Smartphones are more than just communication devices, they also contain our data, login information, payment apps, photos and more. So, when one gets lost or stolen it can be far worse than just the cost of replacement.

Fortunately, Apple, Google and Samsung have features in place that allow you to locate your missing device.

Google

Google offers an app, and a website called Find My Device, which lets you locate your missing device, secure it, and erase all data.

On your phone, open the Settings menu and then tap Google. Look for Find Hub and tap it. Turn on “Allow device to be located” You can also enable remote lock which allows you to lock the device if it is missing.

As soon as you realize your phone is missing sign into the Google Find Hub using a web browser. https://www.google.com/android/find/about

Once signed in you will see a map with all your registered devices displayed. From here you can select the device you are trying to find and track its location. You can also play a sound on the device, secure it or factory reset it. If the device is nearby but you have just misplaced it playing a sound on the phone can help you locate it.

If you can locate the device on the map, you can lock it so that no one else can access it while you attempt to recover it.

You can also add a message and phone number that will be displayed on the screen so that if someone finds the phone, they can contact you.

If the phone has been stolen, you can perform a factory reset so that the thief is unable to gain access to your personal information.

Samsung

If you have a Samsung phone, you can use Samsung’s Smart Things Find to locate your device. You must enable the feature on your phone, to do so go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Lost Device Protection > Find My Mobile. Once you have enabled the find my mobile feature on your device you can go to https://smartthingsfind.samsung.com/login and locate your phone.

Apple

On your iPhone open the Settings app and then tap your account and then tap Find My. Turn on Find My Device. You can also share your location with family and friends. Once enabled go to iCloud.com and sign into your account then click the Find My icon to locate your device.

Be sure to assign a strong passcode to your phone and back it up regularly, doing so will make it harder for a thief to gain access to your information and make it easier to recover your data from a backup.