Tech

How to Enable Find My Device on Your Android Phone (and Why You Should)


Woman texting on Android.

Uwe Krejci/Getty’s photo

Have you ever lost your phone? When you did, was it ever located? If not, has there ever been a case where someone with bad intentions might find that phone, break into itand… well, you know the rest of that story.

The only positive outcome from such a scenario is if the person who found the phone returns you. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but the reality is that you should plan accordingly.

One of the first things you can do is register your phone in Google’s Find My Device feature. It’s free and the benefits you get from it are important.

As far as what you get from this feature, the list is pretty short but very engaging. Once your phone is registered in Find My Device, you can:

Once upon a time, you could also change the password for a device. But because of new features, such as biometrics, that is no longer possible. Even without that feature, the peace of mind you can get from issue factory reset For a lost phone it’s worth the few seconds you spend turning on the feature.

That’s right, it’s very simple. Let me show you how.

Also: 5 quick tips for better Android security right now

What is Find My Device and how to enable it for your Android phone

This will work on devices running Android 8.0 or later, so these steps should apply unless your phone is more than two years old.

The first thing to do is open the Settings app, which can be done by swiping down twice for the Notification Ball and tapping the gear icon, or opening the Settings app from the App Drawer.

In the Settings app, you’ll see a Security section. Tap that entry.

List of Android Security Settings.

Privacy options are easily accessible from within Settings.

Photo: Jack Wallen

In the Security page, you’ll see a Find my device list. Tap that list.

Find my device list in Security.

To enable this feature, you must first tap Find My Device.

Photo: Jack Wallen

In the results page, tap the ON/OFF slider to Use Find My Device until it is in the ON position.

Also: 6 best Android phones

Find my device ON/OFF switch.

Enable Find My Device in Android 13.

Photo: Jack Wallen

Once you’ve turned on Find My Device, open a web browser on your desktop or laptop and go to https://www.google.com/android/find. Give the service some time to register your device and it should show up. When you see it listed, assume you’re connected to your phone, whether you know where it is or not.

Find my device sidebar.

List my Pixel 7 Pro in Find My Device.

Photo: Jack Wallen

When to use Find My Device

This is a difficult question to answer for everyone. The truth is that we all lose our phones from time to time. Usually, though, those phones can be located pretty quickly, because you’ve simply misplaced them. But if you’ve checked your home, car, and place of business, it might be a good time to visit the site above and take action.

If you think you might know the location of your phone but can’t immediately access it, I strongly recommend that you at least go to the website and secure your phone. If you’re pretty sure it was stolen, I wouldn’t hesitate to erase the device. And that last point is key — don’t hesitate. Even if you delete and find it, you can always sign back in to your Google account and some of your data will be restored (though not all).

The Find My Device feature should be considered a must-have. Make sure your Android phone is signed in to the service, so if your phone is lost or stolen, the option to erase it is one click.

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