Just tried out a super easy way to find my Android phone. Go to Google Search on a desktop and type “Where’s my phone”, “Find my phone” or “Find my Android phone” and it will show up on Google Maps (you may need to sign in again). Previously, I thought I have to go to Android Device Manager to find and/or lock/erase my phone. Now, with a Google search query, you can easily do it.
As you can see from the above picture, even typing words like “my phone location” works. Click on this map and it will go to Android Device Manager (ADM) where you can either “Ring”, “Lock” or “Erase” the phone.
Unfortunately, I cannot let you see where I live. So, all my screenshots are “contacting” or “locating” my phone. Haha. It has an accuracy of 20 meters or less. Of course, to be able to “enjoy” this feature, you will need to set the phone location to “ON” on your Privacy and Safety settings. The accuracy is dependent on your settings. I have set my phone location to high accuracy.
Some might be uncomfortable with it but I think if you lost your phone, this might be the last hope of getting it back. BTW, if you have multiple devices, you can just use the drop down menu to select the phone you want to locate. Enjoy this convenience, Android users.
PS: This feature is NOT new but I guess the ease to find it on Google Search is something new (at least for me).
PPS: You can still use any browser on a mobile device to locate your phone. Just ensure that the mobile browser is set to desktop (or computer) version.
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