How to find your lost Android phone
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How to find your lost Android phone
Worried about misplacing your phone or (worse yet) having it stolen? Ease your fears and set up a tracking system before your worst case scenario strikes. You'll get the best results if your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi signal but GPS and mobile networks will still manage to pinpoint a fairly accurate location. You must also have a Google account for virtually all of the tracking services available, whether they are built-in or downloaded.
Most Android phones now come with Find My Device built right in. This service automatically tracks your phone's location, so if it ever goes missing you can hop on your laptop or a friend's phone and find its last known location, ring your phone if it's nearby, or lock and/or erase your phone if you fear it has been stolen.
The most important thing you can do is make sure your phone is set up to be found before it goes missing. Otherwise, you're basically on your own. An important point to note here is that you should always have your phone's IMEI and serial numbers handy. You can easily find your phone's IMEI number by dialing *#06# from your phone's dialer.
The IMEI number is a unique identifier, and is what your phone uses to register to cell towers. You can get your phone's serial number from the settings. Go to Settings -→ About phone and you should see the serial number. Having this information is useful particularly if your phone is stolen and you need to register a complaint with the police.
Let's get back to Google's built-in utility. You'll be signed into Find My Device as soon as you set up your phone, but there are a few times when things don't work the way they're meant to. In such a scenario, all you need to do is download the Find My Device app from the Play Store and sign in with your Google account. Once you do so, it will stay active on your device, and you'll be able to use it to locate your phone remotely.
Should you happen to lose your phone, you can locate its whereabouts by logging into your Google account from any computer or even from another phone. Just launch any web browser, navigate to android.com/find, and enter your email address and password if you're not signed in to your Google account on that device. If you have 2-step verification set up on your Google account (and you most certainly should), you'll need to complete that as well.
You can play a sound so that it makes noise (even if you had it on silent). This feature is helpful if the map indicates that the phone is within earshot and you simply can't see it.
You can secure your device so that the finder can't access your home screen. This feature is most helpful if your phone wasn't previously secured with a passcode or a fingerprint sensor.
You can erase your phone. This is the best option if you know for certain that you aren't likely to retrieve your phone.
If you are trying to locate your phone with Find My Device and it doesn't seem to be working, the most likely cause is that your phone is not currently connected to Wi-Fi or an available network. In this case, it's important to keep trying; the moment your phone does make that connection, it will appear on the map. For a more detailed exlainer on how Find My Device works, hit the link below:
If you want to download a tracking app for fear of a missing phone crisis, there are a number of options to choose from, and we're highlighting some choice picks for you further below. But first, let's see how you can find your phone inside your house via Google Home.
It's embarrassingly easy to lose your phone by putting it down somewhere in your house and forgetting where you left it. This can be frustrating if it's time to leave for work or some other appointment and you're frantically scrambling around your home looking for it.
If you own a Google Home speaker, you can use Google Assistant to help find your phone. Your Android phone must be logged into the same Google account as your Google Home speaker, you must have linked your Google account and voice to your Google Home via the Home app, and your phone must be turned on and connected to the internet either via mobile data or Wi-Fi. You will also need to have Find My Device turned on, which you should absolutely activate for any Android phone you're using.
As long as your phone is still on and connected to the Internet, all you need to do is say, "Ok Google, find my phone," and Google will confirm which device you want to find and then turn the ringer on — even if you have your phone set to silent. With Google Home's multi-user support, everyone in your home can use Google Home to find their phones if they're lost as long as they've linked their Google Accounts to Google Home using Voice Match.
While Google's built-in option is definitely your best bet, there are some third-party options you might want to consider. We've broken down the best third-party apps for…