Learn how to find, lock, or erase it.

Find, lock, or erase a lost Android device

If you lose an Android phone, tablet, or Wear watch, you can find, lock, or erase it. If you've added a Google Account to your Android device, Find My Device is automatically turned on.

To use Find My Device, your lost device must:

• Be turned on
• Be signed in to a Google Account
• Be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi
• Be visible on Google Play
• Have Location turned on
• Have Find My Device turned on

Lost Android Wear watches must also be running Android Wear 2.0 and up.

Tip: If you've linked your phone to Google, you can find or ring it by searching for find my phone on google.com.

Remotely find, lock, or erase

1. Go to android.com/find and sign in to your Google Account.
2. If you have more than one device, click the lost device at the top of the screen.
3. The device gets a notification.
4. On the map, see about where the device is.
   • The location is approximate and might not be accurate.
   • If your device can't be found, you'll see its last known location, if available.
5. Pick what you want to do. If needed, first click Enable lock & erase.
   • Play sound
     Rings your device at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it's set to silent or vibrate.
   • Lock
     Locks your device with your PIN, pattern, or password. If you don't have a lock, you can set one. To help someone return your device to you, you can add a message or phone number to the lock screen.
   • Erase
     Permanently deletes all data on your device (but might not delete SD cards). After you erase, Find My Device won't work on the device.
     Important: If you find your device after erasing, you'll likely need your Google Account password to use it again. 

Posted by Akindele Kelvin

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