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As mentioned, if your Android device is turned off, you can use the location history data to identify the last recorded location. On the left sidebar, you can see a complete timeline of that day including the names all recorded locations. On the right, you can see all the locations visualised on a map.
This means that the accuracy can vary significantly. That might help you and the authorities to catch the person. In case your device actually got stolen, you might be able to find it using the backup and sync feature of Google Photos. If you activated this option in the app, then all images taken with your phone will be uploaded to your Google Photos account.
Why is that good news? Well, not just the image but also the location where it was taken is uploaded. Obviously, this only works if your lost phone has an active internet connection and if you gave your photos app the permission to use your location. Please be careful in case you are able to identify the location of your phone, which might very well be the home address of the thief. Use that information and call your local authorities to take it from there. For this to work, you need a Samsung account and registered your device before you lost it.
So try to remember if you did that. Head over and sign in to the Find my mobile website. Check the left sidebar and make sure that your device is connected to your account.
If your device is online and remote controls is enabled, you should see its approximate location. Find my mobile also allows you to do other things such as locking your device, letting it ring with a message and wiping its data. So, if he or she takes a nice selfie you might be able to identify the thief. Should that be impossible, simply start a blog and show the world all the pictures your thief has taken.
Lost your phone? Try some simple steps, like showing the location or locking the screen, to help you secure it. GoogleTerms & PrivacyHelp. Google apps. Don't panic. Find My Mobile will help you locate your device and protect your data. You can even use it to unlock your phone if you forget your password or PIN .
This is only possible for Desktop PCs and laptops until now. I hope you are reading this just out of pure interest and not because you lost your phone!
They usually offer more remote control features and can add an additional layer of security. Cerberus is our top recommended tracking app which features a large selection of remote control options.
This includes basic location tracking, secretly recording audio or video, taking remote pictures, triggering an alarm and wiping your data. There are a lot more options which make Cerberus the Swiss army knife or tracking apps. What makes this app even better are some of the more advanced features. For example, you can hide the Cerberus app in your app drawer which makes it harder to spot and delete.
This way, even if a thief resets your phone back to factory settings, Cerberus will still be installed on your device. For more infos on that, check out our article on Cerberus.
Download Cerberus free with in-app purchases. Lost Android is quite similar to Cerberus and offers a lot of different remote control options including tracking your phone, wiping its data and taking pictures remotely. The installation is pretty easy. This locator app from Cerberus offers an impressive array of remote control features if you find your phone has been lost or stolen.
You'll still be able to lock, ring, or erase your phone, but you'll also be able to remotely access your camera or sound a loud alarm from your phone, even if it was on silent mode when you lost it. The advanced features allow you to hide Cerberus in your app drawer so that it can't be detected if and when your phone is found or stolen.
Your missing phone will transmit data to you via the Cerberus website or via SMS text from another phone with the Cerberus app installed. Cerberus anti theft Free with in-app purchases. The Prey Anti Theft app is impressive in that three different devices can be protected through one download. You'll have the ability to sound an alarm from your missing phone, take screenshots if it's in use, and lock down the device the moment you realize it's missing.
Once you've downloaded the app, it will walk you through a series of tutorials to show you how to use your Prey Account to track your phone. The app itself is free and doesn't require additional purchases in order to access the high-end features. Prey Anti Theft Free.
With Find My Device you can track your device, make it ring and erase its data. Ease your fears and set up a tracking system before your worst case scenario strikes. Should you lose your phone, visit the Lost Android website , log in with the same Google Account as on your phone and choose one of the available tracking features. Instead of using the mobile browser, you can also use the Find My Device app. Otherwise, you're basically on your own.
Lost Android will allow you to have remote access to your missing phone via their website. Here, you'll be able to erase sensitive information if you fear that your phone may never be returned, or send messages to your phone in the hopes of someone finding and returning it. 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.
Lost Android Free with in-app purchases. The basic features of the Where's My Droid app allow you to ring your phone if you misplace it, locate it via GPS on Google Maps, and use a passcode to prevent unauthorized changes to apps on your Android phone. Stealth Mode also prevents anyone who finds your phone from seeing your incoming text messages; instead, they'll see a customizable attention word that alerts them of the phone's lost or stolen status. The Pro version of the app, which you pay to use, lets you remotely wipe data from your phone, use a landline to access your phone, and remotely lock the device.
Where's My Droid Free with in-app purchases. 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.
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. If your battery runs out or your phone is stolen and switched off, you may be out of luck. For that reason it's imperative that you back up everything now, just in case you can't get it back. Below we'll consider the options built into each major mobile operating system to explain how to track your lost or stolen phone.
For each of these you will need to be signed into either your Google or Apple account on the phone before you begin. Some third-party options are also available. If you have several devices spanning multiple platforms, it's worth considering an option such as this that lets you track them all from a single interface.
Read up on how to track lost laptops and smartphones with Prey. It's a free app from Google Play , and you can also access the service from any browser by visiting google. Find My Device offers options to ring, lock or erase your device, should it get out of your hands.