how to find a lost samsung phone

Not to sound overly dramatic, just I think that sinking feeling that arrives the moment yous realize your Android phone's missing is one of the worst feelings. Our phones are intrinsically personal, guarding our deepest secrets and personal information. Add to that the fact that losing a phone is a costly experience, and that feeling is compounded.

Should you find yourself frantically searching your pockets, backpack, purse or countertop for a missing phone, don't panic! Every Android phone comes with tools congenital into information technology that make it possible to secure your data and track downwardly your lost phone with ease. Don't get ahead of yourself and experience comfortable quite even so. At that place are a few steps you need to take right now to gear up yourself up for success if or when your phone goes missing — including if you lot left it in your business firm.

Below I walk you through all of the steps you tin can and should take now, every bit well as what you demand to practise when your phone goes missing.

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Take a few minutes to set up now

It doesn't accept a lot of fourth dimension to tap your style through a few unlike settings panes and ensure that the proper switches are turned on, or y'all're signed in to the right services. Trust me, time to come y'all will thank present y'all for taking v minutes to do the following.

Create a secure lock screen

Do yourself a favor and turn on passcode and fingerprint authentication. Practice yourself another favor and don't employ facial recognition on your Android device.

On about Android devices, the technology used for facial recognition can exist easily tricked with something as unproblematic as a photograph of your face up. Google'due south Pixel 4 and Pixel four XL are the exceptions here, every bit they use a more than reliable system, similar to Apple's Face ID.

Side by side, create your passcode and ready fingerprint authentication in the Settings app nether the Security section. I realize scanning a fingerprint or entering a Pin code every fourth dimension you want to use your phone tin can exist inconvenient, but the thought of someone having admission to your photos, banking apps, email and the rest of your personal info is downright scary.

An actress step to unlock your phone is worth the attempt when you consider the potential impact of exposing your personal info to a stranger.

Read more: If you lose your iPhone, immediately exercise these 3 things

Set up Google'southward Observe My Device service, regardless of who makes your phone

Make sure Google'due south Find My Device is turned on.

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Any fourth dimension you sign in to an Android device with a Google business relationship, Find My Device is automatically turned on. Google'due south free Notice My Device service is what you'll employ should your telephone e'er go missing to track, remotely lock and remotely erase it.

Check to make sure Find My Device is enabled on your Android phone by opening the Settings app and going to Security & Location > Find My Device. Alternatively, if your device doesn't have a Security & Location pick, go to Google > Security > Discover My Device.

Find My Device should be turned on. If not, slide the switch to the On position.

Finally, double-check that the ability to secure and remotely erase the device is turned on past going to android.com/find on your computer, selecting your telephone, and clickingPrepare Secure & Erase. A push button alert will be sent to your phone -- tap it to finish the setup process.

Accept a Samsung phone? There are ii dissimilar services you should cheque

If you've signed in to your Samsung business relationship on a Galaxy phone, you lot should exist good to become. Notwithstanding, it'southward a practiced idea to double-check.

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Samsung has long offered a Observe My Mobile service to help Galaxy phones owners track down their lost phones. The service is dissever from Google'due south Find My Device offer, and is something you can -- and definitely should -- prepare. Not merely does it give you a backup service you can use to track down a lost telephone, but it also gives you tools that Observe My Device doesn't have. With Samsung's service, y'all tin do things similar force remote backups or see if someone has swapped out your SIM card. Y'all'll demand to utilise your Samsung business relationship to prepare Find My Mobile.

However, more than recently, Samsung announced a new service calledSmartThings Detect. The new feature works likeApple'south Notice My app by crowdsourcing the location of a lost device, even if it's offline, but telling nearby Galaxy devices to look for its Bluetooth signal and written report its location if it's establish. All of which, of class, is done anonymously.

There's no damage in using Google's offering, in addition to both of Samsung'due south device tracking services. Turn on Find My Mobile on your Milky way telephone in theSettings app. Next, go to Biometrics and security > Find My Mobile. Notice My Mobile should already be enabled if you signed into your Samsung business relationship during initial setup. If not, accept a few seconds to sign in and enable Discover My Mobile.

SmartThings Find will, well, help you find your device.

Jason Cipriani/CNET

As for SmartThings Observe, you'll demand to have a Galaxy device running Android eight or newer. The setup procedure should already be taken care of as long as yous're running the latest version of the SmartThings app. I had to go into the Milky way Store app and update information technology myself, only one time I did that the main page of the SmartThings app had a map showing the terminal location of my Milky way Buds ($58 at Amazon), along with other Samsung devices that are linked to my business relationship beneath the map. If it's not set up already, there volition be a SmartThings Find card you need to tap on to consummate the setup process. Once you practice that, y'all'll run into a map with the location of all your Discover-enabled devices.

