Frequently asked questions

An app that lets you and trusted contacts help each other find and manage phones — ring, vibrate, silence, max-ring, locate, or lock a phone by entering its number.

Yes. The phone you want to control must also have Care4u installed, signed in, and set up.

Enter your phone number and verify the one-time code (OTP) sent by SMS. No password needed.

Check your signal and the number you entered, wait for the resend timer, then tap Resend.

Open Device Setup and grant the listed permissions (or tap Fix All). When the progress bar is full, your phone is ready.

Core commands (Ring, Vibrate, Silent) are free. Max-Ring, Locate, and Lock are premium, with occasional free-access promotions.

Only to fulfill a Locate command sent by a trusted contact. It is not used for continuous tracking.

So a Locate command can work when the app isn't open (commands arrive via push). You can decline it.

To switch your phone to silent on request, which Android only allows with DND access.

So commands arrive reliably when your phone is idle. On some brands you may also enable Auto-start.

Optional — to let only your saved contacts control your phone, and to pick a recipient. Contacts stay on your device.

Yes. The related feature just won't work; everything else still functions.

No. Location is read once, only when a Locate command is received and you've granted permission.

It's sent to the contact who requested it, as a Google Maps link. It is not stored as a continuous history.

Yes — revoke location permission in system settings, and Locate stops working.

It uses high-accuracy GPS when fine location is granted, with an approximate fallback otherwise.

Ring (Sound), Vibrate, Silent, Max-Ring, Locate, and Lock.

Usually within seconds, via high-priority push. Reliability improves with the battery exemption granted.

Yes — the sender gets an acknowledgement (ACK) showing success/failure and, for Locate, a map link.

The command is queued by the push service and delivered when the phone reconnects (within its time-to-live), or it times out.

No. Care4u has no SMS capability at all.

With Device Admin enabled, a Lock command locks the screen using Android's force-lock. It can't wipe data or change your password.

No — it's optional and only needed if you want the Lock feature.

In system Settings → Security → Device admin apps, disable Care4u. Lock will stop working.

No. Care4u only supports force-lock; there is no wipe or password-reset capability.

If you enable contacts-only mode, only your saved contacts can. The phone also must be set up. We recommend keeping contacts-only on.

Command logs mask phone numbers. Your number is used as an identifier in the device registry.

No selling. Data is shared only with service providers needed to run the app (Google/Firebase, Microsoft Azure, Google Play Billing, IP-geo lookup).

Unregister/uninstall, and contact support to request deletion (see the Privacy Policy).

No.

Confirm it has Care4u installed, signed in, set up, and online — and that your number is in its contacts if it uses contacts-only mode.

Check that Locate is available on your plan, the receiver granted Location (incl. background) with Location turned on, and that opening the map is included in your plan.

The receiving phone needs Device Admin enabled for Care4u, and Lock is a premium feature.

The receiving phone needs Do-Not-Disturb access granted to Care4u.

Grant the battery-optimization exemption (and Auto-start on some brands) on the receiving phone.

Open Profile or Premium and tap Restore Purchase; ensure you're signed into the same Google account used for the purchase.