Find, lock or erase a lost Android device

How To from Google

Help, I've lost my phone

If you have a cell phone with the Android operating system, you will most likely have a Google ID and Password. You can sign into your Google account and use the "Find My Device" feature (which is turned on by default) to find your phone. 

To find, lock or erase an Android phone, that phone must:

  • Be turned on
  • Be signed in to a Google Account
  • Be connected to mobile data or WiFi
  • Be visible on Google Play
  • Have "Location" turned on
  • Have "Find My Device" turned on

Remotely find, lock or erase

Go to > android.com/find and sign in to your Google account.

  • If you have more than one phone, click the lost phone icon at the top of the screen
  • If your lost phone has more than one user profile, sign in with the Google account for the main user's profile
  • The lost phone will receive a notification

On the map, you'll get info about where the phone is.

  • The location is approximate and might not be accurate
  • If your phone can't be tracked, you will see its last known location, if available

Choose what you want to do. If needed, first click > Enable lock & erase

  • Play sound   Rings your phone at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it's set to silent or vibrate
  • Lock   Locks your phone with your PIN, pattern or password. If you don't have a lock, you can set one. To help someone return your phone to you, you can add a message or phone number to the lock screen.
  • Erase   Permanently deletes all data on your phone (but might not delete SD cards). After you erase, "Find My Device" won't work on the phone.
  • Important   If you find your phone after erasing, you'll likely need your Google account password to use it again. Learn about device protection

 


Find a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch

How To from Apple

If "Find My [device]" is enabled on your missing device

You can use the "Find My" app to find your device, take additional steps to recover it and keep your information safe:

  • Sign in to icloud.com/   Find on the web or use the Find My app on another Apple device
  • Find your device   Open the "Find My" app or go to iCloud.com and click "Find iPhone." Select a device to view its location on a map. If the device is nearby, you can have it play a sound.
  • Mark a device as lost will remotely lock your device with a passcode. You can display a custom message with your phone number on your missing device's Lock screen. It will also keep track of your device's location. If you added credit, debit, or prepaid cards to Apple Pay, the ability to make payments using Apple Pay is suspended when you put your device in Lost Mode.
  • Report your lost or stolen device to local law enforcement   Law enforcement might request the serial number of your device. Find your device serial number.
  • Erase your device   To prevent anyone else from accessing the data on your missing device, you can erase it remotely. When you erase your device, all of your information (including credit, debit, or prepaid cards for Apple Pay) is deleted, and you won't be able to find it using the "Find My" app or "Find iPhone" on iCloud.com. After you erase a device, it cannot be tracked. If you remove the device from your account after you erase it, Activation Lock will be turned off, which allows another person to activate and use your device.
  • Report your lost or stolen device to your wireless carrier so they can disable your account to prevent calls, texts, and data use. Your device might be covered under your wireless carrier plan.

If you use Family Sharing, any family member can help locate another member’s missing device. Just have your family member sign in to iCloud with their Apple ID, and you can track any device associated with that Family Sharing account.

If your missing device is covered by AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, you can file a claim for your lost or stolen iPhone.

If "Find My [device]" isn't turned on for your missing device

If you didn't turn on Find My [device] before your device was lost or stolen, it can't be used to locate your device. But you can use these steps to help protect your data:

  • Change your Apple ID password so you can prevent anyone from accessing your iCloud data or using other services (such as iMessage or iTunes) from your missing device.
  • Change the passwords for other Internet accounts on your device including email accounts, Facebook or Twitter
  • Report your lost or stolen device to local law enforcement who might request the serial number of your device. Find your device serial number.
  • Report your lost or stolen device to your wireless carrier so they can disable your account to prevent calls, texts, and data use.

"Find My [device]" is the ONLY way that you can track or locate a lost or missing device. If "Find My [device]" isn't enabled before your device goes missing, there is no other Apple service that can find, track, or flag the device for you.