Google to bring 'find my device' feature to Android
OK, Google: Where the heck did I leave my phone?
On Friday Google announced that it will offer a new service to help users keep track of their Android devices from afar. The service, called Android Device Manager, is similar to the "Find My iPhone" service outed by Apple in 2011, and enables Android phone and tablet owners to remotely find and manage their lost devices. Users will be able to view the current location of their devices on a map; lock their devices remotely; or, if they think a device has been stolen, activate a noisy alarm in order to ward off thieves, or erase all memory on their device.
All of this can be done by logging into the Android Device Manager website on any laptop, desktop or other mobile device.
Google’s Benjamin Poiesz, an Android product manager, explained the purpose of Android Device Manager in a post at the official Android blog:
Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can’t be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device.
The feature will become available later this month and will be able to track all devices running Android 2.2 or newer; a companion app will also be available for download in the Google Play Store. You can read more about the Android Device Manager on the Google blog right here.
