How to Find a Lost or Stolen Android Phone
Lost your Android? Use Find Hub, formerly Find My Device, at android.com/find to ring, lock, or erase it — even offline. Here is the setup and the steps.
If your Android phone is missing, you can locate, ring, lock, or erase it from another device using Google’s Find Hub — the service Google renamed from Find My Device in 2025. Go to android.com/find in a browser, or open the Find Hub app on another phone, and sign in with the same Google account. There is one sharp Pixel-versus-Samsung gap here: locating a phone that is fully powered off works only on Pixel 8 and newer, which keep a Bluetooth beacon alive for a few hours after shutdown, while current Galaxy models drop off the map once they are switched off.
What Find Hub can do
Once you sign in and select the phone, you get three actions. Play sound rings it at full volume for five minutes even if it is on silent, which is enough for a phone lost in the house. Secure device locks it, shows a message and callback number on the screen, and signs out of your Google account while keeping it locatable. Erase device wipes it as a last resort — after that, you can no longer track it.
| Action | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Play sound | Rings 5 minutes, even on silent | It is nearby |
| Secure device | Locks, shows a message, keeps tracking | It is lost in public |
| Erase device | Factory resets the phone | You have given up on recovery |
Make sure it can be found
Find Hub only works if a few things were on before the phone went missing: it is signed into your Google account, powered on, has Location turned on, has Find Hub enabled, and is visible on Google Play. Even offline, a phone can now report its position through the Find Hub network, which relays an encrypted location through nearby Android devices. Check the switch under Settings, Security & privacy, Device finders, Find Hub on a Pixel; Samsung phones add their own SmartThings Find under Settings.
If it was stolen, not just lost
Do not try to confront a thief. Use Secure device to lock it and post a callback number, file a police report with the phone’s IMEI, and ask your carrier to suspend service and blacklist the device. Prevention pays off here: keep a screen lock on, and make sure your data is safe with a current Android backup and locks on your sensitive apps. If you do wipe the phone, factory resetting Android safely explains what survives and what does not.
Set this up before you need it. One minute confirming that Find Hub and Location are on is the difference between ringing a phone from the couch and losing it for good.
Common questions
Can I find my Android phone if it is turned off?
Sometimes. Pixel 8 and newer keep a Bluetooth beacon alive for a few hours after shutdown, so the Find Hub network can still report a location, but Location and Bluetooth must have been on beforehand. Most other phones, including current Galaxy models, drop off Find Hub once they are powered off.
Can I still track my phone after I use Erase device?
No. Erasing performs a factory reset and removes the phone from Find Hub, so it can no longer be located or controlled. Use erase only as a last resort, once you have given up on recovery.
Will Play sound work if my phone is on silent?
Yes. Play sound rings the phone at full volume for five minutes even when it is set to silent or vibrate, which makes it the fastest way to find a phone lost nearby in the house.
What if Location was turned off when I lost the phone?
Find Hub may still show the last known location it recorded, but it cannot report a live position until the phone comes back online with Location on. That is why confirming Location and Find Hub are on ahead of time matters so much.