You can now use Google to find your phone

There’s nothing worse than losing your phone or having it stolen unexpectedly, but now finding your lost phone just got a lot easier – as long as it’s an Android device…

Most find-your-device apps are easy enough to use, although many of them are a bit tedious. Luckily for us Google has made it even easier. All you have to do is Google search the words “Find my Phone” and an Android Device Manager tool will pop up that shows exactly where your phone is on the map. From there, you can tell your phone to ring, lock or have it wiped completely.

If your phone is alive and well, Google will not only find it for you, but give you the option to call it! Since Google needs a way to pair their search engine with your phone, the “Find my Phone” search query won’t work if you aren't logged in, but that’s pretty easy to fix!

This useful tool works perfectly on your desktop, although if you want to call it up on your mobile, you’ll need to download the latest version of the Google app.

To be perfectly clear, Android Device Manager isn't new at all… but the special search term is. While its not compatible with the iPhone, users of Apple can use either the “Find my iPhone” app or iCloud.com to search for lost devices – just without the simple search term. Luckily if you’re an iPhone user you get to ask Siri to find your phone and she’ll launch directly into the app!

Yes, we've all been there… you've searched high and low – under the car seat, in between the couch pillows or even in the fridge – and you still can’t find your phone. If you happen to know where your computer is you can easily ask Google to find it for you. It’s just that easy.

For all your IT services and needs, contact us at The Computer Guyz in Cape Town or Centurion. We can offer you a wide variety of options, from general IT support and ADSL bandwidth to website hosting and graphic design.

Written By: Christine Romans
CopyWriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town