How to find, lock or erase a lost Android phone with Find Hub

Google's official Android help page sets out how to locate, ring, lock or wipe a lost Android device — or a friend's device — using the Find Hub app or the Find Hub website. The steps below are as Google describes them.

What it does

Google says that if you lose an Android device or Wear OS watch, you can find, secure, or erase it remotely, and that you can also help a friend find, secure, or erase their lost device with the Find Hub app.

According to Google, Find Hub is automatically turned on if you've added a Google Account to your device. Google says that by default your Android device stores encrypted recent locations with Google and participates in the Find Hub network, which it describes as a crowdsourced network of Android devices that uses end-to-end encrypted location information to help Android users find their lost devices. To get help from the network in finding items, Google says to set a PIN, pattern or password.

Google notes that a device's most recent location is available to the first account activated on the device. For a Wear OS device, Google's tip is to connect it to Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Before you start

Google lists conditions for securing or erasing an Android device: the device has power, is connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi, is signed in to a Google Account, has Find Hub turned on, and is visible on Google Play.

Google also warns that if you find your device after you erase it, you need your Google Account password to use the device again. If you use 2-step Verification, Google points you to 2-step Verification backups.

Steps

Step 1: On another Android phone or tablet, open the Find Hub app. Google says that if you don't have the app you can get it on Google Play, and if you don't have your Android device you can go to Find Hub in a browser.

Step 2: Sign in. Google says to tap Continue as [your name] if your own device is lost, or tap Sign in as guest and let your friend sign in if you're helping a friend.

Step 3: From the listed devices, select the device you want to locate. Google says the lost device gets a notification. Google adds that when you manage a Google Account with Family Link, a child's supervised devices automatically appear in the Family devices tab in Find Hub.

Step 4: Provide the requested credential if prompted. Google says you may be prompted for the lock screen PIN of the device you want to locate on Android 9 or higher, and that if the device doesn't use a PIN or runs Android 8 or lower you may be prompted for your Google password.

Step 5: Read the device's location on the map. Google says you can tap Get directions to navigate to the lost device, and that location is estimated from sources including GPS (satellites, accurate to around 20 meters, sometimes inaccurate indoors or underground), Wi-Fi networks nearby, and cell towers (accurate up to a few thousand meters). If the device is within 10 meters, Google says you can tap Find nearby to get a shape that fills in as you get closer, which may take a few seconds to update. Google says the radius around your location pin indicates its confidence in accuracy, and that if the current location can't be found you may still see the last known location, if available.

Step 6: Select what you want to do. Google says Play sound rings your device at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it's set to silent or vibrate; for wireless headphones to ring they need to be turned on, and earbuds need to be outside the case.

Step 7: To lock the device, use Mark as lost, which Google says locks your device with your PIN, pattern, or password. Google says you tap Mark as lost, then Next, add contact info and a message to display on the lock screen, then tap Mark as lost. Google says that on Android 17 and up, with Fingerprint or Face Unlock, you can secure your data with two-step verification, requiring a PIN, pattern, or password plus Fingerprint or Face Unlock, and disabling access to notifications, widgets, and quick access.

Step 8: To erase, open the Find Hub app on the device, select the device or accessory you want to reset or remove, select Settings, then tap Factory reset for an Android device or Remove device for an accessory. Google says these steps permanently delete all data on your device but may not delete SD cards, and that after a factory reset the device will no longer be available in Find Hub. Google says you can do this from Find Hub on the web, an Android device, or a friend's Android device in guest mode.

IMEI number and accessories

Google says your mobile service provider can use your device's IMEI number to disable the device, and that you can find the IMEI in your phone's settings or with Find Hub — in the app by selecting the device and tapping Settings, or on the web by going to android.com/find and selecting Settings next to the device. Google notes some devices, such as Google Pixel Tablet, don't have IMEI numbers.

On Android 12 and up, Google says you can display the IMEI on the lock screen: open the Settings app, tap Security & Privacy, tap Lost Device Protection Theft Protection, then toggle the option to display or hide your IMEI. Google says the setting is on by default if you've allowed sharing in the Personal Safety app.

For accessories, Google says marking one as lost lets you leave a phone number, email address, and a message on the lock screen, and that your contact information can also be accessed by someone else who identifies your accessory as lost. Google says the accessory is automatically marked as found once it's near the Android device you use to connect it.

What to do

• Set a PIN, pattern or password on your Android device so the Find Hub network can help find it, as Google advises.
• Check that the lost device has power, is connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi, is signed in to a Google Account, has Find Hub turned on and is visible on Google Play before trying to secure or erase it.
• Use the Find Hub app on another Android phone or tablet, or go to Find Hub in a browser, and sign in — tapping Continue as [your name] for your own device or Sign in as guest to help a friend.
• Try Play sound and Mark as lost first; treat Factory reset as final, since Google says it deletes all data and removes the device from Find Hub.
• If you need to have the device disabled by your carrier, look up its IMEI number in your phone's settings or in Find Hub, as Google describes.
• If you can't find the device at all, follow Google's pointer to secure your Google Account.

Read the original from Google →