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How to delete data from your lost or stolen device

virtual security 01b
© Tiko Aramyan/Shutterstock

There’s only one thing worse than losing your Android phone, and that’s losing your phone when you have a lot of personal stuff on it. If the thought of somebody else accessing your apps, email or secret plans for world domination scares you silly, we have the solution.

If you make sure you take all of these steps, you can have peace of mind when your phone goes missing. Here are the steps necessary to protect your data remotely.

Shortcuts:

While you still have your phone, do this

If you want the ability to remotely wipe your phone, you need to install the Find My Device app and check your settings. It should be enabled by default, but check to make sure:

  • Go to Google Settings > Security > Find My Device.
  • Ensure Find My Device is enabled.
  • Allow your device's location to be accessed by the app.
Google Find My Device
You should install Find My Device on your smartphone. / © NextPit

If you have an older device, you might also need to take these steps with the old version of Find My Device (Android Device Manager):

  • Look for Allow remote lock and erase and make sure it’s switched on.
  • Enable the second toggle in Device Manager: Remotely Locate This Device.
  • Double-check that both settings are enabled.

Find My Device works for tablets as well, but if you have multiple user accounts, only the person set as the tablet owner can set these features.

Google's own video explains how to use Find My Device in the event of a lost phone:

It’s also a good idea to take a few other precautions too: don’t store anything sensitive on microSD cards (remote wiping can’t erase them), make sure you have a decent lock code or pattern, and consider investing in an app such as AirDroid or Lookout. Both apps offer remote wipe features, but they can also transfer crucial data before pulling the plug.

How to find your Android phone

Note: All the options discussed below not only require you to install apps like Find My Device beforehand but also expects that the thief will keep your smartphone switched on and let it connect to a data network. Most thieves can easily circumvent this loophole by switching the phone off immediately, removing the SIM card, or worse, by performing a hard reset. 


Oh no! Your phone’s gone! It’s time for action, and by action we mean Find My Device. You can access Find My Device in two ways: via the Find My Device app on another Android device, or via the website here.

Once you’ve logged in, Find My Device will attempt to locate your missing device. If it’s on and can get a signal, you’ll see the location on a map. You’ll also see three options: ring it, lock it or remotely wipe it. If the device isn’t on or can't get a signal, Find My Device will report its location when it switches on and connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

find my device google
You can find your phone from any web browser and begin to take action. / © NextPit

At that point, you can erase all the data from your phone, but we’d strongly recommend trying the less-serious options before you go nuclear and delete everything. Try them in this order:

Before you do anything, make sure it isn't just lost

Lost phones are often mislaid rather than permanently missing or stolen. You can use the Find My Device to make the phone ring loudly for a full five minutes. This enables you to find your phone if it’s fallen onto the floor of your car or, been hidden in a slipper by one of your children - these things happen!

admring
Try this before you go nuclear: lost phones are often just misplaced. / © NextPit

Change the lock screen

There’s a second non-nuclear option available to you: changing the lock screen so that when the phone is next switched on, your message is displayed. “GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK” is likely to be counter-productive, but a “Please call me” message, possibly backed with a modest reward, might just work.

Tried that? Still no joy? OK. It’s time to destroy your data.

admlock
You could try displaying a custom message on the lock screen. / © NextPit

If all else fails, erase your data 

You will have the option to erase your data, but keep in mind that data on SD cards may not be deleted, and if it turns out it wasn't stolen or permanently lost after all, then you will likely need your Google password to use it again after erasing. You also won't be able to use the Find My Device app after this process. 

Choosing the erase option will remotely wipe your phone or tablet on some devices. That’s the same as performing a full factory reset, so it’ll delete all of your settings, your music, your photos, and your apps (but of course, not the SD card). As with locking, if the missing phone is off then selecting this option will remotely wipe it once it comes back online.

