Losing your phone can be a nightmare, so it’s best to take every measure to help you recover it. Aside from enabling the Find My Device feature, you can set up a smart routine that makes your phone easy to trace even when it’s offline.
How This Routine Can Help You Track Your Samsung Phone
Although you can track your lost Galaxy phone via Samsung’s SmartThings Find and Google’s Find My Device, both services require your phone to be connected to the internet for seamless tracking. So, if you ever lose your Samsung phone with Wi-Fi and mobile data disabled, it can be difficult to track it. But what if a simple text message could bring it back online instantly?
A Reddit user named geezy87 shared an ingenious automation that can be helpful in such scenarios. With the help of the Routines feature on your Samsung phone, you can set up an automation that makes your phone traceable.
The idea is simple: by sending a specific keyword via text message, you can trigger a series of automated actions—like enabling mobile data, Wi-Fi, location services, and power-saving mode—remotely on your Samsung phone.
If your Samsung phone is stolen, the thief could remove the SIM card and prevent these actions from executing. That’s why it’s important to act quickly in such situations. Alternatively, you might consider switching to an eSIM to eliminate this risk entirely.
Enabling the internet and location can help you track your Samsung phone using SmartThings Find in the SmartThings app or Google Find My Device, while turning on the power-saving mode will help extend its battery life. It’s a simple routine that can be a lifesaver if you ever lose your phone with the internet disabled.
Setting Up the Routine
Now that you know how the routine works, let’s set it up on your Samsung phone.
- Open the Settings app and tap on Modes and Routines.
- Switch to the Routines tab and tap the plus (+) icon at the top to create a new routine.
- Under the “If” section, tap the plus (+) option to add a trigger.
- Scroll down to the Event section and select Message received.
- Set the Sender to Anyone and choose Message with specific keyword.
- Select the When all keywords are found option and enter a keyword like “Phone Tracking” or something similar.
- Tap the plus button to add the keyword and hit Done.
- Next, tap the plus icon under the “Then” section to specify what your phone should do.
- Head to All actions > Close an app, select All, and tap Done.
- Tap Add action > All actions > Sound mode and volume. Then, select Sound and set Ringtone, Notifications, and System volume levels to 100. Then, tap Done.
- Similarly, set actions to turn on Wi-Fi, Mobile data, Location, Auto-sync data, and Power saving.
- Once you’ve set all the actions, tap Save.
- Enter a name for the routine, and hit Done.
Once this routine is set up, you can simply send a text message containing the specified keyword, and your phone will automatically execute the assigned actions. You’ll then be able to track its location, play a sound, back up your data, or even remotely reset the device. Of course, this routine won’t work if the phone is actually powered off.
It’s a good idea to test the routine after setting it up. This will also ensure everything is working properly and you haven’t missed any actions. Remember that the SMS trigger word is case-sensitive, so you’ll need to enter it exactly as set when sending the message.
Losing your phone can be stressful, but with this clever routine in place, you’ll have a much better chance of recovering it. It’s fairly easy to set up, and you only need to do it once.
