Android device manager is Google app to manage all Smartphone with Android OS. So, here in this article, you will get to know the usefulness of Android device manager and why you should start using it today.
Do you know you can track a stolen phone on Android phone using Google’s Android device manager with the help of Google find my phone feature? If you don’t know that before now, I’m telling your emphatically that if you misplaced your phone or discovered it was in a wrong hand which could be a thief, you can easily use Google find my phone(also called Google’s Android device manager).
Although, find my phone is a special feature on Google search to find lost Android phone. It is not only for lost phone. The Google find my phone can be used to ring a stolen phone, lock a stolen phone, track stolen phone location, send a warning to the theft of your stolen phone, and a lot more.
Note: Later in this post we’d share with you how to use Google Android manager on your Android phone to secure your phone from being a victim in the future.
Let start with find my phone introduction directly on Google search engine. Open your browser and search for “where is my phone” on Google.
Note: You will get Android device manager location unavailable if your location was not enabled on your smartphone before misplaced or stolen. With that, you will not be able to track your location history.
You can also help a friend rings or recover a lost phone using Android device manager typing “find my phone”.
Note: With Google find my phone you can ring a stolen, find a missing phone, lock it, track it, and recover it.
When you are done reading this post you should be able to track and retrieve a stolen phone using the Google Android device manager history and track phone location history. Addendum, we will share Android device manager download for Android phone and set it up to ring your phone, recover your phone, and track location history.
How to Enable Android Device Manager on Android Phone
To effectively use Google find my phone called “Android device manager” you need to activate this feature on your smartphone. Following the steps below you will be able to activate Android phone manager on your phone to be able to use find my phone feature on Google else you have a limited chance to retrieve your Android phone if it got missing or stolen.
Note: You mus have a Gmail account and login to your Gmail account to use Google Android device manager. If you don’t have a valid Gmail account create Gmail account the before proceeding.
However, we assumed that you have logged on Gmail account on your phone before it was stolen or misplaced if you want to continue with this article and make sure you can track your phone location history if misplaced or stolen. Else, you may not be able to track the missing phone again.
1. On your smartphone navigate to settings and click on security settings in the personal section
2. Scroll down and click on device administrator
3. Click on Android device manager from the options
4. Take a look to the right of your device and click on activate to activate Android device manager features on your phone.
Haven’t done this, you have successfully authorized Google manager to access your device and help to either erase your files, lock your device screen, change device screen-unlock password etc. when you authorized it.
Note: Your device location will remain unavailable until you enable it. More so, it advisable to enable device location your device even before any suspicious activities otherwise you will not be able to track your device location history and it will remain unavailable.
How to Enable Location on Android to Enable Android Manager Location History
To successfully track a stolen phone using Google find my phone, and to identify the exact location of your phone you need to enable location feature on your Android phone. However, here is the simple way to make device location available on your smartphone.
1. Swipe down your Android from the top and click on the location icon
2. A pops up window will appear prompting you to allow Google to help find your location more quickly and accurately using Google’s location service. Click on agree to proceed.
Congratulations you have successfully enable location on your smartphone and Google now will be able to track your Android phone location if misplaced through Google Android device manager.
How to Track a Stolen Phone Using Google’s Android Device Manager
You need the following requirement to be able to track your lost Android phone with the help of Google Find my phone (Google’s Android Manager).
1. Your Android phone must be connected to at least one Gmail account
2. Your device must have internet access for Google’s device manager to be able to locate your device current location
3. You must allow Google’s ADM to access your phone as shared above.
The essence of these requirements is for you to be able to track your stolen phone or lost phone’s location without making a report to the law enforcement agency.
Since you have all the requirement in place, follow the procedure below to track your stolen phone using Google track my phone feature.
1. Visit Google’s find my phone page and login to your Android phone associated Gmail account
2. Google will take you to a page containing the current details of your smartphone. The current location, and the route to the location as well as last seen in the location.
The above map shows the exact description of where my phone is currently located and that makes it very easy for me to track down.
How to Use Google’s Android Device Manage to Play Sound on Stolen Android Phone
This is fun to me. Personally, I often use this to play a prank on my friends whenever they have my phone at their disposal and they failed to let me have it. All I need to do is just log into my Google account and start playing sounds without letting them know. However, not only that, I have used this method as well to find my phone most times most especially when I misplaced it.
This method is recommended first before you decided to erase your phone files completely when misplaced or thought it has fallen into a wrong hand. With that in mind, here you will learn first how to play sound on your Android phone with Google’s Android device manager in the available location.
1. Open your browser and visit Google find my phone URL
2. To the left of the page scroll down and click on play sound. Google will try to connect with your Android phone and start playing a sound once connected. In most cases, Google’s device Android manager plays your ringtone for 5 minutes.
3. The sound will continue for 5 minutes unless otherwise, you touched your device keyboard.
How to Lock Stolen Phone Using Android Device Manager
Here is another feature of Google find my phone. Firstly before you erase your files on your stolen Android phone, it advisable to try to lock the device and send a warning a message to the person who stole the phone.
1. Visit Google find my phone and log into your Gmail account with your Android phone associated account. Take a look the left of the page and click on lock.
2. Enter recovery message (preferably a warning message) and enter a recovery phone number (Preferably you friend or spouse number) and click on lock button.
3. If you follow the above steps correctly Google finds my phone will notify you that your phone has been successfully locked.
4. Instantly Google’s Android device manager will lock your phone and prompt the person stolen the phone to only call your number as the only way to use the phone.
Congratulations… You can now be assured that your phone theft would be forced to call your number and you will be able to track your phone unavailable location.
How to Erase Stolen Phone Files Using Android Device Manager
Although I don’t recommend you wipe your stolen phone instantly once you found out that it has fallen into a wrong hand. Take your time to search nook and cranny to see whether you can still gain access to it. In a more resilience way, first try to ring the lost phone to see whether it’s nearby, try to lock it for a while whether the person stole it would be forced to call and if nothing… Then you may need to format the stolen device using Google’s Android device manager and wipe off your entire files without leaving a trace of what you have on the device.
Here is the simple procedure to follow to erase your device when stolen with the help of Google find my phone feature.
1. Open your browser and visit Google find my phone page and click on erase to the left of the page.
2. Your device will be erased and restored to factory settings
This option will erase your files on your lost phone without leaving a trace. This is how powerful Android device manager can be with Gmail.
I Enable Location, Activate Google’s Android Device Manager, Logged in Gmail, Have Internet Access But Couldn’t Ring, Locate, Recover my Stolen Phone.
This is likely to happen when your phone really falls into a bad guys hand. Most especially when it’s a big phone and they can’t afford to let it go. You may not be able to regain a lost phone with Google’s Android device manager or find my phone to retrieve your stolen Android phone because of the following reasons.
1. The thief deactivated the Android device manager
2. If the person in charge of your phone changed the associated Gmail account you may not be able to access your device again.
3. If the person isn’t an internet addict it may take a while to effect find my phone features because without internet access none of this can work. Except erase feature but this will only work if the associated Gmail is still active.
4. If the phone is been formatted before you decide what to do you may not have access to it.