Google has made it easier than ever to track down a lost Android handset, by simply typing "find my phone" into the search engine. The company has long allowed users to locate their smartphone or tablet via a web portal, but now they need do nothing more than type those three words into the search bar.
There are a few pre-requisites to making the service work flawlessly. First, you need to be logged into your Google account on the desktop. Secondly, you need to have the latest version of the Google app installed on your Android smartphone, and that device must of course be set up with the same user account.
Once you type "find my phone" into Google desktop, it takes a few seconds to locate your handset, its location appearing on a map in the search results page, provided the phone can get either a GPS lock or Wi-Fi/3G signal.
If you have multiple Android devices, you can choose between them by using the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner of the map. If the phone is potentially buried down the back of the sofa or in a pile of washing, pressing the Ring button in the bottom left makes the handset ring at full blast for five minutes, or until you find it and press the power button to silence the phone.
If you want a faintly terrifying illustration of how closely Google quietly tracks your location, go to your Google Dashboard and select Location History. There you'll find your movements traced in staggering detail, based on location data emitted by your Android phone, unless you've previously switched locating tracking off.
Apple users can hunt down their phone using the iCloud website or the Find My Phone app on another iOS device.