How To Track And Recover Your Lost Android Phone, Plus Other Security Tips

Losing your Android phone is one of the biggest problems you might encounter when owning a smartphone. However, as technology improves, device recovery is now possible and can even be set preemptively in case the unfortunate happens. Here’s how you can trace and recover your missing Android phone.

Security Passwords

To prevent others from accessing your lost phone, passwords and security features should be activated to protect your files inside it. For Android phones, it’s best to keep your security features to passcodes and fingerprint IDs. It’s been noted that Android’s face recognition feature can be easily duped by showing it a static picture of your face.

Fixing up these security features are can be done in the Settings, in the aptly named “Security” list.

Setting Up The Tracking Feature

To make the “Find My Device” feature work, users need to log into a Google account in their device. This way, the device can send data to your email address and can be tracked if your device is missing.

The feature can be found on your Security menu as well, but this feature is best for Samsung devices. Google has also implemented a simple version of this for all Android devices.

Tracking The Device

If you’ve lost your phone or just want to try out how the tracking system works, you can proceed to the “Find My Device” site on your computer or use the “Find My Device” app on other Android phones. Both tracking systems will try to locate your device through the tied Google email address that you’ve logged into.

Once inside the tracking system, you’ll have a set of tools to help locate your device aside from looking at it from a GPS map. A button on the left side allows you to make the device give an audible beep, which would help you locate the device if you’ve misplaced it in the house.

For a last resort, the “Erase Device” option is also available which expunges all data from the device. While you won’t be able to get your device back this way, the people who’ll find your device won’t find anything important in it either.

Insurance

If your device is tied to a provider such as Sprint and AT&T, it’s best to get in touch with them as soon as possible. If the device is still covered in its insurance plan, you can have your device replaced for a lower price or, at times, free.