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How to locate any lost or stolen Android phone using Google Search

The best part about asking Google anything is that a lot of the time, it has answers.

Now, you can add “Where is my phone?” to that list.

If you own an Android phone that your Google account is signed in to, all you need to do to find it is open a Google search page and type “Find my phone” while logged into a browser with that same account.

Google then uses Android Location Services to find it, and show you its location on a map. You even have the option to make it ring at full volume for five minutes to make the phone easier to find, great for those times when it slips deep into the couch without you noticing.

I tried it with the HTC One M9 I’m using temporarily as my primary phone, and it worked. The accuracy? Down to 7 metres according to Google – confirmed by the map that appeared – and the phone rang within seconds of clicking the Ring button.

Just to be clear, of course, this only works if you phone is switched on. It also won’t work if the phone has been wiped – it needs to be connected to your Google account when you search. There is, however, software that will track a phone even if someone tries to delete all the data, such as Cerberus, here.

So now all you need to do to find your Android phone, is Google it. This should come in handy in the case of phone theft, and provide people with a direction in which to point the police.

//this post was edited for clarity about the limitations of Android Location Services.

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