How to locate your Android smartphone when it’s lost

If your Android phone(Opens in a new tab) ever lost or stolen, you have many ways to track it down. Google provides an app and website called Find My Device that lets you find your missing Android, secure it, and erase all data. Samsung devices have an additional feature called Find My Mobile that allows you to locate your lost device. Here’s how to use Find My Device and Find My Mobile to locate your missing phone.

Can’t find your smartphone? Here are some tips(Opens in a new tab)courtesy of PCMag’s Lance Whitney.

Find My Device by Google

Google’s Find My Device service is available as an Android app(Opens in a new tab) and standalone website and(Opens in a new tab) works with any Android device. If you’re already signed in to your Google account, you should see a map with all your registered devices automatically displayed. From here, you can select the image of the device you want to find and track its location(Opens in a new tab) on the map.

You can then play a sound to ping your device, lock it and display a message on the screen, or wipe all personal data. Google has some additional information(Opens in a new tab) you can report whether you need to find, lock or erase your Android phone.

If you think the device is within range, tap Audio playback to ping the phone or tablet. You can then follow the audio on your device. Even if the device is not in your area, the ping can alert a Good Samaritan who can find it. When you’re done, tap it Stop sound button.

If you can’t find the device or you’re not nearby, you can lock it so no one can access it. You can also add a message and a phone number for anyone who finds it to contact them.

Puncture Secure device, then add a message and phone number to display on the lock screen. Puncture Secure Device to finalize and lock the phone. The missing phone is locked with your message and phone number.

If the device is lost or stolen, you can wipe it(Opens in a new tab) as a last resort. Puncture Delete device and then tap it again to finalize this action. Make sure you read the information about what will happen to your phone here because there is no going back.

You may be asked if you want to check your Google Account. Press it Security check connect and pass the security steps. If you change your mind about erasing your device, tap Fire.

Find My Mobile by Samsung

If you have a Samsung phone, you can also use a special feature called Find My Mobile to locate a lost device. Set it up on your phone by going to Settings > Biometrics & Security and activate Find my mobile. Note that this feature requires a Samsung account.

Open Find my mobile settings and turn it on Remote unlock so you can unlock your phone and control it remotely. Enable the option for Send last location to get your phone’s last known location if the battery drops below a certain level. allow Find offline so you can locate your phone even if it’s offline.

Once activated, use the SmartThings Find website(Opens in a new tab) the application(Opens in a new tab) to locate any Samsung device connected to the same Samsung account. The service should show the location of the Samsung phone on the map, which includes other controls to help you with the missing device.

Select it Ring option and then tap Principle to ping your phone. It will then start beeping to help you locate it if it’s nearby or allow someone else to notice it. You can also choose the Lock option to set a PIN to unlock your device, enter a contact phone number where you can be reached, and add a message to be displayed on the lock screen.

If you think your phone is moving to a different location, you can choose Location tracking to get an updated view of your phone’s location every 15 minutes. You can also wipe the phone if you’re worried about someone getting access to your data. Hit it off Clear data icon to reset the phone to factory settings(Opens in a new tab).

If you plan to erase your phone or don’t think you’ll ever get it back, you can back up your data remotely. Click on Backup and then set up multi-factor verification(Opens in a new tab), if you haven’t already. Click the website link in the notification to get backup codes that can be used to sign in, even if your phone is lost or stolen.

Select all the data points you want to back up, such as messages and contacts, and then select Backup to send your data for storage in Samsung Cloud(Opens in a new tab) service.

If you have important messages or voicemails on the phone, you can retrieve them remotely if you choose Call/message recovery option. This will allow you to see and listen to up to 50 recent calls and messages.

If you ever forget the PIN that unlocks your phone, you can always unlock it from SmartThings Find(Opens in a new tab) website by selecting it Unlocking button. To extend your phone’s battery life(Opens in a new tab)choose it Extend battery life option, which activates the maximum power saving feature your phone offers, giving you extra time to locate the device before it runs out of juice.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab), Mashable’s sister site. PCMag.com(Opens in a new tab) is a leading authority in technology, providing independent, lab-based assessments of the latest products and services.