Everyday hundred of phones are stolen. So maybe your phone is the next one. it’s time to install an app that really matters, an app that will help you find your device.
Sometimes the phone is not stolen but lost and people will find it but they have no idea to whom it belongs.
So you need also an app to help people understand that this device belongs to you.
We have two cases, we need two apps, an active one (we try to find our lost phone) and a passive one (we help other contact us if the device is lost). Both apps need to be installed before the device is lost.
HELP OTHERS FIND YOU
The very first thing you need to do when you buy your new phone is to write your name on it. Not on the device itself but in the inside.
If you have newer Android version you can go to Settings – Security – Owner Info and edit your contact details (not your phone number). Write your name and your phone number. Remember also to lock down your phone with a security pin or pattern.
If your phone has no such an option, you can do the same with an app. Find and download for free from Google Play the Phone Found – Owner Info app.
Open the app and press the Menu button then the Edit button.
Write down your name and phone number (not your mobile phone number). You can also add your image. You can now read the message from the lock screen.
Now if your phone is found by a kind man, he will try to contact you and return the device.
And what if not? Then you need to search for the device.
TRACK YOUR DEVICE
There are many apps to track your lost device but Cerberus anti-theft is our favourite. You can download the app from Google Play and create an account.
Choose username and password, enter your email address and create the account.
Then you enable device admin and press activate.
When you activate the app, you give the app some extra rights, to erase all data, change the screen unlock password, monitor screen-unlock attempts and lock the screen.
Then you can login to the apps and go to the settings.
You have some options to remote wipe or take photos if the app is lost or stolen.
Enable wipe, wipe SD card and external storage to wipe the photos and all files in the sd card if the phone is lost.
You can also enable automatic photo capture if the user type a wrong unlock code or when the user stops the cerberus alarm. It’s very clever option.
If you lose your device, you can login from your PC to cerberusapp.com and try to find your device.
You have plenty of options to get the device info, the location history, get SMS log, send SMS, record audio and track your device.
Of course, to make all these work, your device must be connected online and have access to data (Wi-Fi or 3G).
You have 6 free days and then you have to pay for a license (3€ for unlimited access).
THE VIDEO