What to do if you have lost your galaxy device
Troubleshooting
Losing your Galaxy phone or tablet can be stressful and upsetting. Luckily, your Galaxy device comes with SmartThings Find and Samsung Find, which lets you remotely locate or lock your device if the need ever arises. You can also erase your device’s data, so no one will have access to your information.
Note: Both SmartThings Find and Samsung Find can be used from a Galaxy phone as well as from their websites.
Phone and tablet requirements
In order to use SmartThings Find and Samsung Find, these conditions must be met:
- The phone or tablet must be turned on. If the device is powered off, only the last known location will be available.
- The device must be connected to a stable network connection.
- A Samsung account must be added to your device.
Must have enabled
Remote controls must be enabled on the device. This feature will be turned on by default when you add a Samsung account to your device.
To access and edit these options:
1. Navigate to and open Settings.
2. Tap Security and privacy.
3. Then tap Lost device protection.
4. Enable Allow this phone (or tablet) to be found, Send last location, and Offline finding by tapping their switches.
How to
One of the biggest concerns about losing your phone or tablet is someone stealing your personal information. For an extra layer of security, you can remotely lock your device.
How to
If you can't find your phone or tablet anywhere and you're afraid it might be gone forever, you should perform a remote factory data reset on it. By doing this, you'll erase the device's data and no one will be able to access your personal information. Before you reset the device, make sure to back up your data, so you can retrieve it later.
Note:
Additionally, if your phone or tablet has an SD card, its data will also be erased during the reset.
How to
Worried your device's battery may die before you get its location? SmartThings Find and Samsung Find let you extend the battery life by remotely turning on Maximum power saving mode.
1. From the SmartThings Find website or the Samsung Find website, select your desired device, and then select Extend battery life.
2.Select Extend.
3.Maximum power saving mode will automatically activate. In this mode, your device’s battery can last for literally days.
Caution:
If you are using SmartThings Find or Samsung Find to locate a stolen phone or tablet, do not go directly to the location on the map. Inform the authorities and let them retrieve it for you.
If you think you left your device in a moving vehicle, such as a bus or train, or if you think it was possibly stolen, you can get frequent updates about its location. The Track location feature will send updates every 15 minutes with the device’s latest location.
How to
1. From the SmartThings Find website or the Samsung Find website, select your desired device, and then select Track location.
2. Select Start to begin receiving location updates.
3. If you no longer want to receive updates, simply select Stop, and then select Agree.
If your phone or tablet is somewhere in your home or car but you still can’t seem to find it, you can make it ring so you’ll be able to locate it.
Ring.
1. From the SmartThings Find website or the Samsung Find website, select your desired device, and then select Ring.
2. Select Start.
3. A ringtone will start sounding for one minute, even if the phone or tablet is set to Mute or Vibrate.
4. Once you find the device, you can turn off the ringing by swiping Dismiss on the device, or by selecting Stop on the website.
Note:
Your Galaxy watch must be connected to the phone via Bluetooth, or via remote connection over Wi-Fi or LTE.
Accidentally left your phone somewhere? You can use your Galaxy watch to locate it.
How to
1. On your watch, press the Home button, and then swipe to and tap Samsung Find.
2. Tap Continue, and then follow the prompts to allow the necessary permissions.
3. Next, select your desired device to view its location.
4. Tap the Ring icon (the phone) to make your device ring.
Note: Google's Find My Device only works on phones and tablets.
Google's Find My Device is built into Android devices through Google Play Services. This means you will need a Google account to use this service. You can set a new password, make your device ring, display a message, lock and wipe your device, and more. If you add a Google account to your phone during the initial set up process, this feature is automatically turned on.
Find My Device
1. To verify this feature is turned on, navigate to and open Settings, then tap Google, and then make sure your account is selected at the top.
2. Tap Find My Device.
3. If it’s been turned off, tap the switch next to Use Find My Device to turn it on.
Thank you for your feedback!
Please answer all questions.