Is your smartphone missing? You cannot remember where last you kept it? Or worse, you think it’s being stolen? There may still be a chance of recovering it if you’ve set up a tracking device system beforehand.
How can this be set up?
Before answering that, first you need to make sure that your phone Wi-Fi Internet signal is turned on if you want the best locating result. Though, GPS and mobile networks can still manage to pinpoint a fairly accurate location.
You must also have a Google account as most of the tracking services available, whether they are built-in or downloaded, are essentially combined to work with the biggest search engine, Google, to make locating a phone a bit more easier.
Android Device Manager
Most Android phones today come with a built-in system called Android Device Manager. This service will automatically track your phone’s location, so that if it ever goes missing you can hop on your laptop or grab a friend’s phone to pinpoint its last known location. When the tracker locates the phone, you can then be able to ring it if it’s within earshot, or lock and/or erase your phone if you fear it being stolen.
Still, the most important thing you need to do is to make sure your phone’s tracking device has been set up before it goes missing.
How To Set Up Android Device Manager
The Device Manager is located conveniently in your Settings, and you can manually set it up. But this may not be possible for those with some older types of Android models as some of them may not have the tracking manager.
If your phone doesn’t have Android Device Manager or you just can’t find it in your Settings, you can always download it from the Google Play Store.
On setting up your Android Device Manager, follow these steps:
Remember: You must be connected to WiFi.
1.Open your phone Settings and tap on Security.
2.Tap Device Administration.
3.Tap Android Device Manager so that a checkmark appears in the checkbox.
4.Return back to the former menu by tapping the back button in the top left corner of your screen.
5.Tap the back button again in the top left corner to return to the main Settings menu.
6.Tap Location in the main Settings menu.
7.Tap the switch beside Location at the top of the screen so that it turns on.
8.Tap Mode.
9.Tap High accuracy so the circle is filled in.
10.Tap the back button in the top left corner again to return.
11.Tap Google Location History.
12.Tap the switch beneath Location History so that it turns on.
13.Tap the switch beside your device so that it turns on.
How To Locate Your Phone Using Google
With your Device Manager enabled, you can locate your missing phone by logging into your Google account from any computer, phone or even tablet.
•Open a web browser with any devices you can find and navigate to Google if it is not your default search engine or home page.
•Type “find my phone android” in the Google search bar.
•Select Android Device Manager from the search list (which is often the first).
•In the opened page, enter your email address and password. If you have 2-step verification set up on your Google account (and you most certainly should), you’ll need to complete that process as well.
•The system will then begin searching.
Note: If your effort to locate your phone with Android Device Manager doesn’t seem to be working, it may be because your missing phone is not currently connected to Wi-Fi or an available network. So you need to keep trying until the moment your phone does make that connection. When it does, it will appear on the map.
When your phone is eventually located, three options will be presented to you:
1
.RING the phone – You can have your phone ring (even if you put it on silent mode) so that you can locate where the sound is coming from. This is the best feature to use if the map indicates that the phone is close enough for you to hear it.
2
.LOCK the phone – You can lock your phone so that the finder or thief cannot gain access to your home screen. This feature is best suitable if your phone wasn’t previously locked with a security passcode or a fingerprint sensor.
3.
ERASE the phone – You can erase your phone of its every data and information. This is the best option that should only be taken as a last resort if you are really really certain that you aren’t likely to recover your phone.
Locating With Third-Party Apps
While your phone’s built-in option is definitely your best bet in locating your missing device, there are some third-party apps available that could also perform this task. You can find many of them at Google Play store. Among the best are Family Locator (suitable for families with multiple phones), Find My Phone and Lost Android.
Although finding and retrieving a missing phone isn't easy, it will definitely make it more easier if you had a tracking system already set up otherwise you will really will be on own.
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