Google to Launch Android Phone-Tracking Service This Month

It has taken a while, but Android users will soon be able to locate lost, stolen or misplaced phone and wipe their data remotely.

Google announced that the Android Device Manager which proffers diverse methods for dealing with a lost or stolen phone will soon be available.

The app will allow Android users to set the phone’s ringer at its maximum volume, hence if it’s in the silent mode, they will still be able to locate it. They can also track the device on the map real-time. Lastly, it will give the ability to erase everything in the phone in case of lost for security.

Despite the fact that this type of feature has long been present on Apple, Samsung, HTC, and Sony, which makes Google’s lack of inclusion absurd, all that is needed to use Android Device Manager is Google account.

The move from Google came just came about after its official unveiling of MOTO X, the first real Google phone. With high expectations of selling a lot, it needs to find a way for MOTO X users to get their phones back should they misplace or lost it.

Consumer Reports survey accounts 1.6 million Smartphone loss through the hands of a thief in the U.S. last year.

Various groups, such as law-enforcement agencies, phone manufacturers and legislators, have been collaborating to find ways to reduce the number of stealing incidents. For instance, the FCC and the country’s top wireless carriers launched a national database that tracks pinched in phones and thwart them from being used again.

Tools like Apple’s “Find My iPhone” and Android Device Manager can be fine ways to trace a missing gadget, even if it’s just inside your pillow case or trapped between your couch cushions, and can give you the power to protect your data. Android Device Manager will be available later this month, and supports devices running Android versions 2.2 or higher.