Finding and remotely locking a lost smart phone

[Glenn MacGrady]

This problem didn't arise on a canoe trip, but it could.

I lost my smart phone somewhere yesterday, a new Pixel 9 Pro. It's not in my house or in my car. I'm sure it slipped out of my pants pocket when I was sitting in a chair, probably in a meeting I attended last night. I was very worried because I had no password or any other security set up on the phone, which means anyone who found it could get access to all my emails, photos and the administration of this site.

Maybe all of you know these technical things, but I'm not very smart about smart phones and probably never will be. But I found out several features I never knew existed.

First, I found out that I could simply switch my phone service from the Pixel 9 Pro to my old Pixel 5a using my cell provider (Google Fi) app. So, I did that, which took about five minutes.

Second, I found out that Google Android has a "find my phone" feature that I could use from my activated old phone. I thought that was just something that maybe called the lost phone. No . . . it actually maps the exact location of the lost phone right down to the corner of the room in the building I was in. Impressive! I don't even know how it does that, given that I had switched off the cell service to the lost phone.

Finally, I found out that I could remotely set a password onto the lost phone from my activated old phone, so that no one presumably can access anything on the lost phone. Again, very impressive! And a great relief to me.

I'm going to go to that building early this morning to see if I can get access to look for my phone.

Presumably, all these features could work if you left your phone somewhere in the woods on a canoe trip or maybe even if you dropped it in the water.

I would guess iPhones have similar capabilities, but I'd like some of you iFolks to confirm that.

 

[tketcham]

That's excellent information for someone like me, who uses a smart phone out of modern day "necessity" but has many of the features turned off with minimal apps installed or enabled. I do appreciate the features and capabilities that are useful, rather than merely convenient, especially while traveling. It's a nuisance to keep the phone with me though and I've yet to find a good way to carry it around. I've thought about adding a separate line just for a small flip phone.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

My phone was found exactly where I thought it might be, and where the Android "find my phone" map feature showed it to be, and I picked it up at 7:30 this morning. I now put a pattern lock security feature on the phone, which is a minor pain, but the reality of losing my phone has now taken on a . . . well . . . REALITY.

 

[Boatman53]

Glad you found your phone Glen. It is amazing how much stuff is stored on those dang things. I had a phone slip out of my pocket and right into salt water, it was at the dock and I could see it but it was too deep. I came back a couple hours later at low tide to pull it out with a net. The darn thing was vibrating like mad and eventually just quit. It was early days on the cell phone designs and I can’t really say it was smart, I just had phone numbers in it. If I lost my phone today wow so much data.
Glad it was an easy find.
Jim

 

[stevet]

Apple devices have a built in feature called Find My which can give the location of any of your devices or people you share locations with. You can lock, erase the device, or place a message on the lock screen remotely. You can also make any device play a sound to help find it around the house. It can also give the last location if the lost device is turned off and not connected to the net.

 

[Erica]

It’s good to know these things. Thank you, Glenn. I guess it means you always need to have two of the darn things.

 

[BWCA66]

When I can't find my phone I use the find my phone app on my chrome book, works great.

 

[Erica]

Thank you Glenn. I’m having a problem charging my phone. Your post gave me the idea to switch the eSIM back to my most recent phone and Yay! it worked.

The texts did not come over, however. But no worries. It solves the immediate problem.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I guess it means you always need to have two of the darn things.

No, not for Android phones. The Google "find my device" feature, which is now called "Find Hub," can be invoked from a Google account on a computer or from any other Android phone (like someone else's).

Don't know about iPhones. @stevet is one of our Apple experts.

 

[stevet]

Not sure I would call myself an expert but know Apple pretty well…Find My works from any Apple device and from your account at iCloud.com from any computer. Here’s a complete description for interested Apple folks.

iCloud+ - Find My

Easily locate your Apple devices, items with an AirTag, compatible third-party products, and friends and family — all with the Find My app.

www.apple.com

 

[Tsuga8]

Thanks for sharing, Glenn, this is indeed useful info. I was without phone last week after I topped my waders and discovered that my phone, previously waterproof, was no longer waterproof after 5 yrs of use. It's getting harder and harder to get by in "civilized society" without the darn things, much as that frustrates me to no end.

Sounds like both the "Find Hub" and changing or setting a phone password can be done from a computer browser and don't need a dedicated app pre-installed on the phone - do I understand that correctly?

I wonder if that applies to Google-made phones like your Pixel, or any Android phone like my Samsung?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Sounds like both the "Find Hub" and changing or setting a phone password can be done from a computer browser and don't need a dedicated app pre-installed on the phone - do I understand that correctly?

I wonder if that applies to Google-made phones like your Pixel, or any Android phone like my Samsung?

Having just learned about all these Android features just three days ago, I hesitate out of my ignorance to venture any more answers about them. I'm sure they all can easily be researched. Or perhaps someone else here already knows for Android phones.