Anyone who’s lost their phone knows the sheer terror that accompanies such a realisation, especially if they’ve just shelled out for a new Galaxy S7 or HTC 10.
Now the ever-helpful Google has provided its users will a new way of locating lost handsets.
The company already offers the ability to track lost phones with the standalone Android Device Manager app, but an update to the Google My Account hub has now added an extra option.
A new ‘Find My Phone’ section will take you to a list of your handsets from which you can click on any device to bring up a list of further options.
These include locking the device, locating it using Google Maps, making the phone itself ring at full volume, and signing out of your account.
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Choosing to lock your phone remotely allows you to set a password and even write a note to whoever it is that picked up your handset.
You also have the option of ‘reaching out’ to your network provider, or asking for local help by finding the closest ‘lost and found’ using Google Maps.
The final choice on the list allows you to remotely erase the data on your phone, although as Google states, it may not guarantee that all memory cards on the device are cleared.
Google says the new feature can be used to find lost Android and iOS devices and will also soon be accessible by Googling “I lost my phone”.
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What do you think of Google’s new feature? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
