Here are some of the best Applications, Apps, that you can use to locate a lost Android phone:
1. Android Device Manager
Most phones come pre-installed with Android Device Manager, ADM, these days but if your phone does not have this App, do install it immediately. Android Device Manager is a Google App which lets you remotely lock and track your phone. It also has a handy feature to force your phone to ring.
After installing Android Device Manager, add it to your list of system administrators, so you can use it for magical things like erasing your phone if it has been stolen. We have already discussed on how to use ADM to find/erase your device.
Steps:
- Go to the security tab of settings.
- Click on device administrators.
- Select the check-box for ‘Android Device Manager’.
Note: By doing this you give ADM full control of your device. It now has full access to do nearly anything with your android smartphone/tablet.
2. Android Lost / Lost Android App
This is an all-in-one app for securing your phone against theft or loss. Feature-wise, it beats ADM hands down. Most features are fully free, but you will need to pay for using the remote shutdown/restart feature as well as to take remote screenshots. As of now, Android Lost lets you try the Premium features free for a week.
You can fully control a lost phone by browser, or by SMS. Here is a
(small) list of everything Android Lost boasts to do, remotely:
- GPS tracking
- Read/Delete SMS conversations, and send new SMS’s via browser
- Take pictures with your phone camera, and record through your phone’s mic
- Start/Stop phone services like Wi-Fi, Data Connections, GPS
- Get notifications when your phone SIM has been changed
- Play any audio message from your phone
- Hide the app from the launcher
Needless to say, if you can trust Android Lost enough to install it on your phone, locating a lost phone becomes child’s play.
Although there are ways that even Android Lost can fail, if, for instance you lose a phone that is out of charge and no one finds it. Also, If your phone has been stolen, and you have NOT hidden this app, you can wave goodbye any chance of using Android Lost to recover the device.
How to use Android Lost:
Android Lost can be controlled either through the web interface or by SMS. Just log into the web interface with your Google account and go on ahead to the Controls tab.
The interface clearly does not win any points for design, but it does pack several powerful features. The custom alarm is very interesting for sure. You can also set an overlay
message as well as a boot message for your lost phone ‘in-case a friendly guy finds the phone‘ as the Android Lost website puts it.
3. Where’s My Droid App
A plethora of excellent features, but ultimately requires you to pay for the pro version if you actually want to use any of the more useful features like remotely locking/wiping your SD card, or taking pictures with your device camera. This app has most of the features Android Lost has, although it cannot turn off the phone’s Wi-Fi connections or GPS.
4. Find My Phone – Security App
A free App to help locate your android smartphone. It tends to work better with older versions of android than some other apps. The developer also has a Pro version of the app called ‘Find My Phone – Anti-Loss Pro’ which offers an ad-free experience with some extra features like remotely tracking the phone battery usage.
5. Most Antivirus Apps
Most Antivirus and phone security apps also include features to help track, and erase a stolen phone. These are mostly paid apps which claim to be all-in-solutions for all your phone security issues. If you’re interested in this category, only use apps which have been released from trusted companies, because after all, the best way for a hacker to spy
on you is by having you install an app that claims to protect you. We will not go into these apps here as they form an entire app category on their own.
In the end, luck plays a big part in recovering a lost or stolen phone. If your phone has been stolen, it is usually not wise to directly confront the thief, or so most law enforcement agencies say.
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