How to find a lost Android phone via computer

Top 5 solutions for finding a lost Android smartphone via computer

I wrote about methods to find a lost smartphone in my article Finding a disconnected Android smartphone after theft. On this page I want to complement the information and write in detail about practical programs and services that will help find your device if you lose it. With the help of these solutions, it will be possible to find your lost Android phone via computer, or any other gadget that has a browser and access to the Internet.

No app will help you to search for your smartphone on your own if it is not previously installed or configured! Interaction with the services to find the gadget is through a pre-created and connected in the application, or settings android profile. Some applications may practice a different concept, requiring you to link to another phone number or email, and responding to SMS commands.

Similar services and programs to find your lost phone on Android are many. Every such app requests access to read and manage your smartphone data. In theory, this means that your information (some apps request full access) will be available to the guys whose apps you use. So, I would recommend choosing software from those companies that you think you could trust to protect your data. From this calculation, I would focus on companies that specialize in data protection, or solutions from smartphone manufacturers. But your point of view may not be the same as mine!

How to track your phone through a Google account?

But it’s possible to find your lost or stolen Android phone with a Google Account, even if you’ve turned off location services. It’s no more difficult to do than remove a picture key; all you need is a computer, laptop, tablet or other smartphone connected to the Internet, account information and a little patience.

A user who has lost a device and wants to know where it is now, should first remember if he or she has done a sync with a Google account. If you didn’t have time, didn’t want, or forgot, you can forget about the methods listed below, go get a new phone and try not to repeat the same mistake. Then there will be an opportunity to deal with other pressing problems: recover deleted photos on Android or find the best movie and TV catalog program.

Via satellite

To see on the Google map where the Samsung, Lenovo, Asus or any other Android smartphone that had the misfortune to get lost is located:

  • In the field that opens, the user can see the latest account activity on the device and understand if it is stolen or turned off and forgotten.
  • If geolocation on the smartphone is turned on, the owner will see a map with the location of the device on a new page. In addition, he will be able to find out the current battery level and the name of the network to which the device is connected.
  • If geolocation is disabled on the device, it will not be found on the map: the online service will give a corresponding warning, and the user will have to look for other search options.

Tip: If you’ve lost several devices linked to the same Google account, the owner can track the location of each of them in one window, simply by switching from one tab to another.

Handset dialing

If according to the image on the Google map it turns out that the smartphone on Android is in the direct access area of the owner, but still can not find it, you should, without closing the previously described page, use another useful function, which is called: “Call”.

This can be done in the following way:

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You can call both one phone and several at the same time. The service is provided by Google absolutely free of charge and can be used as many times as the user needs.

Important: Both options work only if the smartphone is turned on, otherwise Google will show a notification about the inability to detect the device.

Lock the device

Another option available on the same page and recommended if the device was stolen or lost and is far from the owner. Lock:

  • Leave a message for the finder or intruder, which motivates him to act and contains contact information. Mail, phone number, address etc., and then click the “Block” button. All the information you entered will be displayed on the smartphone screen.

Tip: if it is not possible to find or return the phone, the owner has only to erase the personal data. This can be done using the appropriate button at the bottom of the same page.

How to find the phone by SIM-card

Another possible way to trace a disconnected phone if you lost it is to contact the operator directly. All modern companies (Megafon, MTS, Beeline) have the ability to send a signal SIM-card even if the device is not available. For this purpose uses the GPS system, which works through a system of satellites. The signal, which was sent from several points, will be received by the card, which will have time to fix the nearest communication towers. It will help to calculate the location of the mobile and show it on the map. To find the phone on the SIM card, you need the following:

  • Contact the company’s office with a request to search for the device.
  • Provide the number of lost cell phone, its IMEI, number of SIM contract.
  • Waiting for operator’s reply.

Locking the device

Locking of a stolen phone is realized with the help of the mentioned service. Log in, select your device, click “Lock your phone”. Specify in the lock settings the message that will be shown on the screen of the locked device. Here you also specify the number to contact the owner. Also specify the unlock password. Press the “Lock” button. All further actions with the device will be impossible.

The above service works via Internet. If it is disabled, you will not be able to block or clear your phone. The abuser will perform a global reset and be able to use the handset as if nothing had happened. The way out is to go to the police. You will need the owner’s passport, phone box and receipt from the store. IMEI codes are written on the box and receipt. Police need these to send request to operators.

After a while, the operators will return an answer. It indicates whose SIM card is installed in the smartphone at the moment. This is the person (even if innocent) who will be held legally responsible. Stolen device will be returned to its rightful owner. Note that the police can find not only a smartphone, but also a simple phone.

The police do not like to be contacted about stolen mobiles, although they have all the tools to find stolen handsets.

How to Find your Lost Phone Using Gmail account?

Online Android Device Manager service to find the phone

This method will only work if the phone is pre-configured. The smartphone must have an active Google account for the search to be possible. Over, if two-step authentication is enabled on the phone, the service may not work, as it will require confirmation of the action (tracking), which can only be done manually.

Other applications that can be downloaded from Google Play, do not give the desired result. Only major Google services can help you find your device.

