Google Apps

Google Sync

Remote Wipe a Mobile Device

Editions supported: Google Apps for Business, Education, and Government.

Remote Wipe a Mobile Device

If your user has Google Sync configured on a supported mobile device or an Android device with the Google Apps Device Policy app installed, you can use the Google Admin console to remotely wipe the device.

Use this feature when a device is lost or stolen to erase all data on the device and reset the device. Your user's device must already have Google Sync or Device Policy configured. You cannot install Google Sync or Device Policy and run Remote Wipe retroactively.

Important: A remote wipe removes all device-based data like mail, calendar, and contacts from the device, but it may not delete data stored on the device's SD card. A user's Google Apps data remains available through a web browser or other authorized mobile devices.

To remote wipe a lost or stolen device:
  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console. 
  2. Do one of the following:  
  3. In the Devices tab, hover your cursor over the user whose device you want to wipe.
  4. Click Remote Wipe in the box that appears.
  5. A second box appears asking you to confirm that you want to remotely wipe the device. If you are sure your want to wipe the device, click Wipe Device.

Google Apps displays a message that the device has been successfully wiped. On the next sync, all content will be deleted and the settings reset to the defaults for this device. For information about the remote wipe process, see the device's documentation.

About remote wipe on Android: Usually, the device receives the remote wipe command within a few seconds. However, sometimes the command doesn't reach the device right away, so the Device Policy app checks the server every three hours for a wipe command. Therefore, the maximum time before the device is wiped is about 3 hours, or when the device reconnects to the network.

Enable users to remotely wipe their devices

User remote wipe allows your users to remotely wipe their own device from their My Devices page. This feature is turned off by default, and it's currently only available for Android 2.2+ users who have the Device Policy app installed on their device.

Follow these steps to enable this setting for users:
  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console. 
  2. Do one of the following:  
  3. Enable Allow users to remote wipe device.
  4. Click Save changes at the bottom of your screen.

You can apply this setting to your whole organization or by organizational unit to enable remote wipe for only specific groups of users.

Once enabled, a user can remotely wipe their device by following these steps:

  1. Go to their My Devices page. The user will need to enter their password to access this page, even if they're already signed in to their account.
  2. Click Wipe Device.
    A window appears with this warning text: This will wipe all application and personal data from your device. Anything that hasn't been synced will be lost. Are you sure you want to proceed?
  3. The user clicks Confirm to wipe the device.

Learn more about how users can wipe their devices.

Pros and Cons of enabling user remote wipe

Pro: Enabling this setting gives you more flexibility, in that your Android users can remotely wipe their device if they lose it, without having to go to you (the Google Apps administrator). If a user loses his device on a weekend or a holiday, he can wipe it immediately. You can also enable this setting by organizational unit, to allow and block specific users and groups in your organization to use this feature.

Con: Android users you enable this setting for can wipe their devices. If you fear that your users may accidentally wipe their phone from their My Devices page, not realizing what they're doing, don't enable this setting for those users.

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