The vast majority of phones nowadays have a tracking system that allows them to be located in case of loss or theft.
Unfortunately this service is only functional if the smartphone is connected to the mobile network of your operator or to the Internet. With the arrival of One UI 3.0, Samsung Galaxy owners will now be able to track and locate their phone even when airplane mode is activated. We explain how it works.
How the Samsung Galaxy’s offline location works
Just like Apple, Android devices include a range of protection features to prevent unauthorized people from using your phone. You can also display the phone’s location on Google Maps, make it ring or lock it remotely.
If you tend to lose your smartphone often, this solution will be very useful in your daily life. An important reminder: the locate-my-device function in Android requires your phone to be switched on and connected to the Internet in order to use it.
In concrete terms, this means that if your lost smartphone is in airplane mode, this service will be of no use to you. With this in mind, the Korean manufacturer Samsung has just added an offline location system to its devices that works even if Wi-Fi and cellular data are deactivated.
You are probably wondering how this is possible. On paper, the operation of this new device seems relatively simple. It relies on a location network formed by all Galaxy phones.
As soon as a Galaxy smartphone passes by your lost phone, it will retrieve its location and automatically send it to Samsung’s servers so you can use the tracking feature. If you don’t have this model of phone, here are two tips to locate a switched off smartphone.
Enable offline location
The new offline feature of the Find My Phone tool will show you the location of your phone even when it is in airplane mode. To take advantage of this service, you must first activate it on your Galaxy.
- Open the settings function on your phone
- Scroll down the window
- Select the Biometrics and security option
- Make sure the find my mobile function is activated (toggle switch must be blue)
- Click on the find my mobile section
- Make sure the find my mobile option is activated
- make sure that the option search offline then by clicking on its name you will access a submenu
- Don’t forget to activate the location encryption for a better protection of your personal data
From now on you will be able to locate your phone even if you have left it in airplane mode. Of course this only works if there are Galaxy devices connected to the internet near your lost phone