How to use Google Search to locate your lost Android Smartphone or Tablet

All you need to do is search for your Android device, a mobile phone or tablet on Google. The search engine will instantly track the device’s location and upload its map.

Smartphones or any such electronic device can be misplaced or lost anytime and anywhere. We all have faced this issue at one point or another at home, office or in the car.

Usually we search for our lost mobile phone everywhere in order to track it down. However, now we can utilize a much easier and quicker method for finding out lost Android smartphone or even tablet, that is, Google search.

On Wednesday, a new feature was unveiled by Google that allows searching for your lost Android cell phone or tablet through through Google search. However, the search engine requires you to meet certain criteria to perform the search. Here is the entire process to be followed for tracking lost device:

    Firstly, make sure that you have logged in to the same Google account from your computer’s browser that you have been using on your lost phone/tablet

    Also, make sure that the latest version of Google app is already installed on your phone

    When this aforementioned criteria is met, type “find my phone” in to the search bar of Google from your computer

    Google will produce a map pinpointing the exact location where your device currently exists

    After few seconds, you will be able to see an accurate location on the map along with the exact distance. For instance, the map will tell you that the device can be tracked at 46feet distance.

You might be thinking what if you have lost your phone somewhere inside your home. Well unfortunately Google cannot specifically inform you the room in which you can find it. However, it will ring the lost device so that you are able to track it manually.

In order to locate your device simply click on the Ring icon or link on the displayed map. Immediately your lost device will start ringing at full volume. The ring will continue for up to 5 minutes. When you have found your device, turn off the ringer by turning the power button off.

In case your Android tablet is lost, you can use this feature too. The same process will be followed.

There is another feature to locate lost Android devices. It is called Android Device Manager. It will also track and ring your lost device. If you believe that your device isn’t lost but stolen, you can easily lock it remotely and reset the password. You may even delete the data present on your device.

Police can Grab cell phone records without Warrant, Court Rules

Federal Appeals Court rules that citizens shouldn’t have any “expectation of privacy” when a third-party firm has access to data as sensitive as cell phone records.

The United States Court of Appeals in its recent session decided that police will not have to show a warrant in order to collect cell phone records from carriers.

The Federal Appeals Court for the Eleventh Circuit upturned its decision on Tuesday and ruled that citizens shouldn’t have any “expectation of privacy” when a third-party firm or carriers holds their cell phone records.

police-can-grab-cell-phone-records-from-carriers-without-warrant-rules-court

The ruling happens to be the latest case of testing the scale and scope of the fourth amendment. The Fourth Amendment has been designed to prohibit the government from performing unreasonable searches and seizures.

One of the judges stated that the Fourth Amendment could increase the surveillance power of the government now when the police don’t require a warrant, according to Wall Street Journal.

"Citizens shouldn’t have any “expectation of privacy”"

Related News: Cops Need Warrants To Get Phone Location Data

Nathan Freed Wessler, the staff attorney at ACLU, stated that the Supreme Court will most likely take this issue. He also said that:

“As the dissenting judges recognized, outdated legal doctrines from the analog age should not be mechanically extended to undermine our privacy rights in the voluminous digital records that come with modern life.”

Here’s what judge said in his opinion:

    The stored telephone records produced in this case, and in many other criminal cases, serve compelling governmental interests. Historical cell tower location records are routinely used to investigate the full gamut of state and federal crimes, including child abductions, bombings, kidnappings, murders, robberies, sex offenses, and terrorism-related offenses.

    Davis had at most a diminished expectation of privacy in business records made, kept, and owned by MetroPCS; the production of those records did not entail a serious invasion of any such privacy interest, particularly in light of the privacy-protecting provisions of the SCA; the disclosure of such records pursuant to a court order authorized by Congress served substantial governmental interests; and, given the strong presumption of constitutionality applicable here, any residual doubts concerning the reasonableness of any arguable “search” should be resolved in favor of the government.