Use Plan B to find your stolen or lost Android phone

Martin Brinkmann
Nov 14, 2012
Apps, Google Android
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6

The chance of getting your smartphone back when it gets stolen is slim, right? That's especially the case if you do not have some form of application or software running on the phone to track it down when it is no longer in your possession. That's however not entirely true, and while the following method depends a lot on the state of the phone, it gives you a good chance of locating your phone. If it is lost and no one touched it yet, or if the person who has it has not erased the data on the phone, then there is still hope that you can get it back.

Plan B is an application for Android that you can use after your phone has been stolen, misplaced or if you have lost it but can't remember where. You are probably asking yourself how that is possible and all. The idea behind Plan B is actually really simple: apps cannot only be installed directly using the phone, but also remotely from Google Play and that is what Plan B takes advantage of.

To install Plan B on the phone you only have to visit the Google Play store, click on the install button on the Plan B website, and make sure the app gets installed on the stolen or lost phone. The application gets installed if the phone is on, has some form of mobile connection, and your user account is still associated with it.

plan b remote locate android phone

The application starts then automatically after installation on the phone to send you an email with your phone's location to the account's email address.Note that on some phones it needs to be launched via SMS instead if it can't autostart for whatever reason. If that is the case, send a text message containing the word locate to your phone. If you do not have a spare cell phone, ask one of your friends or family to send the text message instead.

You get up to six email messages that update you on the location of your phone. If a data connection is not available, for instance because it has been disabled or of the phone is in an area with bad reception, SMS may be used instead to inform you about the location of your phone. This appears to be only available in the US though.

Several factors can prevent the application from sending out the information to the associated Gmail account. Besides what has already been mentioned, there is a possibility that the "new owner" of the phone may notice the installation of the new application, that the phone blocks the automatic start of the application, or that security software does so.

It is still worth a try and without doubt one of your best options to locate your phone again. It is definitely worth a try, and especially so if you happen to misplace your phone regularly.

A manual test on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was unsuccessful by the way. While the remote installation of the application worked, it would not autostart on the phone. A manual start of the application however did not result in the sending of an email to the associated Gmail account.

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Comments

  1. bruh said on August 18, 2023 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.

    He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.

    Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?

  2. 💥 said on August 18, 2023 at 3:55 pm
    Reply

    Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?

    Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.

  3. 45 RPM said on August 19, 2023 at 6:29 pm
    Reply

    The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.

    It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.

    1. owl said on August 20, 2023 at 12:51 am
      Reply

      > The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…

      Sadly, I have to agree.

      Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
      Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.

      If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
      Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!

      We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.

  4. chessandonions said on August 20, 2023 at 12:40 am
    Reply

    because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…

  5. Frank Rizzo said on August 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm
    Reply

    “Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.

  6. Ashray said on August 21, 2023 at 4:06 pm
    Reply

    How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.

  7. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:16 pm
    Reply

    Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
    Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
    These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.

    1. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm
      Reply

      Sorry posted on the wrong page.

  8. Marc said on August 21, 2023 at 6:00 pm
    Reply

    such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time

  9. plusminus_ said on August 21, 2023 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.

  10. John G. said on August 21, 2023 at 11:43 pm
    Reply

    I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S

  11. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:28 pm
    Reply

    Quoting the article,
    “As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”

    Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?

    I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.

    1. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:34 pm
      Reply

      @John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]

      This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.

  12. Tom said on August 24, 2023 at 11:53 am
    Reply

    > Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.

    Firefox did this long before Safari.

  13. Mavoy said on September 16, 2023 at 2:17 pm
    Reply

    Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.

  14. TelV said on October 4, 2023 at 2:59 pm
    Reply

    The only “Hot” aspect about this discussion is that all the users are psychic and have discovered a way to comment on a particular topic a couple of weeks before it actually appears i.e. the article is dated 3 October while the comments date from August 18.

    Is this an example of how the super intelligent AI is going about its business?

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