JR Raphael
Contributing Editor
Updated

How to make the most of Google’s Find Hub (Find My Device) network

how-to
Jul 2, 20257 mins
GoogleSmall and Medium BusinessSmartphones

Google's freshly upgraded Find Hub (formerly Find My Device) system makes it easy to track down a missing Android device β€” and beyond β€” but it's up to you to figure out how to use it.

Find My Device Android
Credit: Google/JR Raphael, IDG

Losing your phone is one of the most stressful predicaments of modern-day life. We’ve all been there: You pat your pocket, swiftly scan every surface in sight — then suddenly feel your heart drop at the realization that your Android device and all of its contents (including, potentially, all sorts of sensitive company-connected materials) are no longer in your control.

There’s certainly no scenario in which losing your phone is a good thing. (Understatement of the century, I realize.) But with the advanced and just recently upgraded phone-finding system now built into Android at the operating system level, seeking out and then managing a missing device is more manageable than ever. And despite what some security suite services may try to convince you, you don’t need any third-party software to do it.

Android’s native Find Hub system (formerly known as Find My Device) can precisely pinpoint any Android device — phone, tablet, watch, you name it. It also works with an expanding series of special AirTag-like trackers that can be attached to keys, briefcases, and other important items. It’ll show you any compatible device’s exact location on an interactive map and — when relevant — give you tools to remotely ring it, lock it, or wipe it entirely and send all of its data to the digital beyond.

Best of all? You have to do shockingly little to get it up and running. It’s mostly just a matter of confirming that the system is active and then remembering how to tap into it if and when the need ever arises.

So take a few minutes now to learn the ins and outs of the Google Find Hub network and what it takes for your devices to be discoverable. Then, if you ever have that heart-dropping moment, your phone will be 100% ready — and so will you.

[Get Googley goodness in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to know and try each Friday!]

Google Find Hub, part I: Preparation

Most reasonably recent Android phones should be actively enrolled in Google’s Find Hub network by default, but there are a few critical settings that are worth double-checking to confirm everything’s connected.

First, head into the Location section of your Android device’s system settings and make sure the toggle at the top of the screen is turned on. If it isn’t, Android won’t be able to access your phone’s GPS and thus won’t be able to perform any Find-Hub-related location functions.

Find My Device Android: Location access
The Android “Use location” toggle is a critical foundation for Google’s Find Hub network to function.

JR Raphael, IDG

Next, search your system settings for find and tap on the section labeled “Find Hub.” Tap that, then make sure the “Allow device to be located” toggle on the screen that comes up next is activated. And last but not least, tap “Find your offline devices” and consider which of the available options seems most suitable for you and your future finding purposes.

Google Find Hub Android options
You’ve got all sorts of options for how your Android device can connect to Google’s Find Hub network.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Got it? Good. Now, let’s break down what your options are when that dreaded “lost phone” nightmare becomes a reality.

Google Find Hub, part II: Action

The best part about Google’s Find Hub system alongside Android is that, with both being Google products, everything’s easily accessible from almost anywhere. If you ever can’t find your phone, choose the most convenient option and go, go, go:

1. Use the Find Hub Android app on another phone or tablet

If you have an Android tablet — or even a secondary phone, for either business or personal purposes — you can install the Find Hub Android app on it and allow it to see and manage any other devices associated with your sign-in. In fact, go ahead and do that on all your active Android devices this minute so the app will be there and ready in case you ever need it. As long as you’re signed into the same Google account on the secondary device as you are on your primary phone, finding your phone will be as simple as opening the app, confirming your Google password, and then selecting your phone from the list on the app’s main screen.

Google Find Hub Android app
The official Find Hub app is an incredibly easy way to track down any device associated with your Google account.

JR Raphael, Foundry

From there, you’ll see your phone’s last known location on a zoomable map. And you’ll be able to ring it — for a full five minutes at a time, even if it’s set to silent — and optionally lock it or erase it as needed.

No secondary Android device? No problem: If you have a colleague, friend, or family member with an Android phone or tablet nearby, kindly ask them to install the Find Hub app onto their device. Open it and find the option to sign in as a guest. Type in your Google account credentials, and then take a deep breath: Everything you need to find your phone will be right at your fingertips.

(Side note: The Find Hub Android app is strictly about finding a device — nothing more. It doesn’t actually have to be on your device in order for the device itself to be discoverable.)

2. Pull up Android’s Find Hub website in a browser

If you don’t have another Android device handy, you can still get to Android’s Find Hub function from any web browser — on a laptop or desktop computer or even an iPhone or iPad.

The main Android Find Hub site is at google.com/android/find. It’s basically identical to what you’ll get in the Find Hub Android app:

Google Find Hub website
Google’s Find Hub website puts all your device tracking data at your fingertips in any browser, on any type of device.

JR Raphael, Foundry

You can also find an alternate version of the Android Find Hub function within Google’s My Account site. That site provides the same basic info but seems to go back further in your device history — so if you’re looking for a device you haven’t used in a while and that device doesn’t come up on the main Google Find Hub site, you might give it a whirl to see if it shows up there.

And that, my friend, is all there is to it. Consider yourself protected — and you know what? Go get yourself a cookie. You’ve earned it.

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JR Raphael

JR Raphael is obsessed with productivity and finding clever ways to make the most of modern technology. He's written about almost everything imaginable at some point β€” including even construction, crime, and climate in his past life as a TV news producer β€” but these days, he's known primarily for his unmatched analysis of Google's Android and ChromeOS platforms (both of which he's covered closely since their starts) along with his knack for digging up off-the-beaten-path tech tips and treasures.

JR writes Computerworld's Android Intelligence column β€” the internet's longest-standing Android column and one he's conducted since its inception way back in 2010 β€” along with a variety of practical pieces about business productivity. That aside, he's the founder and editorial director of The Intelligence, where he waxes poetic with his calorie-packed Android Intelligence newsletter (a saucy sibling to the same-named CW column) as well as his cross-platform Cool Tools recommendation station. He is also a contributing editor at Fast Company and has written or been cited in everywhere from The Verge and Mental Floss to The New York Times, ABC World News, and USA Today.

(Random trivia: JR was actually quoted in Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography of Steve Jobs β€” for, erm, somewhat salacious and very appropriately Android-related reasons.)

Despite his refusal to comb his hair, JR's work has been honored with a gaggle of awards over the years β€” including two Emmys, three Murrows, and a smattering of top distinctions from the Associated Press. He has also received a handful of coveted Azbee Awards for standout business reporting, most recently in recognition of his in-depth exposΓ© of Google's business-aimed Android phone recommendations.

In his spare time, JR enjoys breathing, chewing, and staring aimlessly into space.

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