All of us have experienced the feeling of dread when we misplace or lose our phones. Not only does one’s heart sink at the prospect of thinking that another human being might’ve stolen it, but we also feel stupid about being so careless as to be without our smartphones in an age where connectedness is everything. The worst part of it all is the helplessness as you look from room to room, bar to bar, store to store, trying to remember where you might’ve misplaced your phone. You can spend hours looking for your phone when in reality, it was under your pillow the entire time. Not only does this waste time, but it also creates unwanted stress. If you’re an Android user who has ever thought to yourself, “is there an app for this?” well, the answer is a resounding “YES”. With Find My Device, you won’t have to worry about your Android phone getting lost in your car, work, or home ever again. Not only that, you’ll also be able to connect Find My Device to your tablet and Wear watch as well.

Before you use Find My Device there are a couple things that need to be in place in order for the app to work correctly. Firstly, your device must be turned on while you’re using the app. Secondly, must also be signed into your Google Account. Thirdly, you must also be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi with your Google Play visibility turned on as well as location. Finally, Find My Device must be turned on. We’re going to go through all these components in order for you to use Find My Device successfully.

Installing Find My Device

If you don’t have the app on your phone, you’ll want to go into your Google Play account and look up Find My Device. When you find it, simply click download and it’ll download onto your phone. Then after it’s done, open it up and go through the instructions of setting it up. Once that step has been completed, follow these next steps in order to make sure that everything is properly set up.

Checking That Find My Device Is On

Your Find My Device may be turned off but don’t worry, you can fix this all by yourself. You’ll want to enter into your device’s Settings app. Once in settings, tap on Security & Location, then tap on Find My Device. Once there, you’ll want to turn on Remotely Locate this Device and Allow Remote Lock and Erase. By activating these two options, you’ll be able to access your device remotely and in the case your phone is stolen, you’ll be able to clear the data remotely.

 Turning on Your Location

To make sure that the location is turned on, you’ll need to access your device’s settings. Once you’re in settings, tap on Security & Location or if your device doesn’t have that option, simply select Location. Then you turn on your location.

Google Play Visibility Is On

If you have hidden a device on Google Play, you won’t be able to use it with Find My Device. Is this your case? If so, you’ll need to access your account on play.google.com/settings. Once you’re in your account, under visibility, you simply select the device you want to make visible. It’s as easy as that!

Check That You Can Find Your Device

Once all these steps are completed, you’ll want to open android.com/find, then sign into it with your Google Account. If you have more than one device connected, you simply choose the device from the menu at the top of the screen.

In the case that you need to find your device while using this app, it’ll play a sound from your phone, so you’ll be able to track the device down with ease. In the case your phone is stolen, you don’t have to worry, you can lock, erase or show messages from your remote location. So, you have control of your phone regardless if it’s lost or stolen. People worldwide love the features that Find My Device offers users and feel at ease not having to worry about their devices being lost forever and the risk of your personal information being accessible. It’s the single most important step you could ever take towards securing your device from prying eyes. As long as you have internet access, regardless of where you are in the world, you’ll be able to access and lockdown your device with Find My Device.