Once it's turned on, you tin can view the location of your device(s) by opening the SmartThings app and select SmartThings Find. Of course, if you lose your phone you'll have to use another device to access the SmartThings app to locate your device. Either yous tin sign into the app on a friend or family unit member'southward device, or use another one of your devices to find information technology via the app.

When you view the lost device'south location, in that location'south a More Options push that will take you to Samsung'southward Observe My Mobile service where y'all tin can so use its controls to lock downwardly your device, remotely back information technology up or fifty-fifty erase information technology.

How to lock down, track a lost or stolen Android phone

Employ Google'south Find My Device service to notice your telephone

Play a audio, lock your phone or erase it using the Find My Device site.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Using Android's baked-in service requires y'all to recollect one thing: android.com/find. That website is where yous'll go in the unfortunate event that you lose your telephone. Make sure to sign in to the same Google account that's linked to your Android telephone.

Not near a computer? You can use another Android device and the Find My Device app, which you'll accept to download separately from the Play Store. Immediately later you sign in to the site or app, Google will attempt to locate your phone.

An alert will be sent to your phone to tell whoever has information technology that information technology's beingness tracked. Use the menu on the left-hand side of the Find My Device site to play a sound (helpful if you misplaced it in your home!), lock downward your device or erase the device birthday.

Selecting Secure Device volition lock the phone, display a message of your choosing on the lock screen and sign out of your Google business relationship. Don't worry, you can notwithstanding locate the telephone later it'due south locked. If you use Google Pay for mobile payments, locking your phone volition forbid anyone from using your telephone to brand a purchase.

If you apply the Erase Device characteristic, you will no longer be able to track the phone. Reserve this feature equally a terminal resort.

Should the thief turn off your phone, y'all won't exist able to track it until it'southward turned back on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Google will send yous an electronic mail once it locates your device.

Once you find your phone, you'll need to enter your Pin or passcode to gain access. That should too get rid of the lock screen bulletin. Yous might as well have to log in to your Google account, just to verify it actually is you accessing the phone -- you don't need to plough anything off in the Notice My Device app.

What to exercise if you have a Samsung phone

Samsung'south Detect My Mobile has a lot of options for tracking and controlling a lost telephone.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Samsung Galaxy owners accept the benefit of using Google's or Samsung's respective services to locate a lost device, but I recommend using Samsung's offering. Every bit y'all'll see below, the added capabilities are invaluable.

To runway a lost device with Samsung'south service, yous need to visit findmymobile.samsung.com. In that location isn't a companion app, so yous'll need to utilise a mobile browser on some other telephone or a computer.

Sign in with your Samsung account, so select your lost device on the left side of the screen. A map will display where your phone is currently located, and a card of options will evidence up on the right side of the screen.

Start by locking the telephone, which will display a personalized message on the lock screen, suspend your Samsung Pay cards and foreclose the phone from being powered off.

Next, create a backup of your phone. Should y'all lose information technology for good, you'll want to have a current fill-in of your phone. If the phone is moving locations, utilize the Track location feature.

Enabling this feature volition track your phone every 15 minutes. Finally, turn on the Extend battery life feature -- this will disable almost everything on the telephone simply the location tracking.

Similar to Google'southward Find My Device service, Samsung'south service only requires you to enter your Pivot after locating your telephone. You lot don't need to become back to the website and plough whatsoever of the tracking features off.

Life Pro Tip: Don't confront thieves

If your telephone has been stolen and yous're able to rail its location, do non endeavor to recover it yourself. Doing and so could lead to yous or someone else getting injure, and despite the importance of a phone, information technology's simply not worth information technology.

Instead, contact local police enforcement and let them know yous need aid recovering a lost or stolen phone that y'all've been able to rails to a specific address.

Unable to retrieve your telephone? Contact your carrier, file an insurance claim

Contact your carrier to file an insurance claim as soon as y'all realize you aren't getting your phone back.

Sarah Tew/CNET

If it becomes articulate that you're never going to get your phone back, contact your carrier and report your phone equally lost or stolen. Doing this volition blacklist the phone from the carrier'southward database, preventing some other person from using it.

When you call, your carrier volition want to suspend your service also. This is a expert thought if you desire to foreclose someone from using your phone. However, proceed in listen that if you're notwithstanding tracking your lost phone, you lot'll lose a mobile connection to information technology -- and unless the phone is somehow registered on a Wi-Fi network, you'll lose the ability to rail it.

Finally, if you pay for insurance on your phone, you'll need to file a merits and pay the deductible to get your replacement phone. Become the insurance claim process started through your carrier, who will then likely refer yous to the third-party insurance company that volition replace your phone.

Good luck! Nosotros hope you never take to go through the emotional roller coaster of losing a phone, tracking it down and trying to become it back.

Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/stolen-or-lost-android-phone-heres-how-to-find-it-and-get-it-back-as-fast-as-possible/

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