Android Device Manager silently updated to allow remote locking

Google has updated the Android Device Manager by adding a great new feature. It can now let you completely lock down your Android device. This is especially useful for those who fear losing any sensitive data that might get lost when their smartphone or tablet is lost/stolen.

The update made its way to the app silently, and the feature has to be enabled manually. Users will have to go into the Google Setting app where they will find a new option in the Android Device Manager section, labeled "Allow remote lock and factory reset". Enabling this will allow users to remotely lock their device.

You can now remotely lock your Android

Locking a device needs you to give it a new password, which overrides any other lockscreen that users may have set up on their device. When the password is entered on to the device, the smartphone becomes available for use.

The Android Device Manager first made its way to smartphones and tablets back in early August. It encompasses a huge chunk of Android devices all over the world since it is available for devices running Android 2.2 and up. You can log on to the web interface of the Android Device Manager and locate or track your phone’s movements. Besides letting you locate your phone, the website also presents a few options that could be extremely helpful in case your phone is stolen.

You can hit the Ring button, making your Android device ring at the maximum volume, even if it is on silent, so you can figure out where your phone is. In case you’re unable to locate it and fear that your data may be in danger, you can wipe clean the data off your device rather than let it fall in wrong hands.