Part of our ‘How To’ Series
Being able to remotely erase all personal data from your Android phone is a great feature to take advantage of in-case you have lost your phone, it has been stolen or you have given it away or sold it without performing a full factory data reset. Once you have completed the steps we describe below, you can rest assured that your personal info won’t fall into the wrong hands.
In order for this process to work, your Android phone must be:
- Turned ON
- Logged into a Google account
- Be connected to mobile data or wifi
- Be visible on Google Play
- Have Location turned on
- Have Find My Device turned on
Note that if you’re signed into your phone with your Google account, Find My Device is automatically turned on. Location may be turned on in your devices settings. Visibility on Google play is generally on by default. If you are unsure about any of the above points that will make it easier to remotely erase or even find your phone, see these tips from Google.
To begin, go to android.com/find and sign in to your account. If you have more than one phone, select the device you wish to remotely erase in the top left corner as shown below.
Here you will see a couple of useful options:
- Play Sound: this is handy if you may have lost your phone in the depths of your couch and you need a sound to locate it.
- Secure Device: You will want to do this if your phone has been lost or stolen and you are concerned that someone will steal your information.
- Erase Device: This is handy if you have given your device to someone else for use and want to remove all your information from it so that someone else can log in. Effectively this is a remote factory reset.
Click on ERASE DEVICE as shown below.
The device will then automatically perform a factory reset and remove all your previous apps and data from the phone.
As you can see, the process is really very easy. Because we are in the business of purchasing pre-owned mobile phones, we frequently come across phones with a previous owner’s personal information remaining on them. At eMobile, we always ensure that your personal data has been removed from your phone before we return it to the marketplace.
We’ve got a great selection of certified pre-owned devices at eMobile. Come check us out at www.emobilehub.com. By buying used from us, you are not only saving money, but you are lowering your carbon footprint and you are planting a tree with each purchased phone. Find out more about our ethical and ecological approach.