Google counters Find My iPhone with Android Device Manager
You might have watched Android 4.3 running on a laptop earlier today, and now there’s more great Android news to share. Google has just announced Android Device Manager, which will allow you to locate your phone or tablet if it happens to go missing.
Think of it as Google’s take on Find my iPhone, which Apple first announced around three years ago. Others have offered up similar Android tracking tools, but this is the first to come straight out of Mountain View.
Functionality is fairly basic in this first release of ADM, but the important boxes are ticked. You can force your device to ring (handy when you’ve merely forgotten where you put it down at home), check its position on a map, or wipe it.
You can’t remotely lock your device, but if you’re concerned enough to use ADM then you really ought to be using a PIN, pattern unlock, or some form of lockscreen protection anyway.
Android Device Manager isn’t afraid of a little fragmentation, either. It’s compatible with anything running Android 2.2 or later, which means that a whopping 98.7% of Android devices can use it.
Don’t go looking for ADM in Google Play just yet. Google’s official blog post says that it will be available “later this month.” In the meantime you’ll have to make do with a third-party app or just be extra careful not to misplace your phone.
Once you’ve got Android Device Manager installed, you’re free to leave it in the pocket of the pants you forget to wear home from your next office party. Just make sure to locate it before the battery runs out, or you might lose both your phone and your dignity.