Finding a turned on phone is not that difficult. Currently, there are three proven ways to do this. One of them allows for use without the intervention of law enforcement. But it is easier to protect yourself in advance, using the mentioned precautions, which will allow you to find your smartphone faster in case of loss.

How to find a disconnected Android phone via computer

The ability to find a lost device is severely limited if the cell phone does not work. How to find a disconnected Android phone through a computer? The service offered by Google will help. Android Device Manager. A prerequisite for using the service is constant access to the Internet or GPS navigation. You’ll also need a Google account.

Ways to find a lost phone

The smartphone uses three modes of determining its location:

  • Orbital constellations. A module that receives signals from satellites is installed inside the device. Common constellations are GLONASS and GPS. This mode provides the most accurate information. The error of navigation is only a few meters.
  • Internet and Wi-Fi. Location of the phone is determined by the networks to which it is connected. Errors in the measurements reach the range of resources.
  • Cellular communication. The device is tracked by the towers from which it receives signals. This mode is the most inaccurate. The error is measured in kilometers, especially in rural areas.

Accordingly, all of these tools are used to find the phone if it has been lost. For each of the modes has its own conditions. For example, to determine the location of the device requires enabled geolocation; to search by Internet networks on your smartphone should be enabled data transfer or Wi-Fi; to search for a device by cellular connection, if it does not have a SIM card, it will also be useless.

IMEI code

IMEI is a serial number given to a device at the factory. With this code the smartphone is connected to the network for the first time. There are several ways to find out the code:

If your phone is lost or stolen, you can use its serial number to find it. Nevertheless, this method is closed from the general public. The search by IMEI is engaged only by the service provider and only at the request of law enforcement agencies.

IMEI code

For your information. Searching the device by serial number alone is ineffective. The communication station registers the phone’s communication by IMEI and SIM-card signal. Therefore, if the smartphone has already been removed from the card, the chances of finding it are quite low.

It is even more difficult to locate the phone if it is switched off. Some applications show the last recorded location of the device on the map, but finding out where your smartphone is now, if it’s turned off, is very difficult.

SIM card number

Most of the sites offering paid services for device search by SIM-card number are fraudulent. This kind of service is provided only by the service provider at the request of the police. Nevertheless you can take care of such situations in advance and activate the phone tracking function.

The operators MTS, Beeline, Tele2 and MegaFon offer such services as a parental control. The service allows not only to find out where the owner of the device is, but also to get access to the battery charge percentage and sometimes to the app usage statistics.

The “Parental Control” service on Megaphone

  • Low accuracy. Quality of information directly depends on the number of communication towers located in the area of operation. In large cities, where there are enough antennas, the error reaches 300 meters. In small towns or rural areas the figure is a few kilometers.
  • Price. As a rule, the service has a free period, but eventually you will need to pay the operator for location every month.

FYI. There is no sense to connect the service in case your phone is lost or stolen, because there are more accurate, efficient and free ways of tracking.

Google Account

To locate the lost phone with the help of Google service you can both from another device, through the application, and from your computer, through the website.

If you want to track your device with the mobile app, you only need to activate one Google account on two gadgets. If one of them is lost, you can go to the Google Maps app and click on “Where am I??”. The map will display two points corresponding to the location of the two devices.

To find out the device’s location from a computer, use the “Android Remote Control” function. On the site, downloaded through a browser (you can do this on a mobile gadget), you must enter the username and password from the Google account, activated on the device. A mark on the map will show you where the device is, and your smartphone will receive a notification to log in to your account. The service offers several interesting functions:

  • Dial. The device will play at full volume for five minutes, regardless of the volume setting.
  • Locking the screen with a missing message. If the smartphone was found by a decent person, then there is a chance that you can get your gadget back.
  • Deletion of all information from the phone. Useful option in case your device is stolen and there is no chance to return it.

How to track anyone’s phone location without them knowing! This was used on me��

Geolocation

Satellite navigation systems are most commonly used to send geo-positioning data. Among Google’s services, there is a feature called “Chronology” used to locate the device remotely. The app can’t tell you where your smartphone is right now, but you can track your gadget’s routes for a certain amount of time.

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This feature can help you figure out if your smartphone is in someone else’s hands or if it’s lying in one place, such as forgotten on the street. Also with the help of the service you can find out the last location of your Android phone if it is turned off.

Location history “Chronology”

The work with the site is as follows:

  • To go to the “Chronology” page;
  • Enter the login data for the Google-account activated on the device;
  • Choose the date and time you are interested in.

On the map will appear the route for the entered segment.

Special applications and services

There are two important things to keep in mind when working with such programs:

  • On many devices, the author’s apps are included in the basic installation, i.E. They work on the gadget by default. Some models. Especially on older versions of firmware. Are not equipped with such programs. You can install them from open sources: Play Market for Android and AppStore for iPhone.
  • When cleaning the device from unnecessary applications, it is important not to delete the author’s program, otherwise in case of loss of the smartphone it will be difficult to find it.
find, lost, android, phone, computer

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