Find My Device is an essential security app for Android users, allowing you to remotely locate, lock or erase your device if it ever gets lost or stolen. With over 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store, countless people rely on Find My Device to recover their misplaced devices. But sometimes the app fails to work properly and displays the dreaded “No active devices” message instead of showing your phone or tablet on the map.
Don’t panic just yet! As a social media marketer who frequently uses location tagging and geotargeting features, I’ve helped many friends troubleshoot issues with Find My Device. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn exactly how to fix the “No active devices” error on both Android and Google devices.
Why Does Find My Device Say “No Active Devices”?
Before you can get Find My Device working again, it helps to understand what causes it to stop showing your devices in the first place.
Based on my experience with GPS and location-based apps and campaigns, there are a few common reasons why Find My Device can’t detect your device properly:
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Disconnected Google account. Find My Device relies on connectivity with your Google account in order to associate your device. If your Google account credentials are wrong or you haven’t logged in, Find My Device won’t recognize your device. Re-linking your Google account often resolves this issue.
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Disabled location services. At its core, Find My Device leverages your device’s GPS, WiFi networks, mobile data, and other location sensors to pinpoint your device on a map. If location access is switched off in your settings menu, Find My Device will be rendered useless. Re-enabling location permissions gets it working again.
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Hidden device. Using the Hide Device function in Google Device Manager settings prevents Find My Device from locating your device. Simply unhiding it in your Google account settings should make it visible again.
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Disabled Find My Device. Along with location services, you also need to ensure Find My Device is toggled on in your phone’s security settings. If it’s disabled entirely, your phone will not appear.
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App update bugs. Based on my experience managing app campaigns, recent app updates sometimes introduce new bugs. Updating or reinstalling Find My Device can resolve update-related glitches.
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Weak internet connectivity. With poor WiFi or mobile data connectivity, Find My Device struggles to communicate with Google servers to sync your device location. Stronger internet access fixes this.
Now that you know what causes the “No active devices” message, let’s get into the step-by-step troubleshooting guide to get Find My Device working properly again on your Android or Google device.
How to Fix “No Active Devices” in Find My Device
Follow these methods in order until Find My Device successfully starts showing your device again:
1. Clear the App Cache
Over the years, I’ve seen cached data and temporary files build up and cause functional issues with many apps. Here is how to clear the cache for Find My Device and Google Play Services:
- Open Settings > Apps > Find My Device > Storage > Clear Cache
- Repeat the steps for Google Play Services app
- Reboot your Android device
This forces Find My Device to start fresh which often resolves underlying glitches.
2. Update the Find My Device App
Based on my experience managing large app projects, new versions frequently contain vital bug fixes and performance improvements.
- Open the Play Store on your device
- Search for “Find My Device”
- If an Update button shows, tap it to install the latest release
Updating to the newest version can fix “No active devices” errors caused by bugs in outdated versions.
3. Turn On Your Location
Since Find My Device relies so heavily on location services, one of the first things you should check is that location access is enabled on your device:
- Go to Settings > Location
- Make sure Location is toggled on
- Enable both GPS and WiFi scanning for optimal accuracy
Re-enabling location permissions gives Find My Device the data it needs to map your device location.
4. Enable Find My Device
It may sound obvious, but check that Find My Device is actually enabled in your settings menu:
- Open Settings > Security > Find My Device
- Toggle on Find My Device if disabled
- Also ensure Remote Lock and Erase is enabled
With Find My Device disabled, your phone won’t appear in the app itself.
5. Unhide Your Device
If you previously hid your device in Google Device Manager:
- Visit https://play.google.com/library/devices while signed into your Google account
- Check “Show in menu” to unhide your device
Once unhidden, Find My Device will be able to see it again.
6. Relink Your Google Account
In my experience, connectivity issues with your Google account often prevent Find My Device from seeing your device:
- Go to Settings > Accounts > Add Account
- Tap on your Google account
- Re-enter your login details to relink your account
This reconnects the association between your device and Google account that Find My Device relies on.
7. Restart Your Device
Restarting your Android device essentially refreshes its connectivity and clears any memory issues:
- Hold down the Power button to bring up the shutdown menu
- Tap Restart to reboot your phone
Once powered back on, open Find My Device to see if your device now appears.
8. Uninstall and Reinstall the App
If other troubleshooting hasn’t worked, deleting and reinstalling the Find My Device app erases any problematic data:
- Uninstall Find My Device in Settings > Apps
- Open the Play Store and reinstall Find My Device
- Log into your Google account when prompted
Reinstalling can often fix obscure errors that may have cropped up.
9. Factory Reset Your Device
As a last resort if nothing else has worked, factory resetting your device essentially provides a clean slate:
- Backup data first
- Go to Settings > System > Reset > Erase all data (factory reset)
This will erase your device and revert it back to default factory settings. Once it reboots, set it up again using your Google account and reopen Find My Device.
Avoiding Future “No Active Devices” Errors
Based on my experience troubleshooting Find My Device issues, here are some tips to avoid this problem recurring:
- Enable auto-updates for apps to receive the latest versions
- Turn on automatic syncing for your Google account
- Periodically restart your device to clear memory
- Don’t disable location services or hide your device
- Maintain strong WiFi or mobile data connectivity
Following these best practices keeps Find My Device—and all your location-based apps—functioning reliably.
When to Seek Further Assistance
If you still see the “No active devices” message after exhausting all troubleshooting steps, reach out to Google support or your device manufacturer for additional help. There may be an underlying issue that requires troubleshooting on their end. As a social media marketer, I know customer support agents can provide that vital 1-on-1 assistance when you need it.
I hope this comprehensive guide gives you a better understanding of what causes the “No active devices” error and actionable steps to get Find My Device working properly again. Let me know if you have any other questions!
