Google to introduce service to find lost Android phones

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Google says its upcoming Android Device Manager will help with the common problem of "where's my cellphone gotten to?"

Whether dropped between the cushions of the living room couch or inadvertently left at a restaurant, Android Device Manager will let you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume from a computer so you can find it -- even if it's been silenced -- or show you its location on a map in real time if it's being held in a lost-and-found.

If the phone's whereabouts remain unknown, Android Device Manager can at least help keep its stored data from ending up in the wrong hands, Google said on its official blog.

If the phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, a user can quickly and securely erase all of the data on the device, it said.

The service, which will run on any phone running Android 2.2 or above, will be available this month and will require users to sign into their Google Account, the company said.