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If your Android phone is lost or stolen, Google's Find My Device lets you locate it, lock it, or wipe it remotely, before anyone else can access your personal data. This guide shows you how to enable it and what to do if you ever need it.
Enabling Find My Device
Find My Device is often enabled by default but worth confirming:
- Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device
- Toggle it on if it is not already enabled
- Confirm your phone is signed into a Google account: Find My Device only works with an active Google account
- Make sure Location is turned on: Settings > Location
What you can do remotely
From any browser at android.com/find (or by searching "Find My Device" on google.com), you can:
- See your phone's location on a map, accurate to the last time it had an internet connection
- Play a sound at full volume, useful if your phone is nearby but you cannot find it
- Lock your phone remotely and display a message and callback number on the screen
- Erase all data on the phone: use this as a last resort when you are certain it cannot be recovered
If your phone is lost or stolen
Act quickly: the sooner you respond, the better:
- Sign in to android.com/find from another device using your Google account
- Try the sound option first if you think it is nearby
- Use Lock to prevent access while still allowing the phone to be located
- If you believe it has been stolen and contains sensitive data, use Erase: this cannot be undone
- Report theft to the police and your network provider: your provider can block the phone using its IMEI number
Before you lose your phone: prepare now
A few minutes of preparation now will save hours of stress later:
- Note your IMEI number: dial *#06# to display it, and write it down somewhere safe
- Keep your Google account password and 2FA recovery method up to date
- Ensure your Google backup is enabled so your data is not lost if you need to erase the device
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