Official Find my Android feature coming soon

Forums › Android › Official Find my Android feature coming soon

langers1972

1039 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 118

#127242 3-Aug-2013 17:25

http://officialandroid.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/find-your-lost-phone-with-android.html

1 | 2 | 3

619 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 52

#871392 3-Aug-2013 21:11

It's about time that Google came up with their own equivalent to Find My iPhone. There is little more frustrating than losing your phone.

I wonder if they'll have some sort of option that will work if data is disabled. Perhaps something based on SMS, using a device-specific key. I know that many Android device users who disable mobile data when it's not needed, in order to conserve battery.

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1184

#871413 3-Aug-2013 22:00

Heh, colour me shocked, I hadn't realised Find My Mobile was Samsung-specific.

Printertech

81 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 4

#871888 5-Aug-2013 10:32

I wonder what the advantage of the google App would be over Avast Anti-theft?

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1041

Trusted

Vocus

#871893 5-Aug-2013 10:40

Printertech: I wonder what the advantage of the google App would be over Avast Anti-theft?

I guess it would just be pre-integrated and tied to your Google account. I must say I was surprised they didn't have this already years ago.

myopinion

939 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 112

#871900 5-Aug-2013 10:49

About time...but too late we had an employee lose his phone last week.

netspanner

358 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 92

#871916 5-Aug-2013 11:18

This is interesting, we have been working with this technology over the last month. The new Google Play store services allow your phone to use Cell tower / wifi GPS without having to have the GPS on, its not as good, as its a bit vague, but it means that every phone is broadcasting its GPS position without explicitly having the GPS on.

I think you have to have Location services turned on to make it work, but then again maybe not.

We married it to Google maps to get your gps position and route and showing your activity walking, driving, cycling, at the time.

So it can mean that your phone is now broadcasting your gps position to anyone who can intercept all the time. Welcome to the surveillance state :-) (not that I am concerned too much)

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

ajobbins

5053 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1279

Trusted

#871920 5-Aug-2013 11:21

Interesting they launch this right as they turn off Latitude, which was halfway there

Twitter: ajobbins

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
80646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 41029

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#871934 5-Aug-2013 11:35

myopinion: About time...but too late we had an employee lose his phone last week.

Secure the barn AFTER, uh?

There are plenty of third party solutions already out there, some free. These include Norton (which I use, not free but I was given a code), Prey (which I use in my laptops and desktops), Cerberus and so on...

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1041

Trusted

Vocus

#871939 5-Aug-2013 11:42

androidlost seems not bad, and it links with your google account which is nice. I've got that and also lookout security. This thread reminded me to check they worked - just as well since I realised they'd not restored after my last upgrade :P

richms

29098 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10207

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#871983 5-Aug-2013 13:04

Latitude was hopeless as it was account specific, not device specific, so if one phone was at home and one was with me, it would ping pong between the 2 of them on other peoples phones. And I was not able to see where my other devices were.

If google were awesome they would give a server that I could also have the cheap GPS car trackers funnelling into rather than using the broken free half in chinese broken a lot of the time ones that the GPS makers provide, get all my stuff into a single location and it would be sweet as.

Richard rich.ms

ajobbins

5053 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1279

Trusted

#872000 5-Aug-2013 13:22

I've just installed OpenPaths, which looks like a nice alternative to Latitude. Will give me location history and current location, and has an API which is useful as I like to publish my current city of a Google Map on my website (Which is now broken as Google have already nuked my Latitude account).

The 'Find my Android' will be a nice edition to be able to wipe a lost phone, but OpenPaths will fill the continuous tracking gap I had when Latitude vanished.

Twitter: ajobbins

New World

Shop on-line at New World now for your groceries (affiliate link).

nzkiwiman

2585 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 390

Subscriber

#872094 5-Aug-2013 15:14

Always wondered why you would want to wipe your phone remotely? Isn't that just giving the person who stole it a phone that isn't locked down in any way. Someone correct me if I am mis-thinking this.

richms

29098 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10207

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#872103 5-Aug-2013 15:22

Beacuse it has all your personal data, saved passwords, authentication for facebook etc, your emails, possibly certs for accessing things etc.

After wipe they are still locked with your password etc, its just if they do brute force it there will be nothing of use on the phone.

Richard rich.ms

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 833
Inactive user

#873619 8-Aug-2013 06:22

Its up and running. I can see my phone location and can delete my data, its pretty basic but I guess if you dont bother to get one of the more functional free ones or too tight to pay for something like Cerberus then its there. However you still need to give it Admin control under Settings / Security/ Device Administrators. Web page

timmmay

20858 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5349

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#873637 8-Aug-2013 07:31

I have 3xc, cerebus, and lookout all on my phone. I keep data/wifi off most of the time though, so the find my phone feature won't work. I'm planning on creating a tasker script that runs once every couple of hours that turns on GPS (then waits a minute to let it locate), turns on mobile data and wifi, and leaves it on for a minute or two so find my phone functions can work.

I just have to learn tasker...

1 | 2 | 3