download Android Device Manager from the Google Play Store
HOW TO SECURE AND TRACK YOUR MOBILE DEVICE IN-CASE OF
STOLEN (ERASE YOUR DATA, LOCK YOUR PHONE)
Many at times, we fall victim of friends trying to
rob us of our mobile phone, likewise if your phone got stolen or missed,
research has demonstrated that our mobile devices are stolen by people very close us.
In the same vein, if your phone is stolen and taken
to a very far distance, you can still know the location of your phone.
Note this tutorial is for educative purpose, it might
be a long process but take your time to secure your phone from thieves.
With this method if your phone is connected to
wireless or any network provider (mtn, airtel, glo, etisalat. etc.) it will
ring out so that you can hear if the phone Is still within earable area.
You will be able to lock your phone, erase your data
etc.
Secure your phone using Google
Most Android phones now come with Android
Device Manager built in. This service will automatically track your phone's
location, so if it ever goes missing you can hop on your laptop or a friend's
phone and find it's last known location, ring your phone if it's near by and
you need a hint, or lock and/or erase your phone if you fear it has been
stolen.
The most important thing you can do
is make sure your phone is set up to be found before it goes missing.
Otherwise, you're basically on your own.
In newer Android phones, the Device
Manager is already located conveniently in your Settings app, but if you can't
find it you can always download Android
Device Manager from the Google Play Store. This locating service has essentially amalgamated with
Google to make finding your phone easier. There are just a couple of things
you'll need to activate.
1.
Launch Settings.
2.
Tap security
3.
Tap Android Device Manager so
that a checkmark appears in the checkbox.
4.
Tap the back button in the
top left corner of your screen.
5.
Tap the back button again in
the top left corner to return to the main Settings menu.
6.
Tap Device Administration
7.
Tap Location in the main
Settings menu.
8.
Tap the switch beside Location
at the top of the screen so that it turns on.
9.
Tap Mode.
10.
Tap High accuracy so the
circle is filled in.
11.
Tap the back button in the
top left corner.
12.
Tap Google Location History.
13.
Tap the switch beneath Location
History so that it turns on.
14.
Tap the switch beside your
device so that it turns on.
Locate/Track your phone with Google
Should you happen to lose your
phone, you can locate its whereabouts by logging into your Google account from
any computer or even from another phone.
1.
Launch a web browser from a
phone, tablet, or computer.
2.
Navigate to Google if it is
not your default search engine or home page.
3.
Type finds my phone android
in the Google search bar.
4.
Tap on Android Device Manager
(usually the first option in the search).
5.
Enter your email address and password
just as though you were checking your email. If you have 2-step verification
set up on your Google account (and you most certainly should), you'll need to
complete that process as well.
When your phone is located, you have
three options to choose from:
- You can Ring your phone so that it makes noise (even if you had it on silent). This feature is helpful if the map indicates that the phone is within earshot and you simply can't see it.
- You can lock your phone so that the finder can't access your home screen. This feature is most helpful if your phone wasn't previously secured with a passcode or a fingerprint sensor.
- You can erase your phone. This is the best option if you know for certain that you aren't likely to retrieve your phone.
If you are trying to locate your
phone with Android Device Manager and it doesn't seem to be working, the most
likely cause is that your phone is not currently connected to Wi-Fi or an
available network. In this case, it's important to keep trying; the moment your
phone does make that connection, it will appear on the map.
If you want to download a tracking
app for fear of a missing phone crisis, there are a number of options to choose
from, and we're highlighting some choice picks for you.
Find
your phone with third-party apps
While Google's built-in option is
definitely your best bet, there are some third-party options you might want to
consider. We've broken down the best third-party apps for finding your phone
below.
The Family Locator app by Life360 is
essentially a GPS tracker for phones but is especially
useful for families with multiple
phones in use. Your family members become a "Circle", the app's name
for a closed group of people who consent to having their phones tracked in real
time. Your family members will appear on live maps within the app as little
icons so that you can see where everyone is at any given moment.
The app also allows you to chat with
people in your Circle or broadcast a meeting time and location. And, of course,
if a phone from within your Circle is ever lost or stolen, the app will track
it on the map.
This locator app from Cerberus
offers an impressive array of remote control features if you find your phone
has been lost or stolen. You'll still be able to lock, ring, or erase your phone,
but you'll also be able to remotely access your camera or sound a loud alarm
from your phone, even if it was on silent mode when you lost it.
The advanced features allow you to
hide Cerberus in your app drawer so that it can't be detected if and when your
phone is found or stolen. Your missing phone will transmit data to you via the
Cerberus website or via SMS text from another phone with the Cerberus app
installed.
The Prey Anti Theft app is
impressive in that three different devices can be protected through one
download. You'll have the ability to sound an alarm from your missing phone,
take screenshots if it's in use, and lock down the device the moment you
realize it's missing.
Once you've downloaded the app, it
will walk you through a series of tutorials to show you how to use your Prey
Account to track your phone. The app itself is free and doesn't require
additional purchases in order to access the high-end features.
Lost Android will allow you to have
remote access to your missing phone via their website. Here, you'll be able to
erase sensitive information if you fear that your phone may never be returned,
or send messages to your phone in the hopes of someone finding and returning
it.
Additionally, you can choose to
remotely forward any calls you may be missing to another number and record a
running list of any calls or messages made or photos taken with your phone.
The basic features of the Where's My
Droid app allow you to ring your phone if you misplace it, locate it via GPS on
Google Maps, and use a pass code to prevent unauthorized changes to apps on your
Android phone. Stealth Mode also prevents anyone who finds your phone from
seeing your incoming text messages; instead they'll see a customizable
attention word that alerts them of the phone's lost or stolen status.
The Pro version of the app, which
you pay to use, lets you remotely wipe data from your phone, use a landline to
access your phone, and remotely lock the device.
Google's phone location tools are
your best bet — as long as you've gone through the process of setting things up
ahead of time. Really, this should be something you set up on any device you
care about or that will have sensitive data stored on it, especially with how easy Google
has made it to locate your device
should you lose it.
Of course, one of the benefits of
Android is having the freedom to customize your experience as you see fit. If
for whatever reason Google's offering just doesn't cut it for you, you should
consider the third-party
options we've highlighted above, as they
include some clever features that might give you some added peace of mind if
your device goes missing.
If your phone is stolen or found and
it's then factory reset, you will not be able to rely on any apps or services
to find your it; a factory reset will wipe out any of the original data,
accounts, or passwords that are needed to remotely find your Android phone.
As always, exercise caution when
retrieving a lost or stolen phone. If you have any concerns about it
being lost or stolen, it's best to set up and test your preferred tracking
system as soon as you buy it, and contact the police. It can be a bit of extra
front-end work to register some apps, but it will be more work trying to locate
a missing phone if no safety nets are in place at all
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