Although, we tend to find it hard to part with our phones, even for a few minutes, we may still fail into the situation where our mobile gets misplaced, or worse, stolen. When you experience such a situation, what do you do?
If your phone is presently missing, it is imperative that you should immediately find it before someone else does because of the sensitive information stored within it.
Thankfully, Google has made it easier for us to locate our lost phones which we can use to track it down and perform various options to protect our stored data.
Below is a number methods you can try to track and find your missing Android phone.
Bear in mind that this doesn't always work. Moreover, the missing phone will have to be on signal, location or data for it to work, but it is still a useful way of finding a lost phone.
Method 1 - Finding your Android phone with another Android phone
1. Get another Android device by either buying another one or borrowing someone else own, a friend's or family's.
2. Look for the 'find my phone' app on the new phone. If the device doesn't have it, download it from Google play store.
3. Open the 'find my phone' app using the same Google (Gmail) account that you use to sign into your missing phone.
4. A map will be displayed with all your devices (if you have multiple phones) pictured across the top of the page. Tap on the device you are looking for and its current location will come up on the map.
5. If you find your phone, then congrats. However, you will need to go to certain lengths to get the phone back. Below the map are three options for you to perform - Play Sound, Secure Device and Erase Device.
Play Sound - This should be the first option you should take to recover your phone. When you select this option, the phone will ring at full volume for 5 minutes even if it is locked, alerting anyone close to the device that you are looking for it so they can help you out.
Secure Device - If the first option doesn't work, then the next step to take is to secure the device. This will lock your phone, but you can leave a message with your contact number for anyone who finds it.
Erase Device - If after trying the above two options and you accept that your device is really lost, you may have to take the nuclear option: wipe out everything within your phone by selecting "Erase Device."
Method 2 - Finding Your Android Phone With Your PC
1. If you have access to a computer and an internet, head to the browser and type my.acccount.google.com/find-your-phone. If that's too tough for you, then just go to Google search and type "find my phone".
2. You will need to sign into your Google account using the same email and password you used to sign in on your missing phone.
3. When you sign in, you will be taken to "find my phone" site with a huge map showing a list of the devices linked to your Google account.
4. If you can't locate your phone even with the aid of the map, click the round arrow by the image of your phone to tell the tracker to try again.
5. If the map is not enough, then like the first method, you can try the three options below.
Ring - Click on "Ring" to make the device play a loud sound for 5 minutes regardless of if the phone is locked or not. This will alert anyone who is near the phone to help you out.
Recover - If you are still unable to find your phone, click "Recover" for further options. You will need to choose to lock your phone and leave a message with your contact number for anybody who finds your phone. Alternatively, you can sign out of your phone.
Erase - If you think you have no chance of ever getting your phone back, then click on "Erase" to wipe out everything in the device.
Method 3 - Finding Your Phone With Google Assistant
If you have a smart home device with Google Assistant such as, Google Home, you can search for your phone using just your voice. Just say, "hey Google, find my phone" and the Assistant will give you a number of options.
If you have multiple phones, Google Assistant will name them until you find the one you lost.
The Assistant will next ask you if you want it to ring your lost phone. If you say yes, it will make your device play a shrill sound for 5 minutes regardless of the phone settings.
Method 4 - Finding Your Phone With Wear OS Smart Watch
If you own a Wear OS Smart watch and your missing phone is linked to it, you can search for your phone right from your wrist.
Simply pull up a list of apps on the Smart watch until you get to "find my phone." Tap on it and your lost phone will start ringing at high volume regardless of the settings.
So that's it on how to track and find your missing Android phone. If you have any questions or care to comment, do not hesitate to share it.
Comments
Post a Comment