Android Device Manager Working??

[Adara]

Hi.

After reading all those articles about the carriers not wanting to install kill switches in the phones, I thought I'd check up on how Google's Android Device Manager is working.

Answer: Isn't.

Although I'd registered my S4 with them back in May (and it worked fine on subsequent spot checks), when I asked it to locate my phone, it searches for a bit and says the location is unavailable.

I also told it to "ring" the phone. It responds by saying the phone has been rung, but there is silence from the phone.

(I'm not going to tell it to lock or erase the phone -- with my luck, that part would work.) But I'm concerned as to whether maybe this is something else that went wrong with 4.3.

So, has anyone else who was registered with Android Device Manager before 4.3 tried it after 4.3, and is it working for you?

 

[Rukbat]

I used AndroidLost before 4.3 and it's still working after 4.3. It's also free. Not exactly an answer to your question, but maybe solution to your problem.

 

[Adara]

Thanks. I already use Lookout, which is, indeed still working.

I cleared the Google Play Services data, which basically re-registered the phone on Android Device Manager (it sees it as a new phone, different from the phone I'd registered back in May) and now Android Device Manager works.

(I'm having issues setting up remote lock and erase, but that's more likely to be my own damn fault.)

 

[Petrah]

Make sure you are not hooked up to WiFi, and make sure you have your location settings all enabled. For some reason it won't work if the phone is using WiFi.

 

[GrouchoM]

I also told it to "ring" the phone. It responds by saying the phone has been rung, but there is silence from the phone?

Are YOU the reason my phone rang earlier today?

 

[Adara]

Make sure you are not hooked up to WiFi, and make sure you have your location settings all enabled. For some reason it won't work if the phone is using WiFi.

Weird. It finds me better if I have WiFi on. I'm not hooked up to a WiFi connection, though -- it's just on.

In any event, I had all my location settings correct, and it would not find me at all yesterday, until (following Google's help instructions) I cleared data on Google Play Services and restarted the phone. At which point it worked fine, although it now seems to think I have two different S4s, the one registered in May and the one registered in November.

Am still wondering if anyone else has had to do this since 4.3 as well, or if I'm just lucky.

Or... wait... d'you think the FDR I did after the 4.3 update had something to do with it?

 

[Podivin]

If you haven't already, make sure it's turned on.
I THINK it had an update recently, which cause it to be off - I've had to restart it on all of our devices.

1) Open Google Settings from your device’s apps menu.
2) Select Android Device Manager.
3) Turn on the following options you want to use

For devices running 4.1 and higher, location access must also be enabled. To turn it on, go to Google Settings > Location > Access location.

 

[Adara]

Yup. It was on at all times. As far as I know, neither 4.3 or any other update had turned it off.

(Location services was also on. I can't entirely recall if I'd had to turn location services back on after the Factory Data Reset, but it was definitely on. I'm one of the few(?) people who actually like google knowing where I am.)