A new update to the Google app on Android devices now allows users to merely Google “find my phone” and get not just the location of the device, but also the ability to remotely lock it or erase it.

It’s really simple, as long as you do the “find my phone” search while logged in using the same account that you used to register your phone.

We tried it, and within seconds our (admittedly not lost) Android phone was located on Google Maps. It says that the accuracy is within 15 meters, but this appeared to be the exact location.

Once the phone is discovered, you have the option of making it ring at full volume for 5 seconds — which is good for those of us who constantly find their phones hiding between couch cushions or under the bed.

You also have the ability to lock the phone so that it can’t be used and remotely erase the data on the device.

As the Wall Street Journal points out Google has offered something similar through its Android Device Manager app. This just makes it easier to access all these features.

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