Whether you’ve left your Samsung phone on the train or reckon it’s got stolen, we’ve put together some top tips on how to find your lost device. There’s a good chance you might get your mobile back!
What is the Samsung Find My Mobile app?
Find My Mobile is a Samsung feature that lets you locate, lock, and even wipe your smartphone’s data remotely. It’s now part of SmartThings Find in the Samsung SmartThings app, so this is where you you can access it. All Samsung mobile phones and tablets come with this handy feature straight out of the box too.
How to set up Find My Mobile on your Samsung phone
If you configure Find My Mobile on your Samsung Galaxy phone, you’ll have a much better chance of finding it if it goes missing. Here’s how to set it up:
Go to ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘Security and privacy’.
Choose ‘Find My Mobile’ and select ‘Allow this phone to be found’.
Add your existing Samsung account or create a new one.
Once you’re signed in, go back to the ‘Find My Mobile’ option page.
Turn on/off Find My Mobile settings. It’s a good idea to switch them all on.
Make sure ‘Remote controls’ is activated on your phone. This will let you control your phone remotely using your Samsung account through the internet.
How to use Samsung's Find My Mobile service
To use Samsung Find My Mobile, just sign in to your Samsung account on another device to locate your lost phone. Your missing mobile also needs to be connected to the internet to receive any commands from Find My Mobile. Some newer Samsung devices can still be found even when they’re offline, but we’ll cover that later.
Once you’ve got a device to log in with, here’s what you’ll need to do:
Go to SmartThings Find and sign in to your Samsung account.
Click on your lost phone from the list of Samsung devices in the menu on the left.
Your phone’s last known location will be shown on a map.
Turn on ‘Track location’ to receive updates on your phone’s location every 15 minutes. This will send a notification alert to the tracked phone too.
If your phone has run out of battery, then Find My Mobile will display your phone’s last known location. If you’ve switched on the ‘Send last location’ feature, then your phone will tell you where it is when its battery reaches 20%.
What does Samsung Find My Mobile do?
With SmartThings Find, you can easily track lost Samsung devices, activate ringing sounds to locate them, lock them, and delete or back up data remotely. If you own multiple Samsung devices, SmartThings Find lets you manage and check them all from one convenient place.
Here’s everything Find My Mobile can do along with showing where your Samsung phone is on a map:
Ring: This will make your phone ring at max volume for one minute. If you think you’ve lost your phone somewhere at home, this feature will make it super easy to find.
Lock: If you think your phone’s been stolen, you can remotely lock it to protect your personal data. It’ll activate a lock screen, suspend all your cards in Samsung Pay, and prevent your phone from being turned off. You can also add an emergency contact and a message to appear on your device’s screen. That way, someone will know who to contact if they find your phone.
Delete data: If you’re convinced your Samsung device has been stolen, you can completely wipe it remotely. You’ll lose everything, but it’s a sure-fire way of protecting your sensitive data. As it’ll be reset to factory settings, you’ll lose access to the Find My Mobile service too. That’s why you should treat this as a last resort.
Back up data: Before you erase your data for good, you can back up some of it to your Samsung Cloud account. Messages, contacts, voice recordings, and apps you’ve installed can be backed up to make sure you don’t lose everything.
Extend battery life: Your lost phone will have to be switched on if you want the best chance of finding it. This setting puts your Samsung phone into a low power mode remotely to buy you more time.
Retrieve calls or messages: View up to 50 of the most recent calls and messages your phone received.
Set guardians: You can set guardians who’ll have permission to remotely find your lost phone, activate an ‘Emergency Mode’, or ring your mobile.
Unlock: This feature can unlock your phone remotely. It’ll delete your PIN and password locks as well as any fingerprints. If you forget your device’s PIN, then this is how you’ll get back in.
How to find a Samsung phone without internet
You can use SmartThings Find’s ‘Offline finding’ feature to track your lost phone even if isn’t connected to the internet. It uses other Samsung gadgets around your phone to form a web, with those devices speaking to each other using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It’s pretty smart!
This is also an effective way of helping anyone else who’s lost their Galaxy device. That’s because by enabling your phone to be found when it’s offline, you’ll also be playing a part in this network that can help others locate their devices. You’ll just need to make sure your Samsung phone is switched on and signed in to your Samsung account for this to work.
Tracking with Google Find My Device
Google has a Find My Device feature built into all Android gadgets, including Samsung phones and tablets. This is done through Google Play services, so you’ll need to make sure you have a Google account and were signed in when your phone went missing.
With Google’s Find My Device, you can also remotely control certain things on your lost mobile. Like setting a new password, making your device ring, displaying a message, locking it, and even wiping your device completely.
It’s really easy setting this up on your Samsung phone:
Go to ‘Settings’.
Tap on ‘Google’ and select ‘Security’.
Choose ‘Find My Device’.
Make sure the slider is toggled on.
Tech tip: If you already added a Google account to your phone, then this feature would’ve been automatically turned on.
FAQs
How do I block my Samsung phone if stolen?
Head to SmartThings Find and sign in to your Samsung account. Select your lost Samsung phone on the left and click on the ‘Lock’ command. You can also do this through Google’s Find My Device.
Can you track a stolen Samsung phone?
Yes, you can. Go to SmartThings Find and sign in to your Samsung account. After clicking on your lost Samsung phone on the left, it’ll appear on a map and display its current or last known location. Google’s Find My Device can also help you to track down your lost device.
How can I ensure my Samsung phone's location is accurate?
Use the ‘Track location’ function on SmartThings Find to set up location updates every 15 minutes. This will help you keep a closer eye on it.
Any more questions?
Hopefully you’ve managed to find your lost Samsung mobile phone now. Know someone who’s lost their iPhone? Give them a helping hand with our how to find a lost or stolen iPhone guide.
