Google lets you lock your lost Android remotely

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- For those folks who tend to lose their Androids and worry about data security, U.S. tech giant Google says it has a feature to lock the device from afar.

Google's new feature can be found in the Android's Device Manager, which will remotely tell the smartphone to go into lock mode when triggered, VentureBeat.com reported.

For those who have a password-protected Android, the feature will ask that a new password be created and will instantly update the phone.

Google's move provides users a service available from a number of mobile security apps, such as Lookout Mobile, that help users manage their phone data and deal with lost phones.

"We've long expected that Google would add 'Lock' and 'Find my Phone' functionality, and we're surprised it didn't come sooner," a Lookout Mobile representative told VentureBeat.com in an email.

But companies such as Lookout Mobile typically offer much more than just GPS capabilities and remote lock. Lookout, for example, will scan apps for questionable activity and can warn the user of malicious links.

"Solving the missing device problem has been a core piece of the Lookout mission since 2009, and we've led the pack for more than five years, but we haven't stopped there," the representative said. "Device loss is a difficult problem to solve, and not every phone lock or missing device situation is the same, so we have consistently developed new functionality to help people have the best possible chance of protecting and recovering a lost or stolen device."