Don’t lose your Android device – enable Find My Device today!
Did you know that if you lose your Android device, Google can help you find it? It’s true! You’ll be able to see the location of your device, lock the screen, and erase all of your private data remotely—all with the Find My Device app installed on your device. Here’s how to get started with Find My Device today!
Steps 1-2: Get Started
Losing your Android device can be a nightmare. But if you have Find My Device enabled, you can at least rest assured knowing that you have a chance of getting it back. Here’s how to enable Find My Device on your Android device
1) Tap Settings from the menu
2) Tap Location & Security
3) Scroll down and tap Find My Device and make sure the slider is set to On
4) Follow any prompts or instructions to enter into your Google account information
5) If you don’t have an internet connection when entering in this information, just wait until you do and the process will complete automatically
6) Now all devices associated with your Google account are tracked by Find My Device
7) You’ll know immediately if one of these devices has been lost or stolen
8) You can go online to see its location
9) From there, you can either ring the phone for five minutes (even if it’s on silent), lock it remotely so no one else can use it, or even erase everything on the phone
10) Don’t worry about making any changes to your existing settings; Find My Device doesn’t require special permissions like other security features.
Steps 3-4: Change Your Settings
To enable Find My Device on your Android device, go to Settings -> Google -> Security. Then, under the Device security section, tap Find My Device. You should see a toggle that says On. If it’s off, tap it to turn it on. Once it’s on, you’re all set! If you’ve lost your phone or tablet and someone finds it, they can use this tool to find out how to get in touch with you so they can return it. To find out if your Android is still nearby and has been turned on recently, check under the Device location tab in the Find My Device tool. If your device is offline or not connected to Wi-Fi, there will be an Offline message next to its last known location. If your device is online, you’ll see a map where it was last seen.
Tap any point on the map for more information about when it was seen at that location and other helpful details. It will also tell you how far away from that point your device could have traveled. The accuracy of the location depends on whether your device is connected to Wi-Fi, cellular data, or GPS—the farther away from these connections your device gets, the less accurate the location becomes. But no matter what kind of connection it has, we’ll do our best to help track down your missing phone or tablet!
Steps 5-6: Check Apps Are Synced
If you’ve lost your Android device, the first thing you should do is check that all your apps are synced. This way, you can be sure that all your data is backed up and you can access it from any other device. To check if your apps are synced:
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Tap Accounts & Sync.
- Make sure the Auto-sync data switch is turned on.
- Go to Google Play and tap Menu > My Apps > All Apps. You’ll see a list of all your apps and whether they’re currently syncing or not.
- Check the boxes next to each of the ones you want to sync automatically in the future and click Done at the top right corner of the screen.
Tips and Tricks
If you’re an Android user, there’s no excuse not to have Find My Device enabled. It’s a free service that comes built-in to every Android device, and it can save you a lot of headaches if you ever lose your phone or tablet. Here’s a quick guide on how to enable Find My Device First, head over to Settings > Google > Security > Find My Device. Next, make sure the Find My Device switch is set to ON. Finally, activate Google’s location services by turning on the Location switch and make sure all three Location options are turned on: High accuracy (GPS), Battery saving mode (WiFi), Low battery mode (WiFi & Mobile).
