How to Find your lost Android phone for Free

If you recently misplaced or lost your Android phone, you are probably ready to give all it takes to find it. The reason is that it has become part of your life and it poses a threat if an unauthorized person has access to the phone. Not just the device itself but your personal data stored on it.

Thanks to advancements in technology, we can try different methods and services on the internet to help you locate your lost smartphone.

In this article, we will explore the following:

• How to use Google Find My Device
• How to use the Google Maps history
• How to find your lost Samsung phone
• And other methods to find your lost Android phone.

But the first step before we proceed is to calm down. I know it is disheartening and right now, you’re stressed out because of your phone. But take a deep breath now to gather your thoughts before trying the various methods below.

Tips to Find Your Lost Android Phone

• Call the Phone (again)

There are chances that your phone is nearby, so the first thing you should do right now is call your phone with someone else’s phone. If the phone is still around, you will hear it ringing.

You should try and trace the phone back to where you have walked through while still calling the lost Android phone and see if that will solve the problem.

It is also important you are really calm in case a stranger picks up the phone. Speak politely and the person (who might have helped you pick up the phone somewhere) decided to return it to you.

• Use Google Find My Device

Because Android’s ecosystem is powered by Google, you can use Google’s official service to find your lost Android phone or tablet. All you have to do is:

1. On another device, go to https://www.google.com/android/find
2. If you have not done so, log in to your Google account that’s linked to your lost Android phone.
3. If your Google account is connected successfully, select the lost phone if you have multiple devices linked.
4. If your lost phone is turned on and it has an active internet connection, you will see its location right on the map as Google will automatically try to help you locate the device. You double-click or use your two fingers to zoom out the map.
5. You can therefore trace your phone to that location.

 Alternatively, you can download the Google Find My Device mobile app on another phone and follow the same procedure from Number 2 above to locate your lost Android phone.

• Check Google Maps Timeline

If you are unable to locate the lost phone using the method above, you can still try to know its last location using the Google Maps Timeline. Again, you will need to have access to a computer or another Android phone. If you have recently turned on location or used Google map on the lost device, try finding its last location by doing this:

1. Open Google Maps on another device or go to Google Maps.
2. Click the menu icon at the top-left corner.
3. A sidebar overlay will appear, scroll down and click “Your Timeline”.
4. At the top, choose the last day, month, and year to lose the phone.
5. Google will show you the location of the phone at that timeframe.

Then you can go to that location and find your lost phone.

• Contact Your Carrier

If you have tried all the methods listed above and you are still unable to find your lost Android phone, contacting your carrier or internet service provider may be the solution you need. So long you can prove that the lost device is yours, they might be able to help you track your phone and/or block anybody from using the phone.

All you have to do is visit them or make a phone call to contact them as quickly as possible.

• Report to the Police

As mentioned earlier, it is possible that someone has helped you pick up the phone from where it got lost and take it to the police (such good people still exist). You can go to the police station in that area to report the case to them and who knows what will happen?

And in the case, nobody drops the phone with them, it is important you file a police report. Provide them with important details of the lost phone such as the name, color, model, manufacturer, and any other information to identify the phone.

You can also try to explore any in-built features to find a lost phone on your device if there are any. For instance, Samsung has such a feature. Let’s talk about it.

How to Find a Lost Samsung Phone or Device

In addition to the five different methods above, you can also try these two methods below to find your lost Samsung phone:

• Samsung Find My Mobile

This feature is just like Google Find My Phone, but specifically for Samsung devices. Ensure you have access to a computer or any device with an active internet connection. And do this:

1. Go to the Find My Mobile website here >>  https://findmymobile.samsung.com
2. Sign in with your lost Samsung device’s account credentials
3. Once you are successfully logged in, Samsung will automatically try to locate your phone
4. If the device is actively connected to the internet, you will see its location displayed on the map

With the Samsung Find My Mobile, you can also back up the data on the lost phone, remotely lock the device, and track its location.

• Samsung’s SmartThings Find

This feature doesn’t work on every Samsung device, it only works on selected devices like the latest ones. Find another Samsung phone that is compatible with SmartThings Find and do the following:

1. Open the SmartThings app on the other Samsung device
2. Sign in to the Samsung account linked with your lost Android phone
3. Then at the bottom of the screen, click on “Find”
4. And SmartThings will show you the last known location of the lost device.

You can now find your lost Android phone or device

Misplacing or losing something is a distressing situation and that may be the situation you are in now. But with the methods listed above, you should be able to find the lost phone.

If you realize the phone is gone, kindly erase your data remotely from the lost Android phone or device.

To do this, all you have to do is ensure you remember the login credentials of the account linked to the lost phone and make use of the tools mentioned above: Google Find My Device, Samsung Find My Mobile, and others.

Have you recently tried any other method(s) aside from the ones listed here to find your lost Android phone or device? kindly share it with us.