How to Find a Lost Android Phone

The phone is not in the bag, not in the house, and calling it has produced nothing. Tracking it does not require an app on whatever device is at hand, because the Google account already knows where its own devices are. Any browser you can sign in from is enough.

Sign in to the finder

On a computer or tablet, open android.com/find and sign in with the same Google account the missing phone uses. On another Android phone, the Find Hub app, named Find My Device on older versions, does the same thing after signing in to that account.

Pick the phone and ring it

Choose the phone from the device list, then select Play sound. It rings for five minutes at full volume even when the phone is set to silent or vibrate, which settles quickly whether it is under a cushion in the next room.

Lock it with a message

Select Secure device. This locks the screen, displays a short message and a callback number that you type in, and signs the Google account out of the phone. The phone stays locatable after it is secured, so this is the right move as soon as it is clear the phone is not in the building.

Erase only as a last resort

Erase device wipes the phone remotely and ends all tracking. The location stops updating and the phone can no longer be found through the account, even if it turns up later. Use it when the phone is plainly gone and holds data worth more than the hardware.

Check again when the phone is off

Recent Android versions report a last position through the Find Hub network for several hours after the battery dies or the phone is switched off, provided that setting was on beforehand. Nearby devices relay the location, so reload the page and check the timestamp on the map before concluding there is nothing to see.

Turn the feature on before it is needed. On the phone, open Settings, Security & privacy, Device finders, Find My Device and confirm it is on, along with the offline finding option. None of the steps above work on a phone where it was switched off.

If the map points at a stranger's address, do not go there. Take a screenshot of the location and timestamp, note the phone's make, model, and IMEI, and give all of it to the police. Recovering a phone in person has gone badly for people who tried.