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Set up Find Hub on your Android phone before you lose it
Lost your Android phone?
Check these now: Location and Bluetooth are turned on “Allow device to be located” is enabled under the Find Hub settings (look under Security, or Google > All Services > Personal & Device Safety) Offline finding is set to “With network in busy places only” or “With network everywhere” A PIN, pattern or password is set, since offline finding won’t work without one You’re signed in to a Google account you can still access Newer Pixel phones can even be located several hours after they’ve been switched off. Google’s Find Hub is the first place to check, and you don’t need a second Android device to use it. Any web browser, on a laptop or a friend’s iPhone, can show you where your phone was last seen, make it ring, lock it, or wipe it clean. Find Hub switches on automatically once you sign in with a Google account. But a few settings decide how useful it will be on the day your phone goes missing. Menu names vary a little by brand, but the options look similar on most Android phones.
Within 10 metres, the Find Nearby feature shows a shape that fills in as you get closer. On phones running Android 17 with fingerprint or Face Unlock, it adds two-step verification too. It runs on an opt-in network of millions of Android devices that pick up Bluetooth signals from lost phones, earbuds and tracker tags, then quietly report their location back to the owner. Mark as lost: Locks the phone with your PIN and shows a message and contact number on the lock screen.
Google says it can’t either. Find Hub is the new name for Google’s Find My Device. That location data is end-to-end encrypted, so only you can see it. Open the Find Hub app on another Android phone or a Wear OS watch, or visit the Find Hub website on any browser. Sign in with the same Google account and pick your phone from the device list. The map shows its last known location, and you can get directions through Google Maps. If the phone is somewhere nearby, tap Play sound. It rings at full volume for five minutes, even on silent. Lock or erase your Android phone if it’s stolen If the phone is gone for good, act fast. Keep the message short, as scammers can use those details to trick you into unlocking the phone for them. Remote Lock: No Google password handy? You can lock the screen using just your phone number. Factory reset: Your last resort. It permanently deletes everything and removes the phone from Find Hub, so you can’t track it after that. Check those settings once, and the next time your phone goes missing, you’ll know exactly where to look. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.