How to Find Your Lost or Stolen Android Device

Have you ever been in a situation where you put your hand inside your pocket to look for your phone and it is not there? Nothing gives you a worse shock than not finding your phone where it is supposed to be. In the best case scenario, it slipped somewhere, like under the couch or bed and you find it within minutes. Worst case scenario, it got stolen. Whatever the case may be, losing your phone even for a moment can make you feel like you’re stuck in a nightmare. Fortunately though, there is a feature on your android device that can help you find, ring, lock and erase the data on your phone remotely.

Android Device Manager comes really handy if you’re unable to figure out where your phone is. Although, we hope that you never have to use it but in case if you do need it someday, here’s what you got to do:

Install Android Device Manager

All Android Devices running on Android KitKat or Lollipop have Android Device Manager installed on them. If you’re using a previous version, you can download the app from the Google Play store and install it as you would install any other app on your device. Once it is installed or if it is pre-installed, follow these steps:

• Go to settings > security
• Go to Android Device Manager/Device Administrators
• Enable the option of Android device manager

Requirement:  Google account must be synced in the device and device must be connected to internet connection. Make sure location access is also turned on. If you’ve turned it off, here’s how to turn it back on: Settings> Personal> Location

Access your phone remotely

When you forget where you kept your phone or lose it:

• Go to the Android Device Manager’s website on a computer, laptop or a tablet
• Sign in using the same account which is synced in your phone
• You’ll see your device listed on the web page and if it is connected to the internet and GPS is turned On (hopefully it is) you can track its location using the GPS

Ring your phone

You can make the phone ring by using the option on the screen and this will make your phone ring for about five minutes on the maximum volume. So if it is there under the couch or in your coat pocket, you’ll be able to find it easily. This works even if your phone is on silent or vibration mode.

Lock your phone

The lock option will allow you to change or set up a security PIN on your phone so that it cannot be used by any unauthorized party. This secures your data from a thief who might misuse your data for fun.

Erase your phone

This is the last resort which you can use when you’re absolutely sure that you’re never getting your phone back. This feature will wipe the entire data from your phone and restore it to the factory settings. This feature ensures that no one misuses your personal data. However, Android Device Manager may not be able to wipe the content of an SD card in the device.

Also, once the data is erased,  android device manager will no longer work on the device.

Important: Android Device Manager won’t work for devices that are turned off or that don’t have a Wi-Fi connection or mobile data connection with an active SIM card.

To download the Android Device Manager App, http://bit.ly/1GOxxPP