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Just log in and your phone will appear as an icon. Click on the icon to view the location of the missing mobile phone. This GPS phone tracking device helps with Androids too. The app will send a text invite to the feature phone. If their phone is lost, the app will provide GPS navigation assistance to help you guide them its destination.
Its state-of-the-art GPS system can keep tabs on registered phones, using satellites to triangulate the exact location of every phone registered to your account. Glympse - Share GPS location. Without any sort of system or app in place, your best bet is to do the same old stuff. Call or text your phone to try to reach out to the person who might have it.
Believe it or not, that does work sometimes. Sometimes reaching out and letting the other person know that you plan on taking action can scare them into returning the phone somewhere.
Whoever has your phone can still answer phone calls. Unless you have them disabled, notifications can also show up on lock screens without unlocking the phone on devices running Lollipop or higher. Thus, there is a line of communication that you can try to take advantage of. Additionally, you can retrace your steps to see if you left it somewhere. Check lost and found bins or customer service desks at stores you visited.
You should definitely report your phone lost or stolen. This dramatically reduces the value of the phone. The FCC also recommends reporting the theft to the police. That way you have documentation that proves the cell phone was stolen. You never know when you need that. Additionally, with the ESN or IMEI number in their possession, the police would be able to return your device if they happened to find it.
This one goes without saying.
Your phone remains logged into your Google account, Facebook, and potentially even other apps. Thankfully, most banking apps log you out after a period of time or after you close the app. Some apps, like Spotify and Netflix, allow you to sign every device out of your account from their web version.
Do this for as many services as you can. That locks up your accounts tightly. Some devices, like Samsung phones, have a function that erased all of your user data when your password is entered in wrong too many times.
We recommend enabling that as soon as possible. If we missed any of the best find my phone apps or other find my phone methods, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
Losing your smartphone is one of the most frightening experiences in the modern age. Here are more useful apps to keep your phone safe if it ever gets stolen! Google's phone location tools are your best bet — as long as you've gone through the process of setting things up ahead of time. Really, this should be something you set up on any device you care about or that will have sensitive data stored on it, especially with how easy Google has made it to locate your device should you lose it. Of course, one of the benefits of Android is having the freedom to customize your experience as you see fit.
If for whatever reason Google's offering just doesn't cut it for you, you should consider the third-party options we've highlighted above, as they include some clever features that might give you some added peace of mind if your device goes missing. If your phone is stolen or found and it's then factory reset, you will not be able to rely on any apps or services to find it; a factory reset will wipe out any of the original data, accounts, or passwords that are needed to remotely find your Android phone. As always, exercise caution when retrieving a lost or stolen phone.
Additionally, you can choose to remotely forward any calls you may be missing to another number and record a running list of any calls or messages made or photos taken with your phone. Launch a web browser from a phone, tablet, or computer. It allows you to create a collective with your family and friends and then you can keep track of where they are via their smartphone. Most importantly, you can track one phone for 7 full days using this app, a feature not found in any other app till date. Simultaneously, your family and friends can also share their locations with you.
If you have any concerns about it being lost or stolen, it's best to set up and test your preferred tracking system as soon as you buy it and contact the police. It can be a bit of extra front-end work to register some apps, but it will be more work trying to locate a missing phone if no safety nets are in place at all. What app do you use to track your Android phone, if any at all? Let us know in the comments section below! Refreshed with more up-to-date instructions on working with Google's Find My Device service.
Skip to main content. Forums Shop Toggle Search. How to find your lost phone Worried about misplacing your phone or worse yet having it stolen? Tap Find My Device so that a checkmark appears in the checkbox.
Tap the back button in the top left corner of your screen. Tap Location in the main Settings menu. Tap the switch beside Location at the top of the screen so that it turns on.
Tap High accuracy so the circle is filled in. Tap the back button in the top left corner. Tap Google Location History. Tap the switch beneath Location History so that it turns on. Tap the switch beside your device so that it turns on. How to locate your phone with Google 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.
Launch a web browser from a phone, tablet, or computer. If necessary, enter your email address and password just as though you were checking your email. 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.
With Find My Device open, you have three options to choose from: 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.