Losing an android phone can be more catastrophic for its owner in more ways than one. Apart from losing a pricey device, it also poses a serious threat to one’s identity. However, if you have the right security software installed on the device, you would be able to lock the handset and back up your contacts. But if you have the ability to remotely lock your phone, you’d be able to ensure that no one is able to break into your phone and steal your life when you lose your phone.
1. Install “Lookout”
How to Remotely Lock and Wipe a Lost Android phone
To get Lookout, you need to type ‘lookout’ into the search bar of the Google Play Store. Once downloaded and installed, you need to ensure that the app has access to all the items that you need to protect from theft. Enable automatic updates and the app would be able to prevent malware and rogue apps from setting up house in your phone.
2. Getting started
Once you have Lookout installed on your android device, you need to open it and click on the “Get Started” button. You’d be prompted to enable the malware scanner. Click next and your device is ready for a scan.
3. Create a new user account
The app prompts you to create a new user account and if you don’t already have one, you should make one. It will help you track a stolen phone. Just enter your email ID and a password to create the account. Now view mylookout.com from your laptop or just jot it down somewhere along with your account username and password so that you can retrieve the account when needed.
4. Add an exception in your malware software
Some rogue apps prompt your malware protection software to uninstall the Lookout app. To prevent this, you need to click on the “Missing Device” option at the bottom of the screen when eh app is open and allow the app to access you phone.
5. Back up contacts
When you have misplaced your Android phone that has Lookout installed on it, you need to log onto mylookout.com from a computer or another registered device. Then click on the large icon that corresponds to the android device that has gone missing. Then click on the “Backup” tab. This will allow the app to backup your contacts and call records and images as well though the latter two are optional.
6. Locate your missing phone
The main screen of the account also features the “Missing Device” tab. Depending on the strength of the Wi-Fi and GPS signal that your stolen/misplaced phone is emitting, the app would be able to locate your phone to within 5-20 meters of its current location and show it on a map along with corresponding time and date as well as longitude and latitude markings. The map and the details would also be sent to your email,
7. Trigger an alarm
If the phone is in your vicinity, you can even trigger an alarm to locate it immediately. Under the Missing Device tab, you’d find the “Scream” option. Once you have located your phone, try to get closer to its physical location, ensure that Lookout is “connect” to the device and then trigger the alarm.
8. Remote lock
If your phone is active but too far away from you to retrieve it, you can always remotely lock it and wipe all the data on it. You’d need to upgrade to a premium account but through a free two week trial, first timers would be able to use the facility. When you use the remote lock on the device, it would only be unlocked using a four digit code that is generated by the app. keep the code safe when remotely locking it.
9. Unlock the device
When Lookout has located you phone, the home screen will be replaced with a big shield logo of the app. it contain the box where the four digit PIN can be entered.
10. Wipe data remotely
If you like, you can choose to simply wipe the data on your phone using mylookout.com. log onto the site, and click on the “Wipe Data” tab under “Missing Device” after you have backed up contents. This would wipe out the entire phone though you can restore all the data from the backup section when you have found your phone.
About The Author: Alyssa is a writer/blogger. She loves writing about technology, gadgets and social media. She contributes to hometone
Lookout Interesting app will give it a try, thanks for recommending!
Thanks for this helpful article. I take a very good care of my Android phone. But still, if it’s ever lost, I know I’d be in seriously pissed. By following your tips, I can at least prevent others from accessing my data.
The app looks too good to be true, gonna try them out sometime.
Awesome tutorial!
It lets us lock our private files on our phone remotely. We can save our files even the phone is lost.
Lookout is a great app. This is the app which i install on any Android phone as soon as i buy it.
But this wipe data feature is available only in the paid version. One other problem with Lookout is that it won’t work if our lost phone is not having an Internet connection.