How to leave your phone charging on a desk and step away

Why the usual way fails

Asking the person next to you to keep an eye on it works until they leave before you do. A screen lock keeps people out of your data but does nothing when someone simply picks the phone up. Find-my-device tools are built for after the phone is already gone, and they rely on location. A shared desk is also a busy surface: people bump it, put down cups and lean on it, so a crude motion trigger goes off for nothing and you soon learn to ignore it.

How MotionGuard helps

MotionGuard turns the phone into a motion alarm for the time you are away. You choose a settle delay, tap Arm, put the phone down and let it settle, and from then on it watches for movement and can sound a local alarm if the phone is moved. With Pro, if the phone was plugged in when you armed it, it can also react when the charger is pulled out. Before you trust it on a busy desk, the sensitivity test shows how the phone reacts to movement, and when you are back you disarm it from the app or the ongoing notification.

Step by step

1. Plug the phone in and put it where it will stay while you are gone.
2. Run the sensitivity test once, and tap the desk or nudge the phone to see what sets it off.
3. Choose a settle delay long enough to put the phone down and take your hand away.
4. Tap Arm, let the phone settle, and walk away.
5. When you are back, disarm it from the app or the ongoing notification.
6. If anything happened while you were gone, check the trigger history to see when and why.

Tips

• Test on the desk you will actually use. A heavy table and a wobbly folding desk react very differently to a bump. Normal sensitivity is free, and Pro adds Low for busy surfaces and High for quiet ones.
• Arm it while the phone is plugged in if you want the charger alarm. Charger removal is a Pro trigger that works only when the phone was connected to power at arm time, and the app shows plainly when that trigger isn't available.
• Keep your expectations straight. An alarm draws attention to someone picking up your phone, but it can't stop them walking off with it, and MotionGuard can't track a phone afterwards. For a long absence, take the phone with you.
• If you wear a Wear OS watch, pair it. With Pro and watch notifications on, a trigger can also reach your wrist, which helps when you are out of earshot. Delivery depends on the connection, so treat it as a bonus and not a promise.

Questions