Android phone lost? Google will help you locate it

Google on Friday announced that it would offer a service to locate or securely wipe a lostAndroid phone by the end of this month. The service will be available to all Android phones running Android 2.2 or newer versions of the OS.

The service will be called Android Device Manager and will be available for free. Apple and Microsoft offer similar services for iPhones and Windows Phones, respectively. Several security apps also offer similar feature for Android phones though the implementation is not as robust as it is on iPhone.

In a post on the official Google blog, Benjamin Poiesz, an Android project manager, wrote: "Android Device Manager can help (you) ... keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure."

Android Device Manager will allow users to make their misplaced phone ring at its loudest volume even if it is in silent mode. Users will be able to do this through Android Device Manager website though Google said that it would also offer an Android app for the service at a later date.

This feature will come handy if you had misplaced your phone under a sofa or bed.

In case you have lost your phone outside your house you will be able to see the device on a map if it is switched on and follow it in real-time. It may help you recover the phone. But in case it can't be recovered, Android Device Manager will allow users to wipe it securely so that the private data doesn't fall in wrong hands.

"While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device," wrote Poiesz.