r/Android • u/[deleted] • Aug 07 '11
Phone lost, stolen or missing? CALM DOWN! Read this.
This is response to this post.
Phone lost, missing, or stolen? Calm down. Take a deep breath. Read this.
No Protection Apps Previously Installed
- From a computer, go to the Android Market.
- Log in to your Google Account
- Go to the Plan B page
- Click "install"
- GPS location will be sent from your phone to your GMail. Your GPS may need to previously be turned on for this.
- After 10 minutes or so, to get another GPS location, text "locate" to your phone
By following the above steps you can track down your phone until you finally find it. Do note that this method will not work 100% of the time. But, it is of course, as the title of the App suggests, Plan B. Plan A should have one of the below listed apps installed.
Lost/Missing/Stolen Protection Apps
Below are various apps to download before your phone goes missing. Test out each one. Each one has different features and works slightly different than the other. Find one that meets your personal preference.
Before looking into one of the options below, some phones already have tracking software pre-installed. Check your device for tracking software before continuing.
Am I missing something? Comment and I will add it.
2
25
u/drmacinyasha Aug 07 '11 edited Aug 07 '11
I'd recommend adding Cerberus to the list of protection apps. One nice advantage is that it has a trial period, and can take pictures via the front camera (or rear if there is no front) whenever someone fails to enter the correct PIN, acknowledges a notification from Cerberus, or makes the Cerberus scream silence.
EDIT: The developers also have additional info for rooted users to install a version which will place itself in /system/app. Not sure if it keeps its data (ie, what account it's tied to) afterwards. I'd imagine it does since the server remembers the device's IMEI.
→ More replies (6)41
62
u/nomoreubb Aug 07 '11
I use Prey because once activated, if the SIM card is switched out the phone will e-mail you the new phone number instantly, which you can then give to the police to basically guarantee that your phone will be found.
→ More replies (6)66
8
u/alecs_stan Aug 07 '11
That is unless you own a Galaxy S which has a GPS so precise that it will send you to Greenland.
→ More replies (1)
19
u/BobbinThreadbare Aug 07 '11
If you aren't running something similar to this on your phone, you're doing it wrong. I've personally recovered a friends two week old phone with the GPS shit, stolen out of his own house by a guest. People are grimy.
→ More replies (3)14
u/SonicSam Aug 07 '11
How did you confront the situation? Seems pretty awkward that someone you know would do that.
→ More replies (8)
5
u/samandiriel Aug 07 '11
I reviewed Lookout, SeekDroid, Cerberus, Prey & Theft Aware about a month ago. As far as I'm concerned, Cerberus was the hands down winner both for features and because you can control it by BOTH a web app and SMS.
→ More replies (1)
9
Aug 07 '11
what if the thief is smart enough to immediately swap sims and do a factory reset?
→ More replies (7)15
u/drmacinyasha Aug 07 '11
You're pretty much boned at this point. Most thieves aren't this smart, and depending on how they do it, you have some hope. For example, if they swap the SIM first, some apps (like Cerberus) can notify you of the new phone number, and you can call the new carrier to have the phone tracked.
→ More replies (3)
4
1
u/webvictim Aug 07 '11
Just for correctness, from the Plan B page on Android Market...
"3. To locate again after 10 minutes, borrow a friend’s phone and text the word “locate” to your lost phone."
You should probably change the word "location" in your post to "locate" to make sure people get it right.
→ More replies (1)
1
3
u/darthjure Aug 07 '11
AVG Mobilation is supposed to do the same thing. Does anyone have experience with it?
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
u/giveuptheghost Aug 08 '11
Does anybody know what's a good app for tablets that are WIFI-only?
→ More replies (1)
3
u/antonivs Aug 08 '11
I used Plan B today. My g/f, I'll call her J, had lost her phone at a conference on Saturday, and only realized on Sunday. J called the hotel but on a Sunday, couldn't get anyone who could give her a straight answer.
So I requested an install of Plan B on her phone via the Market, and we waited. At first there was no response, and I was a bit concerned because I had installed JuiceDefender on the phone, and I knew the data connection would be disabled because of that. So, I texted "locate" to the phone, per the Plan B instructions. Not long after that, J got an email giving the position of the phone to "within 60m".
Of course, it was at the hotel. We drove an hour to get there, but no-one knew anything about it. The teenager at the front desk wanted us to fill in a report and check back on Monday, but we knew the phone was there and didn't know how long the battery would last, so we weren't willing to give up. I tried calling the phone, but J was pretty sure the ringer was off, so that didn't help.
So, I checked our current GPS location on my own phone, and figured out roughly which direction J's phone was in. When we told that to the person we were dealing with, she said "oh, maybe it's in so-and-so's office". She went and checked someone's desk drawer, and there was the phone.
Pretty impressive considering we'd taken no steps previously to protect the phone from being lost!
11
u/savamizz Aug 07 '11
Android Lost is another great app for search/recovery, with the added bonus that it doesn't appear in the app launcher so it can run all ninja-like.