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I like to find non-Google alternatives to apps when possible. I'm looking for an app that provides a "Find my phone" feature - showing the location on a map, and activating the device ringer at full volume - and a way to remotely wipe a lost device.

Open-source apps are preferable, but I don't think there is one. Paid apps are ok - perhaps preferable, since they're less likely to have creepy privacy-violating features.

The only app I've found so far is Avira. It has "find my phone" built-in, but no remote wipe feature. The "find my phone" map view works well, but the "play sound" feature isn't great - it plays a very loud, annoying sound for 20 seconds, but unlike Google's app, you can't cancel the sound when you find the device - you have to continue listening to the loud, annoying sound until it runs its course.

Summed up, my requirements are:

  • an Android app that lets me remotely find my "lost phone"
  • must work without any Google services
  • must show the location of my device on a map
  • must allow to activate the device ringer at full volume (regardless of "silent mode" etc)
  • must provide a feature to remotely wipe the device
  • must not violate my privacy (i.e. not contain creepy calling-home, ads, analytics etc)
  • open source preferred. If no such exist, paid apps are acceptable
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  • List questions are no good fit for Q&A sites, and hence are considered off-topic. But you can find a list in my app listings for anti-theft. I didn't try any of those, so I cannot give a clear recommendation; however, Cerberus is often held high, as is Prey.
    – Izzy
    Commented Apr 16, 2017 at 10:26
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    @Izzy: The first link in your comment, about whether list questions are acceptable on stack exchange sites, says, "A new SE is now available for just this sort of thing: softwarerecs.stackexchange.com" - and that's where we are! :)
    – Josh
    Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 18:37
  • Also, this site's help starts with: "This site is for questions asking for recommendations of software ready-to-use to accomplish a particular task, that is, 'what software can I use to do …?'." That's exactly what I'm asking for. I can reword the question to avoid using the specific word "list," but any such question is essentially asking for a list of all software that satisfy the given criteria.
    – Josh
    Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 18:38
  • Josh, that "a new site…" is a comment by a low rep user, not even upvoted once. And no, it does not mean we accept "list type questions" here. I didn't say your question is off-topic (if it were, I had closed it) – but please take a look at What is required for a question to contain "enough information" and see if you can edit and improve your question to make it as specific as possible. The more specific your question is tailored to your needs, the more the answers can be ;) Maybe it's just a little formatting, let me see…
    – Izzy
    Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 18:53
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    OK, my apologies: it seems it was just the "I'm looking for a list" part that got me triggered. As I said, we don't support that list stuff ;) I slightly adjusted your post. Can you please check if it's OK for you this way? // As for the privacy part (my speciality): I recommend open-source, as there exists the possibility to check for "calling-home and backdoor stuff". And definitely nothing with ad modules or the like (which is why I introduced that explicitly).
    – Izzy
    Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 19:01

2 Answers 2

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Lookout Security may be a good fit for what you want.

The free version will give you:

►FIND MY PHONE
• Locate & Scream: Map the location of your device and make it sound an alarm - even when it is on silent!
• Signal Flare: Automatically save your device’s location when the battery is low

And if you pay for "Lookout Premium" you get also:

►Theft Alerts: Get an email with a photo and location whenever suspicious behavior is detected that could mean it has been stolen
►Lock & Wipe: Remotely lock your device, post a custom message and erase your data

You can download it from the Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout

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Indeed Cerberus is a good candidate.

Cerberus is a complete anti-theft application, the best protection you can get to recover your misplaced, lost or stolen Android device. It's not just a "find my phone" app or a phone tracker, Cerberus has many unique features that make it the perfect app to locate your phone or tablet, identify the thief and get back your device.

It has the following features:

  • Remote control through the website https://www.cerberusapp.com
  • Remote control via SMS (text messages) from another phone
  • Automatic alerts

Advanced features

  • Locate devices on map
  • Start alarm
  • Lock and Wipe data
  • Take pictures of the thief
  • Backup your data
  • Android Wear support
  • Remote Unix-like shell

Screenshots:

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Source: https://www.cerberusapp.com/home/en

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