I will be getting a Google Pixel 9 to replace my dying Samsung Galaxy S20+.
With SmartThings Find, you can erase your phone if it’s lost or stolen. So I tried it on my S20+, and now I want it on my new and current phone.
However, you have to turn on Find My Phone to do this, and obviously, that means Samsung will know my location all the time.
Is there an alternative that does the same thing without using location? If so, I would like to install it on my current Samsung Galaxy A14 and eventually GrapheneOS. Thanks!
By definition, it is very hard to find an privacy respecting alternative to a literal tracking app.
You can either choose to live without it or trust SmartThings Find. If you continue using it, make sure to configure any settings to reduce your exposure and use secure passwords for your devices with SmartThings Find.
I heard of self-hosted alternatives like NextCloud’s PhoneTrack if you care more about the privacy rather than security aspects, but whether that would be convenient for you is another story.
If you don’t need real-time location then the most reliable protection against data theft is simply having a very strong password on your device, not relying on unreliable remote wipe software.
That being said, I’ve seen some people recommend this app before:
You can control it via SMS (or a server if you prefer), which seems like a pretty solid option. Never used it myself so take that for what you will.
Thanks for the suggestion @jonah . I’ll probably try it on my old Samsung S20+ phone before using it on GrapheneOS if I decide to use it.
On my Samsung A14, I found an option that factory resets my phone after 20 failed log-in attempts. This is probably the best option, though I can’t find anything like it on GrapheneOS.