iOS and Windows Phone have a web app where you can track your lost of stolen phone and also wipe the data in the data in the phone remotely. There are many instances where you have misplaced your phone at office or a restaurant and not able to track it. There can also be instances when your phone was stolen and you have sensitive information on it. In such situations, remotely wiping the data and also tracking it on a map is pretty useful feature.
Till now Android did not have this feature and you had to depend on third party tools, but now Google has announced a new feature which allows you to find your lost or stolen Android phone. The service is called Android Device Manager and it can quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it (even if it’s been silenced), or locate it on a map, in real time.
Related Reading: Ways to Track and Recover your Stolen or Lost Phones
If your phone can’t be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device to keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. The Android Device Manager will be available for devices running Android 2.2 and above, as part of Google Play.
Related Reading: 5 Ways to Secure your Android Phone and Protect Data
Features of Android Device Manager:
- Locate your lost or stolen Android phone on Google Maps
- Ring the phone at maximum volume even if the phone is in silent mode
- Remotely wipe all the data in case you are not able to locate it.
The service is not available as of now, but will be launched next month. There will also be an Android app to allow you to easily find and manage your devices.
More details on the Android Blog.
