Ever since the Android OS was launched for phones a few years back, and subsequently got popular among users internationally, the concern of security has been indispensable. People have been losing phones due to theft/carelessness since years, and there have been tools developed to let you recover your phone, although most aren’t as effective as you would like them to.
This is where Google steps in. The software giant has developed a tool which will let you track your lost or stolen device via various means. Not only that, the tool has some impressive functionalities built into it which let you protect yourself from data theft, i.e., maintaining your privacy in emergency situations.
The Android Device Manager lets you:
- Track lost/stolen phones by sending the owner the real-time co-ordinates of the location of the device
- Ring the device at it’s maximum level even if the phone is on silent mode
- Erase your data remotely thus preventing invasion into your privacy
However, the service is not a standalone application and cannot be installed via usual means to your Android device. Google is pushing the update in batches and you can expect to have the same in the coming weeks.
This move from Google emphasises on the fact that most modern devices do lack the required security. Be it loopholes in software or glitches in hardware, it is not very difficult for a hacker to get into your device from some remote location and have access to your sensitive data such as passwords, credit card details, usernames to various websites, etc. 3rd party developers seemed to have realized this quite in time, however, the tools they did roll out weren’t quite up to the mark.
As it is Google we’re talking about, we do expect a level of extra security which we found lacking in other apps/services from 3rd party developers.
If you missed the How To which talked about getting the ADM (Android Device Manager) on your phone, you should give this a read.
