Sony announces myXperia missing smartphone locator service

The myXperia service is currently only available to selected users in the Nordic countries but it will be rolled out to a larger audience later this spring. The service will locate a missing device by plotting in the current location of the device on a map on the my Xperia home page. None of the features offered by Sony are unique, but Xperia owners might trust their device manufacture a little more than a random app developer on Google Play.

myXperia is not a standalone app available for download from Google Play. The app is only available for download from the Sony Update Center (Android software update) menu in a Xperia smartphone. After installation, the app will be a part of the Sony apps in the Xperia menu. Some of the other apps found there are Facebook inside Xperia and LiveWare manager. The app runs silent in the background and the only option is to turn it on or off. Switched on, you will be able to manage the myXperia tools from the myxperia.sonymobile.com web site. There are four options available when signed in to the site:

• Locate
• Sound Alert
• Lock
• Erase

The locate service will plot the device on a map. The Sound Alert will vibrate and play a sound on the device for 60 seconds. The lock service locks the device and adds a custom message on the smartphone screen. The owner must create a 4-digit code required to unlock the phone and an optional phone number which creates a direct dial button on the phone. The Eraser service will erase everything on the phone. There is an option to also erase all data on inserted memory card. We would like to have an option to erase all data without removing the myXperia service from the device.