Best app for tracking stolen phone?

[SamFen]

Hi all,

I'm looking for the best app that can be used to track a phone after it has been stolen (or lost).

It needs to be able to be

• Started remotely
• Able to send location updates on the web or by email or text
• Invisible
• Password-protected (preferably)

I've found a bunch of apps by searching, but most of them have terrible reviews about force-closing and what-not.

Any good ideas?

 

[grainysand]

WaveSecure fits the bill, mostly, except for "invisible" since it is anything but.

 

[lekky]

wavesecure offers uninstall protection, so even though its visible, they cant get rid of it

 

[grainysand]

Well, yes, unless the thief is savvy enough to gain root access and remove it that way. Though I suppose that's not too likely.

 

[SamFen]

WaveSecure fits the bill, mostly, except for "invisible" since it is anything but.

Hmmm, that sounds pretty good. The write-up at LifeHacker, though, suggests that it's not very good at getting a fix on the location. I guess I'll give it a whirl, though, and report back.

Anyone know of any others, for comparison?

 

[SamFen]

After playing with it, it seems pretty good.

Pros:

• Find location (was actually pretty accurate)
• Backup data remotely (haven't tried this)
• Lock phone (only useful as a last resort -- if thief sees locked screen, I would assume they'd throw the phone away)

Cons:

• $10 a year (not too bad, if it really works)
• All commands are sent as text messages from Singapore
• You can see text message commands when they're sent. If thief notices wierd encrypted texts, he might get suspicious. On the plus side, though, app appears to delete texts almost immediately, so if thief didn't notice when they came in, they won't see them.

Anyone else had experience with this app or others?

 

[sblack]

Checkout mobiledefense.com - seems to work pretty well, although I've not had to locate a lost phone with it. In testing it has worked well.

 

[i VTAK]

Since they are texting, will these apps work even though mobile network is turned off? I keep mine off and use a widget to turn it on when I need it, but my GPS is always on.

 

[cheewee]

Since they are texting, will these apps work even though mobile network is turned off? I keep mine off and use a widget to turn it on when I need it, but my GPS is always on.

Hi i VTAK,
Because WaveSecure works on a system of SMS commands, certain important features like lock, alarm and wipe will still work even if the mobile network is turned off. This is crucial so WaveSecure won't fail when a thief swap out the SIM card and the phone is not configured for data access for that network.

Thanks,
cheewee
Team WaveSecure
www.wavesecure.com

 

[TonyG]

InstaMapper - Free Real-Time GPS Tracking ?