Whether you are the victim of theft, you have lost your phone or you simply want to sleep peacefully knowing that nothing will happen to your new phone, in this guide we show you the most effective ways to find and recover a stolen or lost Android phone , completely free and easily.
You thought it would never happen to you, but your mobile phone has finally been stolen or lost , and now, of course, it’s time to locate it. With the rise of smartphones, so has the number of stolen mobile phones worldwide, which now amount to 70 million each year, and of which only 7.3% are recovered, according to a recent study.
And worst of all, security experts say that device theft could be reduced by up to 85% if users implemented a series of simple security measures like the ones we show you.
- Locate and recover your mobile with Google Find My Device
- Other apps to find stolen or lost mobile phones
- Cerberus
- Prey Anti-Theft
- How to protect your mobile phone from being stolen
Locate and recover your mobile with Google Find My Device
” Find My Device ” is one of the most useful tools created by Google, without a doubt. It was previously a service known as Device Manager or Android Device Manager , but a few years ago its name was changed to Find My Device.
The best thing about this tool is that it is not even necessary to have it installed on the mobile phone – although it is recommended – to be able to locate it in case of theft, since you only need to have a Google account associated with the mobile phone, tablet or watch. However, the mobile phone to be recovered must meet a series of conditions:
- The mobile phone must be on .
- You must have an associated Google account .
- You must be connected to a Wi-Fi or mobile data network .
- It should appear visible in Google Play –if you have Google Play Services installed– you probably won’t have any problems.
- Location must be turned on .
- The “Find My Device” feature must be enabled.
To meet this last requirement, you must access your mobile’s settings and, in the search engine, enter “Find my device”. Finally, you must activate the option . This way, your mobile will be located at all times, and you will be able to find its location in real time.
If you have lost your phone or have been the victim of theft, the main thing to do is to access the device manager, either from another Android associated with the account, or from a computer, tablet or another mobile phone from the web browser available at android.com/find or from the link below these lines.
Once inside, a list will appear at the top left with all the associated Android devices – mobile phones, tablets, watches… – You will have to select the one that has been stolen or that you have lost . In this way, the app will start searching for the terminal, and if it is found, it will place it on the map, in a position that represents its last recorded location .
On the left side, there are also several shortcuts that, if the phone cannot be located, will allow you to ring it, block it completely and thus prevent whoever stole it from using it . It is also possible to delete all the data stored on the phone, so that at no time can sensitive information that may be on the phone be accessed.
If you’re lucky, a green icon will appear on the map indicating the exact position of the phone . If the terminal is switched off, the location where it was last seen will be displayed . If it is not possible to recover it, there is always the option of requesting a block through its IMEI .
Other apps to find stolen or lost mobile phones
Whether you don’t want to have a Google account associated with your phone or for any other reason that prevents you from using Android Device Manager, you can turn to one of the third-party Android apps designed to locate — and hopefully recover — stolen or lost phones . In this case, however, you should keep in mind that before losing your phone, you should have installed and configured one of the tools, otherwise you probably won’t be able to use them to recover the device. Here are some of the best:
Cerberus
One of the classic tools for tracking stolen or lost Android phones is Cerberus. It is a very complete app that, in addition to allowing you to locate the phone, offers the possibility of controlling it remotely to block it or delete all its data, or even prevent the potential thief from turning off the device to keep it untraceable, and even block access to the notification panel.
To use Cerberus, you only need to install the application and enable all the permissions it requests . This way, it will be possible to locate the phone even when it is not connected to the Internet, thanks to the option of doing so via SMS messages.
Cerberus is a free app, but it only allows us to test its features for a limited period of time – 5 days, to be exact. If you want to use it as a default location method in case of theft, you will have to pay a fee depending on the chosen plan, the maximum price of which is up to 50 euros. Therefore, if what you are looking for is an application to find and recover your mobile for free , it may be better to use Google’s tool.
Prey Anti-Theft
Prey is, for many, the best alternative to Cerberus –especially after the controversy surrounding Cerberus’ supposed lifetime subscriptions, which in reality only last 8 years– and other apps for locating stolen or lost devices. One of its advantages is that in its free version it allows you to locate your phone without any limitations, although some of the extra functions are exclusive to those who pay. These are the basic functions, which anyone can access just by downloading Prey:
- GPS Mobile Locator : Precise location on the map, with GPS coordinates in each report to locate your Android mobile.
- Anti-theft alarm: Your android phone will ring loudly even if it is silenced.
- Control Zones: Draw an area on the map and receive alerts when your Android device enters or leaves it.
- Remote Lock : Lock your mobile remotely.
- Front and Rear Camera: Take photos and find out who has your phone.
- Stealth Mode : Hide the app with stealth mode, Prey will work silently.
- Alert Message: Displays a message on the screen to alert the potential thief.
How to protect your mobile phone from being stolen
If you are lucky enough to have not yet had your mobile stolen, you should make sure to keep it protected so that, in the event of loss or theft, you can’t locate it as quickly as possible. In this regard, we are going to give you several tips to keep your mobile safe :
- Avoid leaving your cell phone in sight in public places.
- Use a protection method on the lock screen (PIN, pattern, password, etc.)
- Link a Google account to your phone so you can find it remotely.
- Write down the IMEI , in case it is necessary to file a complaint and disable it.
- Create a full backup of your data .
Following these tips will make it easier to keep your device protected , and will make it easier to locate or recover it if it is lost or stolen.