Google Find My Device

Zift Advisory

Find My Device is an Android app used to locate a lost or stolen phone, tablet or watch. The Find My Device app allows users to lock, erase or show a message on their lost or stolen Android device. Rated for users of all ages, Find My Device can be downloaded in the Google Play store.

About Google Find My Device

What is Google Find My Device?

Find My Device is an Android app used to locate a lost or stolen phone, tablet or watch. The Find My Device app allows users to lock, erase or show a message on their lost or stolen Android device. Rated for users of all ages, Find My Device can be downloaded in the Google Play store.

In addition to finding a lost or stolen device, Find My Device allows users to remotely lock and erase their device and can set a message with their contact information (should a good Samaritan find their device).

Users are also able to see their device’s remaining battery life, in addition to the network to which it is connected. However, for the Find My Device app to work correctly, users must have an active Google account on the device, for it to be located.

A part of the Google Play Protect suite of services, Find My Device only works on devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or later. Once downloaded and installed, users must register the Find My Device app with a Google account.

After logging in with Google account and password information, users must permit the app to access their device’s location services, so that the device can ping its location.

The Find My Device app works with multiple devices, which will be shown as thumbnail images at the top of a user’s screen when they log in. To locate a specific device on the account, users need only tap the icon at the top of the screen to select and will then be notified if that device is locatable.

If a user is unable to use a mobile device to access the Find My Device app for device locating, they have the option of logging into the FindMyDevice website with their Google account information.

A handy feature of the Find My Device app is the ability for users to initiate a sound or ringtone from their misplaced device, which is especially useful if the device has been lost around the house. Typically the sound feature would be negated if a user has set their device to silent, but the Find My Device app can prompt the misplaced device to play sound, regardless of ringer settings.

Is Google Find My Device safe for my kids?

Find My Device is an Android device manager app used to locate a lost or stolen phone, tablet or watch. The Find My Device app allows users to lock, erase or show a message on their lost or stolen Android device until they can get it securely back in their possession.

Rated for users of all ages, Find My Device can be downloaded in the Google Play store and is safe for kids.

Parents should know that the Find My Device app, formerly named “Android Device Manager”, is an Android device manager similar to Find My iPhone that enables users to locate their lost or stolen smartphone, tablet or watch.

It’s important to note that many users have encountered issues logging in on a device other than their own as they’re prompted for two-factor authentication, which many users assign to their mobile phone.

If a user is attempting to locate their smartphone with Find My Device, two-factor authentication will be sending an authentication code to the lost smartphone which, in turn, will prevent them from logging into Find My Device.

In all, the Find My Device app is a handy feature for Android users, but parents should know that the app is not foolproof. If a phone battery dies, the app will be able to show the phone’s last location, but can’t show a position if the device is not emitting a signal.

Likewise, many thieves perform a factory reset on mobile phones immediately after stealing, which would negate the Find My Device app’s usefulness. While users may remotely lock their stolen device, a thief can turn off the phone without unlocking so that the device’s whereabouts can’t be tracked.