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Clever new Google search trick will instantly locate your Android phone

Updated Apr 16th, 2015 11:29AM EDT
Google Android Tips And Tricks Find My Phone

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Google this week made it easier than ever to find your missing Android phone. All you have to do is search Google for “Find my phone” and Google will locate your device and give you the option of having it ring at full volume. You’ll need to have the latest update for the official Google app installed on your Android device but once you have that, locating your phone really will be as easy as performing a Google search for it.

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You’ll also be able to remotely lock or erase your device as well, although you’ll need to have the Android Device Manager installed and set up to do that through the “Find my phone” search trick.

Apple has long had a similar feature for iPhones through the Find My iPhone tool that will help you locate your lost iPhone on a map, although you’ll have to locate it on Apple Maps and not Google Maps. Find My iPhone also has some additional features that Google’s search trick doesn’t yet have, such as the ability to remotely put your iPhone in Lost Mode, which will enter in a phone number where you can be reached and to add a message asking someone to return the iPhone to you.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.