If you’re worried enough to take this option, you should also go into your Google Account and revoke access for your missing phone. You want to take extra precautions because very determined hackers may still be able to access your data, even after a factory reset. We’d also recommend changing any passwords to your online services. The likelihood of a lost phone leading to baddies accessing all your stuff is very remote, but it doesn’t take long to remove that possibility altogether.

admerase
When all else fails, delete all your stuff remotely. / © NextPit.com

What if Find My Device can’t connect?

If Find My Device can't connect, there are two more things you can try. Google Maps tracks your phone's location history – or at least, it does if you haven’t turned that feature off in your Google Account – so you can sometimes discover where your missing phone has been by visiting the Location History page and checking the timestamps. It won’t necessarily tell you where your phone is now, but it can tell you where it’s been.

Another option is to use an app such as Android Lost, which works well on older Android devices. It is one of the few solutions that you can install remotely, so it's a good option if you hadn't enabled the Find My Device options specified above. The app and website look terrible but work well, although the device needs to be online via the cellular network or Wi-Fi for it to work.

Have you used Find My Device or another method to successfully find or wipe a lost phone? Let us know in the comments!

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Go to comment (26)
Rahul Srinivas

Rahul Srinivas
Senior Editor

Among the most experienced tech journalists from India, Rahul has spent the better part of the past decade writing and experiencing technology. In his decade-long career, Rahul has contributed to several Indian and International publications, including Mobilegeeks, Onlygizmos, iPhoneHacks, and The Inquisitr. Before joining NextPit, he held the position of Senior Editor at MySmartPrice - one of India's largest product research platforms.

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26 comments
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  • 1
    Deepna Kandamulla Jun 10, 2022 Link to comment

    my phone got stolen and it doesn't appear on find my device(android), I guess it is not connected to a wifi or any other network. how can i erase my data?


  • Bob the Builder 1
    Bob the Builder Mar 29, 2022 Link to comment

    Is there any way I can erase a virtual phone (Bluestacks)? I deleted Bluestack from my PC but that didn't delete the virtual phones from my Google Account. Through Google MyAccount, I also signed out of the phone but that didn't stop the phones from showing up in Google Find My Device and saying that I am signed in to them. Any solutions will by appreciated.


  • marcosz angel 1
    marcosz angel Oct 1, 2021 Link to comment

    how do i know the erase phone feature worked and my phone was erased after i used this feature? i used the erase feature after my phone was stolen but it is still showing up on my device list


  • 1
    Dodskie Odnilag Aug 21, 2020 Link to comment

    Hi, just bought a lenovo s5 pro yesterday, have the receipt as proof of ownership. My son played with the phone this morning and may have tried the wrong pin/pw and may have rebooted the phone. Can no longer unlock the phone using fingerprint as it is requiring password/pin to enable fingerprint. For some reason, the pin I setup doesnt seem to be working. I was able to find the phone using google find my phone but can't unlock it. In a last resort, I remotely erased the phone from google thinking that it will do a factory reset and I can just redo the setup as a fresh new phone. btw, there was no option to reset it using recovery so I ended up using remote erase. Now, I can no longer setup the phone as new. Appreciate any inputs/help. Thanks


  • 1
    highlandscoffee Apr 24, 2020 Link to comment

    My phone was stolen. I managed to track it but i have followed the process to erase all data. I have also tries the phone lock option. The phone's off and i have locked my sim in that phone. Can they still access the phone?


    • 1
      Ali Jul 7, 2020 Link to comment

      Howw? How you erased the data.. Its written here setup and erase.. And saying send notification there and erase.. It isnt working plz help me


  • 1
    rahulyadav9504537477@gmail.com Apr 15, 2020 Link to comment

    i forgot password and how can i ears my all data


  • 1
    acephanthom via g mail Mar 23, 2020 Link to comment

    Do you know you can get proof of infidelity and get the peace of mind you deserve.


