How To Track & Find Your Stolen/Lost Android Smartphone

How To Track & Find Your Stolen/Lost Android Smartphone

Tracking and finding your stolen Android Phone has never been easier.
I bet we are familiar with the security features that come with Avast and Netqin Anti-virus software. They both come with anti-theft options that use the GPS function on Android to find the location of lost or stolen phone. Functions of the phone can also be controlled remotely.
With all of that in place, am here to talk about the Android Device Manager. A new method that can be used in tracking your lost/stolen smartphone.

About the Android Device Manager

Android Device Manager is an android application, specifically designed for this purpose of tracking and finding your lost phone — similar to Find My iPhone and Blackberry Protect.
Android Device Manager which is popularly called ADM, is an application released by Google.

If you misplace your android phone, you can use Android Device Manager on the web or the Device Manager app to remotely ring, lock, or erase your device. When you erase your device, all apps, photos, music, and settings will be deleted. Even the Android Device Manager will be deleted and you can no longer track your phone. Therefore, use with caution.

How To Download & Configure Android Device Manager

On the Innjoo Fire Smartphone that I am using, the option is already available. Hence, there is no need to download anything.
If you want to check if it is enabled for your device, just go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators on your Android device. Here you should see Android Device Manager, tick the checkbox and click the activate button.
If you don't have it installed, just do a quick search on play store for Android Device Manager, download and install.

To be able to track your phone in case it gets lost, you might want to activate location services on your phone. To turn on location services, go to Settings > Google > Location Settings and turn it on.

How To Use ADM To Locate/Find Your Phone

Sign in to your Google Account on android.com/devicemanager.
If you have more than one device, click the arrow next to the device name to select a different device.
Select any of the following options in the top left corner of the screen:

** Ring: Rings your device at full volume  – even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
** Lock: Locks your device with a new password.
** Erase: Permanently deletes all of your data.
You can also use a friend’s android device to locate your phone. You can access Android Device Manager on browser or your friend’s Device Manager app.

The downside to this is that your device must be connected online, Android Device Manager won’t be able to ring, lock, or erase the device until there’s a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection. When you select any of the options, the action will be performed once the device is back online (connected to the internet).

Also note that devices that are powered off cannot be tracked because ADM would not work. So, if your device was stolen and turned off, you cannot do anything using this application.

Google also sounds a note of caution here – If you believe your device has been stolen, contact law enforcement. Don’t attempt to retrieve the device yourself.