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You wake up in the morning , find phone but unable to find ,you don,t know where you can find your phone . But ,I have a best solution for you.
So you’ve lost your Android phone or had it stolen and you’re kind of in panic mode, eh? As important as smartphones have become in our everyday lives, misplacing them is one of the most scary things that can happen, but we’re here to help.
Your phone holds tons of info about not only you, but those who are close to you. Someone who gets their hands on your phone may have access to sensitive information such as racy pictures you don’t intend for anyone else to see, phone numbers and addresses, and even financial info. You also might be subject to losing precious memories that simply can’t be replaced.
In most cases you’ll want your exact phone back. At the very least you’ll want ways to potentially recover important files, and either lock access to the phone or completely wipe it so you know all your stuff is safe. Fortunately, you should no longer feel helpless: long gone are the days where you are totally out of options when your phone disappears.
Quick Tips to get your lost phone search started
This article goes in depth with step-by-step tutorials on the top ways to recover your lost Android device, but we’ve collected your best options in bullets to get your search underway as quick as possible.
- The best offense is a good defense: your phone may already be equipped with the proper tools for locating your device and securing it from a remote location using tools like Android Device Manager and Lookout. Once you’ve got your phone back, take preventative measures so this doesn’t happen again.
- Using apps like AirDroid to remotely access files and information that you need to recover, as well as using advanced features like remote camera access and SMS text messaging.
Sound good to you? Well, make no delay — let’s get going!
Enable a lock-screen pattern
First thing’s first — enable a lock-screen pattern or password. This won’t do anything to help you find your phone in the event that it gets lost, but if you lose your phone then you can at least breath easily knowing your information and privacy are protected.
Some folks might find it frustrating to constantly unlock a device each time they need to use it. For that reason, some devices allow you to set a time limit before the device’s password is put into effect. If you really can’t stand using a lock pattern or password day-to-day, then you’ll want to read on to find out how you can enable a password from a remote location.
Options for setting a lock-screen pattern are typically located under the Settings > Security orSettings > Display > Lock Screen menus on your phone. If you can’t find it, consult your phone’s manual.
Enabling and using the Android Device Manager
Your primary option for making sure you’ll be able to locate your phone is to make sure your device is properly registered and accessible via the Android Device Manager. This is a handy little tool that Google released back in 2013, and they have used the advent of Google Play Services to make sure nearly every modern Android device is equipped with it. Many devices come with the feature enabled out of the box, but you will want to double check and make sure that yours is squared away before you set foot into the dangerous world.
For starters, you will have to make sure that the Android Device Manager is enabled as a device administrator by going to Settings > Security and Screen Lock > Device Administrators on your Android device. The exact location and name of the menus might differ from phone to phone, so poke around or consult your user manual for your specific device if you can’t find it. From here, simply check the box that says “Android Device Manager.”
This will also be a good time to head into your device’s location settings and make sure your GPS services are fully enabled and functional. While full GPS isn’t necessarily required for locating a device, it will make the reading more accurate so you’ll have a clear idea of the device’s exact location. GPS doesn’t drain your battery unless it’s actively being used, so it wouldn’t hurt to leave it on for good (unless you’re a tad paranoid about people snooping on your whereabouts and whatnot).
Next, find the “Google Settings” application in your app drawer, and select Android Device Manager from the list of options. From there, make sure you check the boxes named “Remotely locate this device” and “Allow remote lock and factory reset.” These options will be self-explanatory once you head to the browser-based dashboard that you’ll be using.
Which leads us to the Android Device Manager website. Always located at this link(bookmark it, and don’t forget it), the Android Device Manager dashboard is a very simple user interface that is used to locate all your devices from a remote location. A Google Maps-based user interface will show the last known location of your device, which will be updated up to the minute if the phone is still powered on and connected to the internet.
You can also use this interface to start a loud ring that will help you locate the phone if you suspect it’s in a nearby area. You also get options for remotely locking and remotely wiping the device in case you are handling sensitive documents and files on your mobile device.
Remotely wiping your device should be a last-ditch move in the event that you know your phone is not recoverable, because once you perform this action your device will no longer be tied to your Google account (thus rendering the Android Device Manager useless). Finally, be sure todownload the Android Device Manager app from the Google Play Store if you ever need to use the service from another Android device.
Using AirDroid
AirDroid is another great alternative, offering the same usual suspects in terms of “find my device” features — lock, locate, wipe, sound the alarm and take photos of whoever tries to unlock it. But AirDroid also offers a lot more than just the ability to find the device, or wipe and lock it for peace of mind:
- Have important photos and documents you want to make sure you get before you wipe the phone? You can transfer them all over the web using your AirDroid account.
- You can initiate your device’s front or rear camera and see where it is or who is using it — in real time — and snap a photo to save to your desktop. And they won’t even know!
- You can access the phone’s call logs and send text messages, which is handy for alerting people who are trying to contact you that your phone has been compromised and that you will try to reach them another way.
- Root user? Use the screenshot functionality to see if you can catch the perpetrator writing something that may help you identify who they are or where the phone is.
And all of that is coming to you at a price point of $0 over a LAN connection. Doing it over a remote connection — that is, when your phone and PC aren’t on the same WiFi network — requires a premium account starting at $1.99 per month or $20 per year.
A free account also limits you to transfers of just 100MB per month and limits the file sizes you can transfer. The message here is pretty simple: you’ll want to seriously think about opting for a premium subscription if you want to use AirDroid for situations where your device has been lost or stolen. You can find everything you need right here.
Android Lost
The name? Perfect. It’s named after the exact function it helps you eradicate — finding a lost Android phone.
It was before the age of Android Device Manager, and — like a fool — I hadn’t installed a third-party option from Google Play. I actually owe an assist to this great thread over at AndroidForums.com, consisting of help guides and videos to help you get the most out of the app. After Lookout’s Plan B proved to be an utter failure (it’s only compatible with Android 2.0 through Android 2.3), Android Lost came to save the day.
Android Lost allows you to remotely install the app to your smartphone through the Google Play Store (granted your phone hasn’t been wiped and it’s still powered on) and get some of the same great location features we discussed in previous sections. Controllable either via the internet or SMS messages, you’ll be able to pull off the following list of functions:
- Read sent and received text messages
- Wipe phone
- Lock phone
- Erase SD card
- Locate by GPS or Network location data
- Start alarm with flashing screen
- Take photos with front and rear camera
- Record sound from microphone
- And that’s not even a quarter of the list. The Android app and the web user interface you use to control it are some of the ugliest, most grotesque pieces of code we’ve ever seen crafted, but as The Temptations often remind me, beauty really is only skin deep, and Android Lost is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
I only call this tool a last ditch effort because of its reliability, as it’s literally the only remote install, “plan b,” “after the fact” solutions I’ve found for tracking down an Android smartphone (well, the ones that come with Android 4.0 or higher, anyway) that actually works.
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