myXperia service helps you track down your lost Sony Xperia smartphone

Sony has been constanly releasing new features for its Xperia line-up. First the company released a tool for those tinkering with various ROMs to flash back to stock Sony firmware. Now it has launched a free missing phone locator service for owners of Xperia smartphones.

The service is currently only open to devices in Nordic countries and offers remote locking of devices and GPS tracking of a missing smartphone or tablet. Sony says it will roll out myXperia to a larger audience by the end of Q1 and the beginning of Q2.

Sony's myXperia service is live in Nordic countries

Essentially, one can use the service to locate a missing device by plotting in the current location of the device on a map on the myXperia website. The features offered by Sony are not unique by any standards. Indeed, there are competing apps on Google’s Play Store which have a similar feature to track misplaced phones. Even Apple’s iPhone has something on this line. However, a dedicated Sony service does add confidence to potential Xperia buyers, who might be vary of random apps on Google Play, given the sad malware situation.

When the service does roll out to other countries, it must be noted that you will have to visit the Sony Update Center on your phone to get the myXperia app.

After installation, the app will be a part of the Sony apps along with the likes of 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 website. There are four options available when signed in to the site: Locate, Sound Alert, Lock and Erase.

The locate service will plot the device on a map on the website’s landing page. The Sound Alert will play a sound on the device and make it vibrate for 60 seconds to alert users if the phone is still nearby.

If more drastic measures are required, the Lock service will bar the device for other users and add a custom message on the smartphone screen to alert the current possessor. The lock can be opened with a 4-digit code, which has to be created in advance. There is also an optional phone number which can be entered by the owner, which creates a direct dial button on the phone. The Erase service will erase everything on the phone including, unfortunately, the myXperia app. There is also an option to erase data on the inserted memory card.