Find My Device makes it easy to remotely track, lock, and wipe the data on a lost or stolen phone. You can also see the remaining battery life of your phone and the Wi-Fi network it is connected to. There are other ways to locate a lost Android phone, but Find My Device is the easiest option and is enabled by default on all Android phones.
Find My Device is part of Google Play Protect and the broader Play Services, a set of utilities designed to protect your phone from harmful content. Google uses its machine learning expertise to scan and review the apps installed on your phone. While the Verify Apps feature has been around for several years, Google is making the process much more visible to users.
What’s new with Find My Device?
Google has released a major update to Find My Device that brings it closer to the Find My network used by all Apple devices. The technology uses crowdsourced Bluetooth proximity data to locate devices. With billions of Android devices in use worldwide, this greatly increases the accuracy of the service, and if you’re using the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, it can also track offline devices.
No user intervention is required; Find My Device is enabled by default on all Android phones. If you have enabled location tracking on your phone, it will be active from the moment you set up your device. What I like most about the new features is that they can locate devices in your home – assuming you have a Nest device. The service now also includes Bluetooth trackers and is scheduled to launch later in the second quarter of 2024.
How to start with Find My Device.
You must sign in to Find My Device using your Google Account. If you are logged into more than one account on your phone, a drop-down menu will appear from which you can select the account you want to link to the phone.
1. Open Find device from your home screen or app drawer.
2. Select the Google account with which you would like to use the service.
3. Press the button Further than Button.
4. Enter your Google account password.
5. Tap register.
6. You see one List of all devices connected to your Google account.
How to find your phone using Find My Device.
Once you’re signed in to Find My Device and select a device, you’ll see a map showing its current location and two options: “Play Sound” and “Back Up Device.” If you click on the latter option, you can lock the device and log out of your Google account. If you’re signed in to more than one phone, you can select a specific device by browsing the list of devices associated with your account.
1. Open Find device from your home screen or app drawer.
2. Select your phone from the list of devices at the top of the screen.
3. See if your Phone is recognizable.
How to find your phone via the Internet
If you’ve lost your phone, you can locate it remotely using the Find My Device website. You must sign in to the Google Account that was used to set up Find My Device. It takes a few seconds, but the service should be able to locate your phone. Alternatively, you can also do a Google search for “Find my phone” to find your handset.
1. Go to Find My Device website..
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. Check if your Device is visible.
How to ring using Find My Device on your phone
The best thing about Find My Device is that it is easily accessible. If you need to locate your phone, simply visit the website or log into the service from another phone. Once you’ve signed in to Find My Device and found your device, you can use the Play Sound option, which will continuously play a loud sound at full volume on your phone, even if you’ve turned off the ringtone. Once you find your phone, you can press the power button to stop the ringing.
1. Find your phone in the list of devices associated with your account.
2. Tap Play sound.
3. You The device starts to ring. You can press the power button to stop the sound.
How to lock your phone using Find My Device.
The “Secure” option allows you to lock your phone remotely. Additionally, you can display a message above the lock screen and add a button to call back your number, so anyone who finds your phone can easily contact you.
1. Find your phone Click on “Find my device”.
2. Tap Safe device.
3. Choose Add contact information to add a message and phone number to appear on the lock screen, and tap Save.
How to remotely wipe your lost phone’s data
If you’re sure you’ll never see your phone again, there’s the nuclear option of wiping the data remotely. This will delete all data on your phone the next time you turn it on.
1. Find your phone Click on “Find my device”.
2. Go to Setting gear Icon on the right.
3. Choose Factory settings reset to delete all data on the device.
Find My Device is the only tool you need to track down your missing phone. The best part is that it installs straight away and you don’t have to do much with it once you’re set up.
Having such a service is convenient, but you should also make sure to write down your phone’s IMEI and serial numbers. You can never be too careful, and if you lose your phone or it is stolen, you can deregister the phone from mobile networks using an IMEI number.