These Android tweaks can save you if you lose your phone

Recovering the mobile when it is lost is not common, but there are always ways to increase the options. Two are the most useful in Android: the remote location system and the signature on the lock screen. We explain how to configure both on your phone: you never know if you are going to need them.

Losing mobile is one of the main fears of most owners. Or worse: being robbed; even if in both cases the result is the same. With the disappearance all is lost, photos to contacts; provided that no backup copy has been made before. From the phone itself, there isn’t much hope, although there are ways to increase the chance of recovery.

Increases the chances of locating the mobile

Realistically, recovering your phone when it’s lost, whether lost or stolen, is difficult, if not impossible. Even so, This does not mean that we should lose hope or give up research.. And Android has several hidden tricks that make recovery easier.

We talked on occasion about “Find my device”, a native Android function that uses Google’s location service to put the phone on the map. It is enabled by defaultbut it may have been disabled if the owner of the mobile customized the privacy options.

For a mobile to be located when it is lost, the following steps must be performed:

• Go to your Android settings and find the “Google” menu.
• Go to “Find my device”.
• Be sure that “Use Find My Device” is activated.
• Go back to the settings menu and find the “Location” options.
• Go to “Location Services”.
• Go to “Google Location Accuracy” and make sure it is enabled.

Once the configuration is secure, it’s time to test it: just go to the Find your mobile site, or install the Android application, to locate the Android mobile associated with the Google account. In this way, and as long as the phone remains connected and in coverage, it will send your precise location so that it can be retrieved. Moreover, Find your mobile allows you to erase it remotely or alert whoever finds the phone.

This search configuration is vital for locating any Android, although it has its downside: all precise locations of the phone will be shared with Google and will be associated with the account.

Put a recovery message on the lock screen

Applying a locking system that gives maximum security to the mobile seems to us an excellent recommendation: apart from the fingerprint, if the phone has one, theor better is to use a PIN of at least six digits. In addition, a little-known Android feature is very useful: the signature on the lock screen.

Since the lock screen is the only thing anyone who finds the lost phone will see, if any information appears on that screen that allows them to return the mobile, there’s always a higher chance of it happening. This, yes, you must be careful with the information that is placed on this screen; It is not in vain that it is inconvenient for strangers to know the home address of the owner of the mobile, for example.

Let’s see the steps to leave a location message on the lock screen.

• Go to your Android’s settings and enter the “Display” menu.
• Find the “Lock screen” options.
• Select “Add text to lock screen” and write the desired recovery message.
• In Samsung phones, the option is in the “Lock screen” menu, under “Contact information”.
• In MIUI, you need to go to “Always On Screen & Lock Screen”. Next, go to “Lock screen clock format” and fill in the desired message in “Lock screen owner information”.
• In mobiles with ColorOS and derivatives, you must switch to the customization of the active screen. Then go to “Display settings”, go to “Display message” and write the text you want.

And what is the best recovery message that we can put? Ideally include a phone number that is always localized, an email address is also useful. Both are anonymous enough not to pose a serious privacy risk. If whoever finds the phone has no intention of keeping it, they will likely use the information to return it.