How to Set Up Android Find My Device and Remote Wipe

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Enabling Find My Device

Find My Device is often enabled by default but worth confirming:

Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device
Toggle it on if it is not already enabled
Confirm your phone is signed into a Google account: Find My Device only works with an active Google account
Make sure Location is turned on: Settings > Location

4 steps

What you can do remotely

From any browser at android.com/find (or by searching "Find My Device" on google.com), you can:

See your phone's location on a map, accurate to the last time it had an internet connection
Play a sound at full volume, useful if your phone is nearby but you cannot find it
Lock your phone remotely and display a message and callback number on the screen
Erase all data on the phone: use this as a last resort when you are certain it cannot be recovered

4 steps

If your phone is lost or stolen

Act quickly: the sooner you respond, the better:

Sign in to android.com/find from another device using your Google account
Try the sound option first if you think it is nearby
Use Lock to prevent access while still allowing the phone to be located
If you believe it has been stolen and contains sensitive data, use Erase: this cannot be undone
Report theft to the police and your network provider: your provider can block the phone using its IMEI number

5 steps

Before you lose your phone: prepare now

A few minutes of preparation now will save hours of stress later:

Note your IMEI number: dial *#06# to display it, and write it down somewhere safe
Keep your Google account password and 2FA recovery method up to date
Ensure your Google backup is enabled so your data is not lost if you need to erase the device

3 steps

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Find My Device and remote wipe

Enabling Find My Device

What you can do remotely

If your phone is lost or stolen

Before you lose your phone: prepare now