How does android lost work

Tap Activate, and you're done. From the main Android Lost screen, tap the menu button, and then tap Security level. Next, tap the Exit button, and you're ready to start. Before you can do anything with your device, you must go to the Android Lost website and log on with your Google credentials.

Click the Sign In link and then once authenticated click the Allow button. Now, you're ready to remotely manage your device. From the Android Lost website, you can do everything necessary. One of the first things you should do is set up an SMS Allow phone number. With this number, you can send SMS commands to your device. To set this up, do the following:.

At this point, you can work Android Lost magic from the website and send commands from the phone number that you set up.

Remotely managing your phone from the website is simple. Just select the Controls tab, and then click on the sub-tab that contains the action you want. For example, to remotely wipe your device, do the following:. That particular command will wipe the device. You can then log in with your Google account on the Android Lost site and locate your phone. First, install the app. Open the AndroidLost page on Google Play. Click the Install button and remotely install the app to your lost phone.

Use another phone and send a text message with the following content to your lost phone:. You can now open the Android Lost website , click the Sign In link, and log in with the Google account you use on your Android phone. You may have to wait a little while before your phone becomes registered. After your phone sends its location back, you can view it and click a link to open it on an interactive Google Maps page.

You may have to wait a little while for the phone to become registered. Browse All iPhone Articles Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one?

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Best Drones. Best 4K TVs. Best iPhone 13 Cases. Of course, if you lose your phone you'll have to use another device to access the SmartThings app to locate your device.

Either you can sign into the app on a friend or family member's device, or use another one of your devices to find it via the app. When you view the lost device's location, there's a More Options button that will take you to Samsung's Find My Mobile service where you can then use its controls to lock down your device, remotely back it up or even erase it.

Using Android's baked-in service requires you to remember one thing: android. That website is where you'll go in the unfortunate event that you lose your phone. Make sure to sign in to the same Google account that's linked to your Android phone. Not near a computer? You can use another Android device and the Find My Device app , which you'll have to download separately from the Play Store.

Immediately after you sign in to the site or app, Google will attempt to locate your phone. An alert will be sent to your phone to tell whoever has it that it's being tracked. Use the menu on the left-hand side of the Find My Device site to play a sound helpful if you misplaced it in your home! Selecting Secure Device will lock the phone, display a message of your choosing on the lock screen and sign out of your Google account. Don't worry, you can still locate the phone after it's locked.

If you use Google Pay for mobile payments, locking your phone will prevent anyone from using your phone to make a purchase. If you use the Erase Device feature, you will no longer be able to track the phone. Reserve this feature as a last resort. Should the thief turn off your phone, you won't be able to track it until it's turned back on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

Google will send you an email once it locates your device. Once you find your phone, you'll need to enter your PIN or passcode to gain access. That should also get rid of the lock screen message. You might also have to log in to your Google account, just to verify it really is you accessing the phone -- you don't need to turn anything off in the Find My Device app.

Samsung Galaxy owners have the benefit of using Google's or Samsung's respective services to locate a lost device, but I recommend using Samsung's offering. As you'll see below, the added capabilities are invaluable.

To track a lost device with Samsung's service, you need to visit findmymobile. There isn't a companion app, so you'll need to use a mobile browser on another phone or a computer. Sign in with your Samsung account, then select your lost device on the left side of the screen.

A map will display where your phone is currently located, and a menu of options will show up on the right side of the screen.

Start by locking the phone, which will display a personalized message on the lock screen, suspend your Samsung Pay cards and prevent the phone from being powered off. Next, create a backup of your phone. Should you lose it for good, you'll want to have a current backup of your phone.

If the phone is moving locations, use the Track location feature. Enabling this feature will track your phone every 15 minutes. Finally, turn on the Extend battery life feature -- this will disable almost everything on the phone but the location tracking.