Google has released a new service for Android users called Android Device Manager. The unimaginatively named service works similar to Apple’s Find My iPhone and helps you track down your lost Android device.
To use the service you will have to head over to the Android Device Manager website. From there you can select your device from the list of last four devices you used with your account and the site will then try to locate your device (you will see the GPS activate on your device briefly as it reports its location). Once the site gets a lock on the device it will show it on the map in the background with the proper address on the side.
Once it is located, you can remotely make the phone ring, which is handy if it is nearby and you just lost it, say, somewhere in your house. The phone will ring at full volume for five minutes until you press the power button on it. If you can’t locate it and are afraid someone will access the data on the device, you can also remotely erase it. You do need to set this one up on your device first by authorizing it from the Google Settings app (the one with the green icon) so make sure you do it now as without it being enabled your device can’t be erased remotely.
Compared to Apple’s service, Google’s service lacks one useful feature. Apple lets you remotely lock your device as well and display a custom message along with a phone number that someone can call in case your device is found. This can come in handy and a better option than remotely erasing your device which can be a bit too extreme at times. Hopefully, Google will add this option to Android Device Manager as well.
The service is available for devices running Android 2.2 and above. Google has also promised an app to find and manage your devices, which will be coming shortly.
Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com
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