It’s almost inevitable that you’ll lose or misplace your phone at some point. So what do you do when your phone goes missing? No need to panic. You have a few ways to help you find your phone, starting with Find My Device.
How does Find My Device work?
First you’ll need to link your Android phone to your Google account, if it’s not already. This way, you can get on another account-connected device, such as your laptop, watch or tablet, and open the Find My Device app to identify your phone’s location.
If you don’t have a second device, that’s OK. You can get on most web browsers to log into the Find My Device tracker page using your email address or phone number. Here you can see where your account-connected device is hiding and lock it remotely, if needed.
Then, Find My Device can do much more than track your phone. It can help you monitor the location of any number of connected devices and tracker tags in a bunch of ways, such as with map views, audio alerts and light-flash notifications. Learn more here.
Having trouble with Find My Device? Our help page can assist with set up, device management, data protection and troubleshooting.
How to track a phone with Google Maps Timeline.
Another option is to use Google Maps Timeline to track a phone with your Google account using another device, like your computer or watch. Your timeline shows a history of your phone’s locations with specific addresses and times, so you can retrace your steps. Note, your location settings will need to be on for this method to work. For more information on location settings and managing location data, visit Google’s policies on location data.
How to find your phone with your mobile service provider.
If you still can’t access Find My Device or haven’t enabled your Google Location History, there may be a way to find your phone through your service provider by contacting them directly. They may be able to use the phone’s IMEI number to track it. Then, as a last resort, you can ask to suspend service or block your device to protect your valuable information.
Final thoughts.
So, if you ever lose your Android phone, you know you can find it using Find My Device. In addition, you can use Google Maps Timeline to retrace your steps. As a last option, you can contact your service provider for support.
