How to Use Find My Device for Android Devices

Open settings

of Android. To do this, swipe down the notification bar from the top of the home screen, and then select the gear icon in the upper-right corner.

• This is the method that ensures you can find out the location of your lost or stolen Android device. ^[1] In case your Android device has been lost, you should look at the Find Android Device method.
• Many (but not all) Android devices have options in this menu enabled by default. However, you should still double check to avoid some settings being changed.

Tap Security & location . If you don’t see this menu, tap Google and select Security .

• The options in the settings menu often vary by phone model. You’ll have to scroll through multiple menus if you don’t see the options listed above.

Select Find My Device.

Push the slider to the “On” position

. If the slider is already on, you don’t need to do this step. ^[2]

Touch the back button until you return to the settings menu.

Tap Location . If you don’t see this option in the menu, try looking under Security & location .

Push the slider to the “On” position

. If the slider is already on, you don’t need to do this step.

Tap Advanced . If you don’t see this option, select Mode . ^[3]

Select Google Location Accuracy . If you selected “Mode” in the previous step, you can skip this step.

Push the “Improve Location Accuracy” slider to the “On” position

. If you see a list of modes instead of a slider, choose one of the following:

• Select High accuracy to get the most accurate location of your lost Android device. This option uses GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile data, and sensors for positioning.
• Select Battery saving if you only want to use Wi-Fi and mobile data. This option will be less accurate, but will save you precious power.

Open a web browser. You can do this by pressing Android’s Home button and selecting Chrome , Internet , or your favorite browser on the home screen.

Go to https://play.google.com/settings to open a page that shows a list of your Android devices.

• If you are not signed in to your Google account, follow the on-screen instructions.

Check the box next to your Android device. This is the box that shows up to the right of the Android device description, below the “Visibility” tab. If this cell is already checked, you do not need to change it.

Test your new setup. You have now enabled all the features needed for Find My Device to work and you should give it a try to see how well it works. See the Find Android Device method for how to do it.