Use Find Hub when an Android phone goes missing

Find Hub can locate, ring, secure or erase a lost Android device if its prerequisites were in place before the loss. The first choice is usually to establish whether the phone is misplaced or stolen, then secure it. A last-known location is an estimate, not permission to confront someone.

Before you start​

Use another trusted device and the Google Account linked to the missing phone. Keep an alternate sign-in method ready if the missing phone supplied your usual second factor.

Do it step by step​

1. Open the Find Hub app on another Android device or go directly to android.com/find in a browser. If helping a friend, use guest sign-in so their account is not left on your phone.
2. Select the exact missing device. Check the time associated with its location and whether the device appears online; a stale location is not proof that it remains there.
3. If it may be nearby, use Play sound. If it is not, choose Mark as lost and add limited contact information that does not reveal your home address, passwords or recovery details.
4. Record the device identifier and last location for a carrier or police report where appropriate. Ask your carrier about suspending the SIM if you suspect theft.
5. Review Google Account device activity and sensitive sessions from a trusted device. Change credentials only where exposure is plausible and preserve access to recovery methods.
6. Consider remote factory reset only after assessing your backup and chances of recovery. Google says reset permanently deletes phone data, might not delete SD cards and removes the device from Find Hub.

Check the result​

Find Hub should show the command or pending status. Confirm important accounts have another sign-in route and verify the latest backup from a separate device.

If something goes wrong​

If the missing phone is off or offline, actions may wait. If Find Hub was disabled, focus on carrier help and account sessions; an app installed afterward cannot retroactively locate the phone.

Know the limit​

Device location and lock have prerequisites such as power, connectivity and account sign-in. Google's instructions distinguish ringing, lost mode and erasing, and explain the recovery cost of a reset. Google's Find Hub lost-device guide