Lost your mobile device? Did someone steal it? Or better yet, wanna know where your spouse’s smartphone is? Oh dear, what a time for such a stressor! Not only have you lost your smartphone but also the all-important and private data and personal info on it.
But worry not you shall, if you are using an Android device (at least if you were using it), you can always get your hands back on it.
Today we show you how to track an android phone and retrieve it, however, only as long as it is switched ON and is accessed to a working internet connection.
how to track an android phone Using Built-in Settings
We’ll begin with the most basic methods first because we believe in taking baby steps for our readers to have a better understanding of how they can easily trace their lost Android device. Below are the methods that both Google and Samsung allow their users to find their Android smartphones with built-in options:
- Samsung’s Find My Mobile™
- Google’s Find My Device™
1. Find My Mobile for Samsung
Samsung users with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 can use the Find My Mobile phone tracking feature. This function is only available to Samsung account holders. Make sure you have a wi-fi network enabled.
- Locate the Find My Mobile option in your settings
.
- Find My Mobile under Settings > Biometrics and Security.
- Switch the toggle on once you’ve reached there.
- You may also choose whether or not to enable the Remote Unlock and Send Last Locations options from here.
Samsung devices ought to preserve your PIN, password, or pattern in the Remote Unlock setting, allowing you to unlock your device even if you forget it. You can even operate your phone remotely after everything is set up.
2. Samsung’s tracking features
The Send Last Location option is a crucial one since it detects when your battery is prepared to be sacrificed and communicates your latest known location to Samsung’s database. Samsung users can also use any browser to access Samsung’s website and track their missing Samsung phone.
3. Find My Device for Google
Not advertising but Sir, you really have to have the Google Find My Device App on your Android device or at least, have the Find My Device setting turned ON. But then again worry not, if you do not have the App, you probably have your Google account set up, which will automatically get your device logged into the Find My Device servers.
Remote monitoring, deleting, playing a tone, or locking your phone, tablet, or wristwatch are among the features available.
- To make sure Find My Device is toggled on, Go to Settings > Google > Security > Find My Device.
After you install the app, you’ll be prompted to log in and enable location tracking to make full use of Find My Device.
4. Google’s tracking features
You may also use the Find My Device website to track your device in just about any browser, whether it’s on your computer or on another smartphone. You can type “locate my phone” into the Google search bar if you’re connected to your Google account. You’ll find out where your missing device is if it has internet connectivity and location tracking turned on.
One of the standout features is the ability to lock the device & post a message with a phone number linked. If someone finds or has your smartphone, all they have to do is hit the Call Me button on the screen to dial the phone number you specified. Therefore, Google’s Find My Device should be your first choice for retrieving your misplaced Android smartphone as it’s so simple and user-friendly.
Find Your Lost Phone or Password Locked Android Device Using Third-party Apps
No matter how much you yearn for your mobile phone’s safety, one can never assure you total protection and safety so that your hands never leave your smartphone.
For further satisfaction and a sense of security, we dish out some of the top tracking apps so that you can always trace your Android device, even if it’s located deep in the ocean somewhere.
1. Life360: Find Family & Friends
One of the most comprehensive GPS tracking apps available on the Google Play Store. The family locator app offers a wide range of accessibility options and an easy approach to set up location services without a whim.
2. GeoZilla – Find My Family
This app offers relatively easier and simpler control over your device to be accessed from almost anywhere, courtesy of its accurate Global Positioning System.
Additionally, this app keeps track of your day to transit and keeps you updated on your location, at different intervals. This app is certainly a go-for if you’re looking to keep track of your Android device 24/7.
3. Phone Tracker By Number
One of the highly reviewed apps related to GPS tracking you can lay your eyes on. The app includes multiple features for securing your location no matter where you are and when you are. Battery life alerts are a good add-on that this app offers, for free.
How to Track a Lost Android Phone, Despite Never having Enabled the Tracking App
Unfortunately, in order for most of the finest tracking applications and their services to function, you must first set them up before your phone gets lost or stolen. This is why taking preventative measures is critical. It only takes a couple of minutes to set things up, and you’ll thank yourself later for it.
However, you might have a possibility to track your phone if it is reported stolen and you’ve not set up a tracking app. You may not have a lot at your command, but you can at the very least, track out where your phone is.
You can also use Android Device Manager on a web browser, which usually is a built-in feature on all Android 2.2 handsets, up to the most recent Android devices.
Simply sign in using the Google account linked to your device and you’re ready to go. You may set your phone to ring for 5 minutes using Android Device Manager. You won’t be able to use some of the additional features unless you have thoroughly set it up.
Anyhow, it is in your best interest to have a tracking app set up prior to your phone having been misplaced. You’ll have complete access to all features and encounter fewer roadblocks this way.
Locate Your Android Phone’s Location using GPS Tracker or Google Maps
Lastly, the hope of rescuing your lost Android smartphone rest on tracing it using the GPS location feature or more accurately, Google Maps. In order to do the deed;
Go to android.com/find
Use your Gmail account and password to log in.
You can view your phone’s approximate location on the map. If the device cannot be located, the last known location will be displayed (subject to availability).
You have three options from the map page: find, secure, or delete everything on your Android device:
- Erase device: To ensure privacy, you can do this remotely.
- Secure device: This can be done using an existing pin or a new one. This feature also allows you to leave a message or contact information to reach out to you, in case whoever finds your device
- Play sound: Your phone will ring even if it is set to quiet or vibrate.
Wrapping Things Up
Moving on to lights out, let’s just revise how we got here. If you lost your Android Device and are in a state of anxiety, look up on the web ‘How to track an Android device?’.
And that’s where we illustriously describe to you the most important and easiest modes to trace your stolen or lost Android device through Maps, Built-in options, 3rd-party applications, and whatnot.