    • marco sarli 39
      marco sarli
      • Admin
      Mar 23, 2020 Link to comment

      I suspect you are about to tell us how


  • 1
    Yubish Jan 17, 2020 Link to comment

    hello help me does it have to connnected to internet to delete everything or will it delete everything instantly on my lost phone? after clicking remove everything


    • 1
      Charles-Michel Gauthier Jul 23, 2020 Link to comment

      Same question. Does the phone have to be connected to erase the data?


  • 1
    aamir Dec 23, 2019 Link to comment

    my phone has been lost, so how can i see the active number ?


  • 3
    toasting Dec 17, 2019 Link to comment

    This guide is not enough to recover but still, something is better than nothing!


  • 1
    KISHORE KUMAR Dec 17, 2019 Link to comment

    how to delete sd card data also


  • 10
    parayil h. Dec 14, 2019 Link to comment

    Hi,
    If your phone goes to a wrong hand,
    It's lost,
    If it goes to a good hand,
    You will get it back,
    This is the last word.

    toasting


  • marco sarli 39
    marco sarli
    • Admin
    Dec 14, 2019 Link to comment

    Informative and accurate.


  • 1
    Cara C Woods Jul 1, 2019 Link to comment

    My husband died and someone took his phone. I can't locate it because it has been turned off. What should I do to protect his info?


  • CJ Brown 29
    CJ Brown Oct 13, 2018 Link to comment

    this article is accurate to degree, however most of us are aware that a thief will immediately factory reset your smartphone in order to sell it as quickly as possible (which means your window of opportunity for locating your phone is very brief if it's stolen vs misplaced).

    I suppose in order to truly get back at a thief? We would need a better window of opportunity to lock up a device (ie such as the smartphones you see on display in the shop), therefore making them impossible to have a resale value. Sometimes I wish we had a self destruct availability, but that function would quickly be exploited by terrorists.

    marco sarli


  • Ajit Salopal 2
    Ajit Salopal May 5, 2018 Link to comment

    FIRST of all, a thief would never be interested in ur phone data. He will factory reset it using third party softwares. So all ur Google bla bal device manager becomes worthless and same goes for all third party apps. Then thief will root the phone and will chage the IMEI number. Soo the phone is gone. HAPPY PHONE FINDING !

    CJ Brown


  • 2
    Newhorizons AnimalShelter&Rescue Mar 27, 2018 Link to comment

    Problem with the Google find my device, is that people can go into your phone or tablet and deregister it from there. And that's what my son did after he stoled my tablet. Now I'm trying to find a way to remotely using the number to shut it down. That's what I need because

    CJ Brown


  • 4
    wisto rearm Mar 28, 2017 Link to comment

    I personally think that simple deletion or factory reset will not completely erase your data, when you perform the deletion or factory reset, the data was not wiped, it's still remain on your phone's internal memory and be recovered.

    I highly recommend Safewiper for Android to wipe your phone data.

    CJ Brown


  • Rima Roy 3
    Rima Roy Mar 2, 2017 Link to comment

    Thank you for your help , it's really awesome . I tried with my phone but cant fix that so I sold my mobile on webuyback.com.au .
    if you want you can Old phone sell like Sell my phone.

    CJ Brown


  • 2
    Aditi Sinha Jun 8, 2016 Link to comment

    i lost my phone 4 month ago.. when i did the factory reset the phoen was switched off. and it was showing lately that the device got synced with my gmail account 1 onth ago. How is this possible?? Did all data got earsed when i did the factory reset remotely while the device was still off?

    CJ Brown


  • 18
    Deactivated Account Dec 3, 2015 Link to comment

    I tried it & it worked very well, if internet is off then this will not work I think so.


  • Junaid Q. 17
    Junaid Q. Oct 28, 2015 Link to comment

    android device manager is very helpful for remotely locating and deleting data of your android phones

    CJ Brown


  • SciCal:Scientific Calculator 4
    SciCal:Scientific Calculator Oct 26, 2015 Link to comment

    Thank you for sharing such information because it helps us knows well the system of Android.

    CJ Brown

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