How to find a lost Android phone (Google and Samsung)

Google’s Find Hub, called Find My Device until 2025, is built into every Android phone signed in to a Google account, whatever the brand. Unless you turned it off, it is already on. Samsung phones also have SmartThings Find. Start with the map, then decide whether to ring, lock or erase the phone.

How to find a lost Android phone with Find Hub

Lost somewhere at home?

• Smart speaker or display: say “Hey Google, find my phone” to a Google Nest speaker signed in to your account, and it rings the phone.
• Smartwatch: Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch have a Find my phone tile or app that rings the phone, even on silent.
• Play sound: from Find Hub in any browser. It is louder than a normal call and ignores silent mode.

Lock it with just your phone number

If you cannot sign in to your Google account right now, for example because your password manager is on the lost phone, go to android.com/lock. Enter the phone number linked to the device and answer a security check, and the phone’s screen locks straight away. It does not show the location, but it stops anyone getting into your apps while you sort out the rest. It needs to have been set up in the phone’s theft protection settings beforehand.

If the phone is off or the battery is dead

Pixel 8, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 phones keep sending a signal through the Find Hub network for several hours after they power off or run out of battery. Other Android devices nearby pick it up anonymously and report the location. For other phones, and after those hours, Find Hub shows the last known location with a time. Go there first, and ask at the lost and found of any store, venue, rideshare company or transit service nearby. Uber and Lyft both have a lost item option in the app for the trip you took.

How well offline finding works depends on a setting. In Settings › Google › All services › Find Hub (Find My Device on older phones), tap Find your offline devices. The default, With network in high-traffic areas only, reports your phone only where many Android devices are nearby. With network in all areas finds it faster, including in quieter places.

Phone not showing, or location is old?

• Check you signed in with the same Google account that is on the phone. Many people have more than one.
• Find Hub, Location or mobile data may have been off on the phone, so it could not report where it is.
• The phone may have been off for longer than offline finding lasts. The last known location, with its time, is still worth checking.
• If a factory reset was done by someone else, the phone disappears from Find Hub, but Factory Reset Protection still blocks them from using it.

Earbuds, watches and trackers too

Find Hub also lists Pixel Buds, supported earbuds from other brands, Android tablets and Bluetooth trackers that work with the Find Hub network. SmartThings Find does the same for Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy SmartTag. Each can ring or show its last location from the same screen.

If you think it was stolen

Lost a work or school phone?

Tell your IT department straight away. Managed phones can usually be located, locked and wiped by the company, and they may need to cut off access to work email and files. Their tools may work even if you cannot sign in to Find Hub yourself.

Should you factory reset it remotely?

Only when you are sure you will not get it back. Factory reset device wipes your data, and after that Find Hub can no longer locate the phone. Factory Reset Protection still asks for your Google account, so a thief cannot simply set it up. If you have an insurance claim open, check with the insurer before resetting or removing the phone from your account.

Got it back? Do this

• Unlock it with your PIN or pattern, which clears the lost message from the screen.
• Look for apps or accounts you do not recognize in Settings, and remove them.
• If it was out of your hands for a while, change your Google account password as a precaution.
• Tell your carrier and the police, if you reported it, so the line and IMEI are unblocked.

Set this up now, before you need it

• Check Find Hub is on: Settings › Google › All services › Find Hub, and set offline finding to With network in all areas.
• Turn on Theft protection in Settings › Google › All services › Theft protection, including Theft Detection Lock, which locks the screen if someone snatches the phone and runs.
• On Samsung, turn on SmartThings Find and Offline finding in Settings › Security and privacy › Lost device protection.
• Use a PIN, pattern or password; offline finding and theft protection need one, and it keeps your data private if the phone is taken.
• Save the IMEI somewhere other than the phone. Dial *#06# to see it, then write it down.