then press Start to ping your phone. It will then start ringing to help you track it down if it’s nearby or to allow someone else to notice it. You can also select the lock option to set a PIN to unlock your device, enter a contact phone number where you can be reached, and add a message to display on the lock screen.
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If you think your phone is being moved to another location, you can select Track location to get an updated view of your phone’s location every 15 minutes. You can also erase the phone if you’re worried someone might gain access to your data. Click the Wipe data icon to factory reset the phone (Opens in a new tab).
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If you want to erase your phone or don’t think you’ll ever find it again, you can back up the data remotely. Click the Backup icon, then set up multi-step verification(Opens in a new tab) if you haven’t already. Click the website link in the notification to get backup codes that you can use to log in even if your phone is lost or stolen.
Select all data points that you want to backup, e.g. B. Messages and Contacts, and then select Back up to send your data to store in the Samsung Cloud(Opens in a new tab) service.
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If you have important messages or voicemails on the phone, you can retrieve them remotely by selecting the Calls/Messages Retrieve option. This allows you to see and hear up to 50 recent calls and messages.
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If you ever forget the PIN that unlocks your phone, you can always open it from the SmartThings Find(Opens in a new tab) website by clicking the Unlock button. To extend your phone’s battery life(Opens in a new tab), select the Extend battery life option, which puts your phone in maximum power saving mode and gives you extra time to find the device before it runs out of juice.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab), Mashable’s sister site. PCMag.com(Opens in new tab) is a leading technology authority providing labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
