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.
You don't need to go back to the website and turn any of the tracking features off. If your phone has been stolen and you're able to track its location, do not attempt to recover it yourself. Doing so could lead to you or someone else getting hurt, and despite the importance of a phone, it's simply not worth it. Instead, contact local law enforcement and let them know you need help recovering a lost or stolen phone that you've been able to track to a specific address. Contact your carrier to file an insurance claim as soon as you realize you aren't getting your phone back. If it becomes clear that you're never going to get your phone back, contact your carrier and report your phone as lost or stolen.
Doing this will blacklist the phone from the carrier's database, preventing another person from using it. When you call, your carrier will want to suspend your service as well. This is a good idea if you want to prevent someone from using your phone. However, keep in mind that if you're still tracking your lost phone, you'll lose a mobile connection to it -- and unless the phone is somehow registered on a Wi-Fi network, you'll lose the ability to track it.
Finally, if you pay for insurance on your phone, you'll need to file a claim and pay the deductible to get your replacement phone. Get the insurance claim process started through your carrier, who will then likely refer you to the third-party insurance company that will replace your phone. Good luck! We hope you never have to go through the emotional roller coaster of losing a phone, tracking it down and trying to get it back. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read.
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Stolen or lost Android phone? Here's how to recover it fast
Stolen or lost Android phone? Here's how to recover it fast Losing your phone is a stressful experience, but there is a way to alleviate that a little. Jason Cipriani. March 14, p.
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Prepare now so you can find your lost Android phone with ease. Review your Android's location. Once your Android is found, you'll be able to see its location, as well as several options on the left side of the page: Erasing an Android will prevent you from being able to use Find My Device. Open the Samsung Find My Mobile website. In order for this to work, you must be logged into a Samsung account on your phone.
It's in the middle of the page. If you're already logged into your Samsung account here, skip this step and the next step.
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Enter your account credentials. Review your Samsung's location. Logging into Find My Mobile should prompt Samsung to look for your phone. Once your phone is located, you'll be able to see its last-known position, as well as several options on the right side of the page: You'll be prompted to confirm this decision with a password. You may first have to click Locate my Device to bring up your Samsung's location. Install GPS Tracker on your phone.
Navigation menu
Tap OPEN in your phone's app store, or tap the app icon on your phone. If prompted to allow access to your phone's location, tap Yes , Agree , or Allow. Swipe right four times. This will take you to the account creation section. Tap Step 1 - Create Account. It's at the top of the page. Enter your account details. Fill out the following fields: It's at the bottom of the screen. Tap OK when prompted. This will take yu back to the initial account creation page. Tap Step 2 - Enter Confirmation Code. It's near the middle of the page. Retrieve your confirmation code.
Open your email address, find the email from "Registration" with the subject "Registration Code" and open it, and note the red-text number in the body of the email. If you can't find this email in your inbox, check the Spam or Junk folder. Enter the confirmation code.
Tap Verify Confirmation Code. It's below the text field. This will confirm your email address and create your account on this phone. On Android, you'll instead tap Activate here. Repeat the setup process on the other person's phone. Download and open the app, create an account, and verify the email address that you used to create the account. It's in the top-right corner of the GPS Tracker main page.
You'll see this near the top of the page. You will need to have the person's email address in your iPhone if you want to track them.
Choose The Best Cell Phone Tracker
On Android, you can tap Enter Email in the top-right corner of the screen to enter an email address. Select a person to invite. Tap the name of the person whom you want to track. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. On Android, tap an email service, then tap the paper plane-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Have the other person accept your invite. Review the other person's location. Every ten minutes, GPS Tracker will update with the other person's phone's current location. You can monitor this from the main GPS Tracker page. Not Helpful 11 Helpful Can a Samsung phone be tracked by an iPhone without the owner's knowledge?
How to Use an Android Phone as a GPS Tracker Device
I use lookout to track my Samsung Galaxy S5. I track it with the lookout website on my computer, and I know there is also an iPhone app, so it should work. Not Helpful 13 Helpful Yes, even if you turn off location you can still be tracked to a certain area. The only way to stop being located is to remove the battery physically out of the phone and for extra measure take out the SIM.
It is the only sure-fire way to stop your phone from pinging the nearest tower.
This is a problem because you can't remove an iPhone battery. Better get a second phone that has a removable battery and leave the iPhone where you want them to think you are located. Not Helpful 3 Helpful Absolutely none, unless the app you're using is not authentic.