Google setting up 'lost phone' feature for Android devices

While the iPhone arguably doesn't come with the best native app for maps, at least users had a better shot of finding them with the Find My iPhone app if something went awry.

Now Android owners will soon be able to enjoy a similar level of security.

Google is rolling out the Android Device Manager for locating a lost device and/or erasing it completely remotely if the smartphone or tablet falls into the wrong hands.

Android product manager Benjamin Poiesz explained in a blog post on Friday how it works in a nutshell:

    If you ended up dropping your phone between those couch cushions, Android Device Manager lets you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it, even it's been silenced. And in the event that your phone or tablet is out of earshot (say, at that restaurant you left it at last night), you can locate it on a map in real time.

This lost device functionality will be rolled out to devices running Android 2.2 or above at yet unspecified date later this month.

Users will need to be signed into Google Accounts to make use of it, and there will be a standalone Android app (again, similar to Apple's Find My iPhone app) for managing (and locating) devices.

source:zdnet