My job provides everyone with a work phone. About a week or two ago, I left mine charging in the break room for a couple of hours and accidentally forgot to take it when my shift ended. The charging cable was still there, but the phone disappeared. I asked around and checked for it every workday, but nobody seemed to know where it was. It was finally returned today and left in a spot I had already checked several times.
Now I'm worried that someone may have accessed the phone, installed tracking software, or attached some kind of tracker before returning it. I realize that may be unlikely, but I don't know who had the phone or what they did with it. Is there a way to check a Pixel 9a for tracking or tampering without taking it apart? Since it belongs to my employer, should I handle this through the company's IT department?
3 Answers
Because it’s a company-owned device, the safest move is to contact your employer’s IT or telecom department immediately. They can check the phone’s management and security status, review whether it was accessed, replace it, or remotely wipe it if necessary. The company may already be able to track the phone through its normal device-management system, which is separate from someone secretly adding a tracker.
Don’t try to investigate or reset it yourself before reporting it. Tell IT that the phone was missing for one to two weeks and has now been returned, and ask them to inspect it or issue a replacement. If the device has a screen lock with a strong PIN or biometrics, installing anything would generally require getting past that protection, but IT can verify its status properly.
A physical tracking device hidden inside a Pixel would be difficult to add without opening or noticeably altering the phone. The more realistic concern would be unauthorized access to the device or its accounts, which is exactly what the company’s IT team should check. In the future, keep the work phone secured and avoid using unfamiliar charging accessories.
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