5 Simple Ways To Track Your Lost Android Phone
Today,
your smartphone is your personality. It is your digital fingerprint
encased in a sleek device and it is in need of as much security as your
home. Your private images, bank details, text messages, are all safe in
your hands; but the moment they fall into the wrong hands, your world
can turn upside down. Therefore, we bring you today, a comprehensive
list of things you can do to remotely locate your Android smartphone, in the unfortunate circumstance that it gets stolen or lost.
In
2013, Google introduced the Android Device Manager, a brilliant little
tool that helps you find your lost device quickly and easily. To make
this work, your device must remain connected to your Google account when
lost or stolen and location services should be active. Also, the
Android Device Manager needs to be activated beforehand. Here’s how you
can activate Android Device Manager:
Go
to Google Settings in your Android phone > Security > Tick both
‘Remotely locate this device’ and ‘Allow remote lock and erase’.
Voila!
You’re done. Now in the unfortunate circumstance that your device is
stolen, simply find a computer or laptop connected to the internet, go
to the Android Device Manager login page (click here)
and login using your Google credentials (the same as those on your
phone). Google immediately displays a map of your phones location along
with the option to remotely lock your device, erase all data and make
the phone ring. In case you are in the vicinity of the location, you can
hit ‘ring’ and pinpoint your device. Even if you cannot find a laptop
or computer, you can use another Android device and use the Android
Device Manager app to locate your device.
Lookout
has been at the forefront of smartphone security for a while now. It
works in the same way the Android Device Manager does, though. Just
install the app and you can then locate your phone by logging into the
Lookout website. The downside is that you have to pay a premium to use
all features like remote wipe and lock. It is a good alternative
nevertheless.
Another
nifty little app is the AirDroid app. Android users can locate, remote
wipe, remote lock their device using this app. Users can even remotely
capture photos using the device camera to nab the culprit. AirDroid also
offers an option to transfer important files from your device and send
text messages.
You
can also use your Android Device’s location history to pinpoint the
location of your device. Google Maps saves the device’s location from
time to time on its servers and this can be used to locate your device.
It is required that your phone be connected to your Google account. Go
to the Google maps location history via a computer and select the
current day. Hit ‘Show Timestamps’ and look for the device’s last
location.
If
all of the above doesn’t work, an unorthodox way is to use the Dropbox
app. To make this work, ‘Camera Uploads’ must be activated within
Dropbox. Once this is activated, the app syncs all photos clicked by the
camera to your online ‘Camera Uploads’ folder. So every time the thief
clicks a photo, you will be able to view it online. If you are really
lucky, the thief may turn out to be a selfie freak and you can view
their mug shots and nab them. Other times, you have to bring out the
Sherlock in you and try to identify the locations the photos were
clicked at.
Also
if you are a Windows Phone user, this article certainly will make you
frown. So why should only the Android guys have the fun? Here’s an
article that lists simple steps on How To Find A Lost Windows Phone.