Whether your Android device is stolen or you missed it somewhere, losing a phone is such a dreadful experience and no one should face it. All your personal data, be it private pictures or bank or card information, is stored on your phone. Along with getting disconnected from the world, there is also a fear of losing your private data. In this blog, we are describing a complete guide what you can do if you ever lost android phone.
Even though you lose your phone due to any reason, do not panic! There are different ways to track your lost android phone back. Every Android phone has built-in tools to lock and track them back easily. Google I/O has adopted some new features to track down your lost phone and protect your data. Nevertheless, you can also take some precautions on your side.
Here is what to in case you lost androind phone-
Loc Your Device First
Take a precautionary measure first of all. Set a fingerprint lock with a password or pattern. Do another favor to yourself. Do not add face lock to your Android device. On most Android devices, the facial recognition technology is not that advanced and it still needs improvement. One can easily trick this technology with your photo or something like this. We have to wait for Android Q, which would add secure Face ID authentication officially for more secure facial authentication.
Until then, use your fingerprint sensor and password on your Android device. However, it seems too inconvenient to enter a PIN code or fingerprint every time to use your device, you do not want anyone to access your financial apps, photos, emails, and pictures stored on your phone. An additional step to your phone’s security is nothing wrong to avoid potential harm by exposing your personal data.
Turn on Find My Device
Whenever you login to your Google account to sign in to your Android device, there is a default feature ‘Find My Device’ which is automatically turned on. In case your device goes missing, you can use this feature to remotely lock and remove it.
If you want to ensure that Find My Device is turned on, simply go to Settings. Then go to Find My Device under Security & Location section. If there is no Security & Location option in your device, you may simply find this option at Google > Security.
Make sure Find My Device option is turned on. If not, simply toggle it on and close the Settings tab.
Download these apps
Google’s Find My Device
Key features
- Tracks GPS location of your phone
- Play a sound on the go
- Erase your device on the go
- Locks your device at any place
- Supports Android smartphones and tablets
You can use Android’s official service but you have to remember the URL – android.com/find. This website really comes handy when you undergo a disaster of losing your device. Be sure you have been using the same Google account, which is linked, to your device.
If you are away from the PC, you can download Find My Device app on another Android device from the Google Play store. Whenever you sign into the app or site, Google will immediately locate your device. It will immediately send an alert to the device and track the person who has it.
Find My Device site has a menu on the left panel to lock your device remotely, erase your device, and play a sound (in case you missed your phone somewhere in your home).
If you select Secure Device option, it will simply lock your device, show a message on lock screen, and immediately signs out of Google account. Even if your device is locked, you can still track your device. By locking your device, you can avoid unauthorized usage of Google Pay (if you use it as a mobile wallet). Erase Device feature is the last thing you will want to do. By using this feature, you cannot track the device again in future.
In case the thief switches off the device, there is no option to track until they turn it on and use Wi-Fi or cellular connection. This way, Google will immediately notify you with an email once your device is located.
Find My Phone
Key Features
- Built-in map to track GPS location of your device
- Real-time updates on your lost or missing phones
- Shows navigation to locate a phone
- Deletes all messages from a tracked device
Find My Phone by Family Safety Productions makes it very easy to track stolen or lost Android device. You can easily use this app to keep track on your Smartphone or any family member’s device by sinking it to the app. The app shows real-time updates on the location when tracking down a stolen or lost device. The location constantly changes as the device moves. It also shows accurate navigation to the lost device. To provide spot-on location, it works on triangular algorithm.
You can also visit Find My Phone website to view all of the synced devices as well as real-time mapping of the phone. Find My Phone is absolutely free and is the best app for tracking your lost device. It really comes handy when your device got into the wrong hands or fallen victim to a robber’s obsession.
What to Do after Tracking Your Device?
File Insurance claim and/or inform the network operator
If you are sure that you will not get your loved device back sadly, it is time to report your device as stolen or lost and contact your network operator. This way, the carrier will blacklist the phone from its database. By doing this, the thief will no longer be able to use it.
By calling the operator, they will also suspend the services they were providing as well. You should go with it because you cannot let anyone else use your phone. Do it as your last resort because you will lose connection with it. You will never be able to track it unless your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
It is good if you have insurance on your device. You can simply file a claim and get your replacement device by paying a deductible. Your carrier will start the insurance claim process and also refer to any insurance provider to replace your device.
Final Thoughts
If you can track the location of your lost android phone, do not try to face the crooks. No matter how important your phone is, you may not want any harm to you or someone else. Therefore, it is better to complain local police and ask for help to recover your lost device by giving them your tracked address.
We hope you will never have to face this emotional outburst of losing your phone and tracking your device and desperately wanting to bring it home.
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