Just search "Find my phone" to easily locate a lost Android device

Google Search is the go-to option for people all around the world when they need answers to any type of question. Similarly, Google Maps provides directions to people who have lost their way in an unknown area. If all this was not enough, Google has now come up with probably the fastest way to find a lost Android phone or tablet subject to a few simple conditions. Let’s check out how a simple input text like “Find My Phone” in the Google Search box can trace the location of a lost Android device.

Criteria to be Met

To trace the lost Android phone or tablet, you must be logged into the same Google account that’s used on the mobile device. Second, the lost device must have the latest version of Google’s Android app installed on it, and the corresponding Google account must be active (automatically signed in) with location as well as data turned ON. Once these two conditions are fulfilled, you can track the lost Android device using the new feature unveiled by Google.

Process for “Find My Phone”

You can try to search for the lost device using Google search in a browser from another phone or even a desktop computer. The simple process requires a person to type the phrase “Find My Phone” in the Google search engine. Google will then display the search results along with a map that would possibly show the real-time location of the lost phone (or tablet) if the criteria above are met.

If the location and data connection on the lost handset are not turned ON, the map may still show the location that was tracked last when the connection was ON. This could still be helpful for users to get near the place where they must have forgotten the Android device.

If the accurate location of the lost device is shown on the map and the device is somewhere near where the user is currently located, then the Google app provides the option to ring the device by clicking on the “Ring”icon. This “calling” feature is particularly useful to search for a misplaced phone at a guest’s place, restaurant or maybe even at home.

Benefits over Android Device Manager

Google already provides the Android Device Manager (ADM) app to track a lost phone. It offers the added features to lock a stolen device or wipe data from it. However, the process to initiate this app and track the location of the lost device using this app was not very user-friendly. When a device is lost or misplaced, the user is already stressed out and tense, so a simple process to trace the phone such as the new Google “Find My Phone” option could prove to be a real boon. The best thing about this new search functionality is that once the location is traced, you can decide whether to erase any private data from it by starting the ADM app.