{"id":17868,"date":"2022-03-01T22:40:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T22:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/01\/how-to-find-your-lost-android-phone-even-if-you-never-set-up-a-tracking-app\/"},"modified":"2022-03-01T22:40:59","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T22:40:59","slug":"how-to-find-your-lost-android-phone-even-if-you-never-set-up-a-tracking-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/01\/how-to-find-your-lost-android-phone-even-if-you-never-set-up-a-tracking-app\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Your Lost Android Phone, Even if You Never Set Up a Tracking App"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Lost
iChzigo\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With so much personal stuff on our phones, losing one feels disastrous. What can you do after<\/em> it\u2019s been lost? Android has its own version of \u201cFind My Phone\u201d and it can track your phone without any previous setup.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> In the past, this guide recommended apps that could be installed on your lost device remotely (like Android Lost) or had to be set up beforehand. Thankfully, Android no longer requires these third-party solutions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How It Works<\/h2>\n

\"Find<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s version of Apple\u2019s \u201cFind My Phone\u201d feature is simply called \u201cFind My Device.\u201d It\u2019s pre-installed on all Android devices that have the Google Play Store\u2014which is the vast majority of them.<\/p>\n

Find My Device is tied to your Google account, the one you used to set up your Android phone for the very first time. That\u2019s also when Find My Phone is activated. Once you\u2019ve set up your phone, you\u2019re good to go. Find My Device is ready and waiting.<\/p>\n

There are a couple of things Find My Device can do. First, it shows where your device is on a map, Wi-Fi information, and battery percentage. Second, it can simply ring your phone\u2014even if it\u2019s on silent\u2014to help you find it if you think it\u2019s nearby. Lastly, it can remotely lock your phone or erase all of your data.<\/p>\n

Using Android Find My Device<\/h2>\n

You can access Find My Device from the website<\/a>\u00a0and the Android app.<\/a>\u00a0Note that the Android app is not required<\/em> to be installed on the lost device. This app is for viewing your devices, it\u2019s not what enables tracking. We\u2019ll be using the website in this guide, but the same tools can be found in the app.<\/p>\n

After signing in with your Google account, you\u2019ll see your devices. Select the device and you\u2019ll see when it was last detected, the network it\u2019s on, and the battery.<\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n

Of course, you also can see where the device is on the map. Selecting the pin will open Google Maps to that location.<\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n

Next, you can select \u201cPlay Sound.\u201d This will ring your device for up to five minutes\u2014regardless of ringer mode\/volume\u2014until the device is unlocked.<\/p>\n

\"Play<\/p>\n

The next few tools are especially useful for lost devices. We\u2019ll start with \u201cSecure Device.\u201d Select it and enter an optional message and phone number for whoever finds your phone. Then tap \u201cSecure Device.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Secure<\/p>\n

The last tool is the most extreme. If you don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever get the device back or you\u2019re worried about someone getting into your personal stuff, you can erase everything remotely. If you do this and you get the phone back, it will need to be set up from scratch again.<\/p>\n

Select \u201cErase Device\u201d and then confirm your decision by clicking \u201cErase Device\u201d again. There\u2019s no going back after this.<\/p>\n

\"Remotely<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty much all there is to Find My Phone. Of course, all of these things rely on your lost phone being powered on. You won\u2019t be able to track it or remotely do anything if the battery has died or someone turned it off.<\/p>\n

However, there are some\u00a0things you can do to remotely protect your data<\/a> that will work even if the device is off.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Remotely Sign out of Gmail on a Lost or Missing Device<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n