Find, lock, or erase a lost Android device
If you lose an Android phone, tablet, or Wear watch, you can find, lock, or erase it. Find My Device is on by default for Android devices associated with a Google Account.
To use Find My Device, your lost device must be:
- Turned on
- Signed in to a Google Account
- Connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi
- Visible on Google Play
- Location turned on
- Find My Device turned on
Lost Android Wear devices must also be running Android Wear 2.0 and up.
Tip: If you've linked your phone to Google, you can find or ring it by searching for find my phone on google.com.
Remotely find, lock, or erase
When Find My Device connects with a device, you see the device's location, and the device gets a notification.
- Open android.com/find and sign in to your Google Account.
- If you have more than one device, click the lost device at the top of the screen.
- On the map, see about where the device is.
- The location is approximate and may not be accurate.
- If your device can't be found, Find My Device will show its last known location, if available.
- Pick what you want to do. If needed, first click Enable lock & erase.
- Play sound
Rings your device at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it's set to silent or vibrate. - Lock
Locks your device with your PIN, pattern, or password. If you didn't have a lock, you can set one. You can add a recovery message or phone number to the lock screen. - Erase
Permanently deletes all data on your device. (It may not delete SD cards.) After you erase, Find My Device won't work on the device.
Important: If you find your device after erasing, you'll likely need your Google Account password to use it again. Learn about device protection.
- Play sound
- On another Android phone or tablet, open the Find My Device app
.
- Sign in.
- If your own device is lost, tap Continue as [your name].
- If you're helping a friend, tap Sign in as guest and let your friend sign in.
- Follow the same steps as for the website (above).
If you have an Android Wear device paired by Bluetooth with a lost phone or tablet, you can use your watch to find the lost device.
Watch a video about Find My Device
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Ashley is an Accounts expert and the author of this help page. Leave her feedback below about how to improve it.