Losing your phone can be stressful. But there is a way to lessen the pain a little. You can search for your missing android phone using Android's built-in tools. Here's how:

Today's Android smartphones come standard with Find My Device. If your phone goes missing, you can use your laptop or a friend's phone to find out where it last sent out a signal thanks to this Google service that tracks your phone's location automatically. To access the Find My Device map, simply type "Where is my phone" into Google Chrome while logged into your Google account. On the map, a green icon denotes the precise location or general area of the last signal received by your phone.

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Find My Device might not be able to locate you exactly on the phone; instead, it might only be able to get you close to it depending on your location and internet connection. It might only be able to inform you, for instance, that the phone is within a 50-mile range. But even so, this can aid in your approach. If using Find My Device doesn't help you find where your phone is, there may be a signal issue. Try once more to see if you can elicit a response.

Find My Device also displays the phone it is currently connected to, the signal strength of the phone, and the remaining battery life. However, you won't be able to receive updated phone locations once that battery runs out.

Finding the location of the phone on occasion is insufficient, so Find My Device provides three extra features to assist you in locating the phone and safeguarding your data.

Play Sound: If your phone was on vibrate or silent when you last had it, pressing this button will make it ring continuously for 5 minutes. That way, even if the lost phone is hidden under a bush that you sat next to on a hike, you'll be able to hear exactly where it is if you get close to it. As an alternative, this sound might also inform nearby neighbours of the whereabouts of your lost phone, which might lead them to report it as a lost and found.

Secure Device: In addition to locking your phone so that nobody else can use it, clicking on this section also lets you enter a message that will show up on the screen of your phone if someone turns it on. Be succinct because space is limited. A phone number to reach you can also be entered, whether it be the one for the hotel where you are staying, a friend's number, or a work phone. That way, without actually accessing your device, someone can read your message and call the number you list.

Erase Device: This should only be used if the missing Android phone contains extremely sensitive data because it is sort of like the nuclear option. You can no longer track the location of your phone after clicking Erase Device because it permanently deletes all data from the phone, including the Find My Device information linked to your Google account. The data will be erased if your phone is off when the Erase Device command is received and you turn it back on.

A factory reset will remove any original data, accounts, or passwords required to remotely locate your Android phone, so if your phone is stolen or found and then reset, you won't be able to rely on any apps or services to find it.

The only option left to you at that point is to block it using its IMEI number. You can dial this number from your phone's dialer to find this identifier, so you'll need to know it before your phone disappears. At the very least, blocking the IMEI number ensures that nobody else can register the phone on cell networks. When your phone disappears, you should call the police as soon as you can and give them the IMEI number.

Prepare ahead to avoid the hassles of recovering a stolen phone. Here are a few steps that you can take:

Setting up two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) should be enabled on all apps that handle sensitive data, such as those that access financial or personal information or those that allow users to make purchases. Once configured, the two-step sign-in procedure offers better protection against any accounts on your device being accessed by an uninvited intruder.

Store your IMEI and serial numbers 

The IMEI and serial numbers for your phone should always be available, which is an important point to make. By dialling from your phone's dialer, you can quickly find the IMEI number for your device. Your phone uses the IMEI number, a special identification, to sign up with cell towers.

The settings on your phone will show you the serial number. The serial number should be visible if you go to Settings -> About phone. In the event that your phone is stolen and you need to contact the police, having this information is especially helpful.

Given that you have gone through the process of setting everything up beforehand, Google's phone location tools are your best bet for recovering your lost phone. Considering how simple Google has made it to locate your device should you lose it, this should really be something you set up on any device you care about or that will have sensitive data stored on it.

Of course, having the freedom to personalise your experience as you see fit is one of the advantages of Android.