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Open Settings > Security > Find Hub and check that Allow device to be located is on. When it is, you can ring, locate, secure and erase the phone.
Open Settings > Google (All Services, if there are tabs) > Find Hub > Find your offline devices and choose a setting. Only the two network settings let other Android devices help, and that help needs a PIN, pattern or password on your phone.
On supported phones such as the Pixel 8 series, the network can still locate the phone for several hours after it turns off — with a network setting chosen and Bluetooth and Location on at shutdown.
On your Android, open Find Hub, tap Sign in as guest and let your friend sign in with their own account.
Only the tablet's owner can change these settings. Also note that a device's most recent location is available to the first account activated on it.
Google's eight-step check
The menu paths are the ones in Google's help, and some steps only work on Android 14 and up. If you can't find Location in Settings, Google points you to your phone maker's support site.
Turn it on
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Your Google Account
Settings > Passwords, passkeys and accounts. Your account name and email address should be there.
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Location
Settings > Location > turn on Use location. With certain settings this can also make your location available to other apps and services.
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Find Hub
Settings > Security > Find Hub > Allow device to be located on.
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Offline finding
Settings > Google (All Services, if there are tabs) > Find Hub > Find your offline devices, then choose one of the four settings below. For network help, set a PIN, pattern or password.
Check it, then prepare for a lost phone
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Visible on Google Play
Open play.google.com/library/devices and make sure Show In Menus is checked. A device hidden on Google Play won't appear in Find Hub.
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Test it
Open android.com/find, sign in to your Google Account and select your phone. On a device with several user profiles, use the account on the main profile.
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Install the Find Hub app
Install the Find Hub app and tap Sign In, so you can manage and find your devices from it.
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Create a backup code
Google Account > Security & sign-in > 2-Step Verification > Backup codes. Your phone may be how you get sign-in codes; without backup codes or a security key you may need a new SIM from your provider before you can lock or erase it remotely.
Compare the four offline settings
Find your offline devices
- Stores encrypted recent location
- no
- Network helps find it
- no
- Screen lock for network help
- n/a
- Stores encrypted recent location
- yes
- Network helps find it
- no
- Screen lock for network help
- n/a
- Stores encrypted recent location
- yes
- Network helps find it
- busy areas
- Screen lock for network help
- yes
- Stores encrypted recent location
- yes
- Network helps find it
- busy + remote
- Screen lock for network help
- yes
What Find Hub can do once the phone is lost
| Action | What it does | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Locate | Shows the current location, or the last known one if available | When the phone is online, Find Hub also collects its battery level, Wi-Fi network and signal strength |
| Play sound | Rings at full volume for 5 minutes | Even on silent or vibrate |
| Find nearby | May show a shape that fills in as you get closer | When the phone is within 10 metres |
| Mark as lost | Locks with your PIN, pattern or password | You can show contact info and a message |
| Remote Lock | Turn it on beforehand in Settings > Google > Theft protection > Remote Lock. If the phone is lost: android.com/lock, enter your phone number and ask for the lock | Needs a screen lock, an active SIM, a verified number, Find Hub on and internet; an offline phone locks once online. At most twice in 24 hours; unlock only on the phone itself |
| Erase | Deletes all data permanently (an SD card may not be erased) | The phone is no longer in Find Hub afterwards |
Limits: when Find Hub can't help
- Google says Find Hub may be unable to locate the phone if it has no power or is off, or has no mobile data and Wi-Fi — for example the SIM card was removed, it's in Airplane mode or Wi-Fi is off — or if it was damaged. A stored recent location or network help may still show where it was.
- Phones on Android 8.0 or lower can't join the crowdsourced Find Hub network, but still store an encrypted recent location.
- The most recent location is available to the first account activated on the device.
- If you see a message about syncing recent location, Find Hub may be unable to access the recent location because location encryption is out of sync.
- When the phone is switched off, network help works only on supported phones such as the Pixel 8 series, and for several hours.
- For network help in remote areas, Google suggests choosing With network everywhere.
How the Find Hub network keeps locations private
Android devices in the network use Bluetooth to scan for nearby items and securely send the location where they detected them. Google says the locations are end-to-end encrypted, so they are private from Google.
With Without network, your phone doesn't take part in the network and only its most recent encrypted location is stored. For best results with the network, use the Find Hub mobile app.
Questions
Is Find Hub on by default?
Yes, it turns on automatically when you add a Google Account to the phone. By default the phone also stores encrypted recent locations and takes part in the Find Hub network.
Can Find Hub find my phone when it's switched off?
Supported phones, like the Pixel 8 series, can be located through the network for several hours after turning off — if a network setting is chosen and Bluetooth and Location were on at shutdown.
Do I need a screen lock?
For network help, yes: Google asks you to set a PIN, pattern or password to get help from the network.
Can Google see where my phone is through the network?
Google says locations in the Find Hub network are end-to-end encrypted and private from Google.
Why doesn't my phone appear in Find Hub?
Go through the eight steps. One possible reason is that the device is hidden on Google Play: if you hide a device there, you won't find it in Find Hub.
Which account sees the phone's location?
The most recent location is available to the first account activated on the device.
Can I find a friend's phone from mine?
Your friend can: in Find Hub on your phone, tap Sign in as guest and let them sign in with their account.
Sources
- Google — Make sure you can find a lost Android devicesupport.google.com
- Google — Find, secure or erase a lost Android devicesupport.google.com
- Google — If you can't find your Android devicesupport.google.com
- Google — How the Find Hub network workssupport.google.com
- Google — Find Hub (android.com/find/about)www.google.com
- Google — Turn on and use Remote Lock and theft protectionsupport.google.com
We read these official pages and checked the steps against them in November 2026.