Find My Phone: Google feature lets users locate Android smartphones, send noises to and messages to owners when they're lost

New feature is accessed by just typing ‘find my phone’ into the search engine

Google has unveiled a new feature that allows users to track down their lost phones whenever they have an internet connection.

Simply typing “find my phone” into the search engine will bring up the feature, which shows the handset’s location on a map as well as allowing users to ring it so that it can be found.

The update relies on having the latest version of the Google app on the phone, but can be used from any browser.

More complicated features, like wiping the phone entirely, still rely on Google’s Android Device Manager.

The feature is similar to an existing feature for iOS, called Find My iPhone. That allows users to look up where their iPhone, iPad or computer is hiding, and send out messages or wipe the phone. It can be accessed from iCloud.com, or from a dedicated app on mobile.

“We’ve all been there — you’ve searched under your car seat, tossed around the sofa cushions and you still can’t find your phone,” the company wrote on a Google Plus post published last night, announcing the feature. “If you know where your computer is, you can now ask Google to find your Android phone from your desktop.

“If the pesky phone is hiding nearby, Google can ring it for you — or you can see it on the map if you, say, forgot it at the bar.”