Bitdefender Central remote anti-theft actions are not working

I've installed Bitdefender anti-virus and VPN software on both my laptop and also my android device. The software on both devices meet all system requirements and function properly but when I attempt to use Bitdefender Central to push any remote action to another device I get an endless pending status for that action.

All devices are connected to the same network and internet connection. I've cleared all caches, un-installed/re-installed the apps multiple times, granted all permissions and still cannot get the remote actions to work.

Does anyone have any idea on how I can get these remote actions to work?

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Alexandru_BD

Hello,

First, make sure that Bitdefender is configured accordingly and Anti-Theft is turned on. Then also try the Anti-theft commands in another browser, and try the steps below:

Go to phone settings → Security → Device administrators → Uncheck Antivirus.

Go to Application manager → Tap on Antivirus → Press on clear cache and clear data.

Open the Bitdefender app and configure everything again. Then try to send the command one more time.

Regards,

Alex

dxt174

Hi Alexandru_BD,

could you help me please to follow your suggestions correctly. I have got both Bitdefender and Central installed on my Android 14 OnePlus phone. In Bitdefender app, AntiTheft > RemoteLocate>find my phone this feature works and finds my map location, but in Bitdefender Canrtal>[devicename]>RemoteActions>LocateDevice, it just endlessly says Running (per OP message above). So I want to try your suggestions but have these difficulties:

1 make sure that Bitdefender is configured accordingly
- could you say which configurations precisely are needed? I assume that these are actioned on an Android device within Bitdefender app, (not Central app)

2 Anti-Theft is turned on
- I cant find a place to do this. In Bitdefender app on Android I can go to More>AntiTheft
but here there is no specific switch to set AntiTheft to On. In this section, Remote Locate is On (and in this section it works); and Scream is Always On. In Bitdefender Central I cannot see a plae for AntiTheft to be On. In phone Settings I cannto see an Antitheft to switch On. So where should AntiTheft be set as On?

3 Go to phone settings → Security → Device administrators → Uncheck Antivirus.
In my Android14 Security there is no Antivirus setting. Available are: App security/Device unlock/account security/Device finders/system & updates all are Checked. So how can I "uncheck Antivirus"

4 Go to Application manager → Tap on Antivirus → Press on clear cache and clear data.
In App Management on android 14 I do not have an Antivirus showing in Apps. I have Bitdefender Security as an app, but in there I cannot find a place for Cache or Clear data. I also have Central within Application Manager (meaning Bitdefender Central), but here again Antivirus is not shown.

I also cannot get the other Remote Actions to function, from Bitdefender Central accessed on the same phone where Bitdefender is installed, but since Location does work from within Bitdefender>AntiTheft I thought it would be the best feature to troubleshoot first.

Most grateful for your clarifications.

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

First, all Anti-Theft features require the background data option to be enabled in your device’s data usage settings.
Then, by making sure that Mobile Security is configured accordingly, I mean that the app requires some permissions to operate, and these are the following:

Internet access: used for cloud communication.
Read phone state and identity: used to detect if the device is connected to the internet and to extract certain device info needed to create a unique ID when communicating with Bitdefender cloud.
Read and write browser bookmarks: The Web Protection module deletes malicious sites from your browsing history.
Read log data: Bitdefender Mobile Security detects traces of threat activities from the Android logs.
Location: required for remote location.
Camera: required for Snap photo.
Storage: used to allow the Malware Scanner to check the SD card.

I think the first step would be to ensure the above permissions are already granted and if you are unsure, you can perform a fresh reinstall and tick all the required boxes in the process.

To enable Anti-theft, typically you'll have to complete the configuration process from the Anti-Theft card available in the Mobile Security Dashboard on your Android device. Alternatively, you can activate Anti-Theft by following these steps:

Open Bitdefender Mobile Security and tap More on the bottom navigation bar. Choose Anti-Theft, and tap TURN ON.
Going forward, grant Admin privileges.
These privileges are essential to the operation of Anti-Theft and therefore must be granted to continue. To prevent unauthorized access to your device, a PIN code must be set. Every time an attempt will be made to access your device, the PIN will have to be entered first. Alternatively, on devices that support fingerprint authentication, a fingerprint confirmation can be used instead of the configured PIN code. The same PIN code is used by App Lock to protect your installed apps.

NOTE: the settings menu may vary depending on the Android version and the device you are using, so they may not be identical as described above. I don't use an Android device, therefore I cannot replicate the steps entirely, so my instructions are based on what the existing Support articles advise.

You can also enable or disable the remote commands, so this is something else to check. These settings are also typically found under More → Anti-theft. Once there, you should be able to enable or disable the desired options.

This is an older screenshot, but it shows the additional options that can be configured there:

If you are still having trouble getting Anti-theft to work, then maybe the Support teams can help and guide you through the exact steps, according to the OS version and the mobile device you are using, because again, I think these may vary from one OS version to another, and the device type may play an important part as well. Here's the link to contact Bitdefender Support, should you need it:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

And another link that I found relevant to your inquiry:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28871/

Regards,

Alex

Hi I am facing the same issue, the anti theft is not working on my redmi 13 pro and and my samsung s243 ultra! Been trying all the methods + contacted customer service, its still not working

Alexandru_BD

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/349580#Comment_349580

Hi,

What did the Support teams advise?

dxt174

Ticket still in progress, I will update. Thank you for your clarifications.

Still waiting for reply from them

dxt174

Oh, I got a reply… In response to my Issue description copying my original post as above - in summary, AntiTheft does not issue Alerts from Central nor can Central find the device, Support said 'please send a screenshot'. Whaaat? Screenshot of what? I did not feel that was going to lead to a rapid solution.

More importantly, I tried changing settings per above but nothing worked so in the end I deleted Bitdefender everywhere and reinstalled it, accepting everything. From Central, Anti-theft now can send the Alerts and does find the device. So - - it was user error. Many thanks to Alexandru for his time and trouble. I am not sure I like having accepted all those permissions but at least I know if I turn something off and AntiTheft does not work I can get it back by reinstalling.

Alexandru_BD

Thank you @dxt174 and no trouble at all, I appreciate the follow up and I'm glad to hear you could get to the bottom of this.

Yes, screenshots are occasionally required by the Support teams, because in some cases they prove to be an invaluable tool in diagnosing and solving software issues, since they provide a visual snapshot of the problem. They can capture important details that might otherwise get lost or misunderstood when problems are described only in text.
I've seen countless cases where the engineer and the customer were looking at different things, going back and forth, thus a screenshot confirms that both parties are on the same page and may also reveal important details to the technical teams.

And yes, the feature may not operate as intended, if the required permissions are not granted, so to anyone encountering similar issues, this is something to keep in mind, as it could be the fix you are looking for. 🙂

Regards

Pri2008

Hi guys,

I am having the same issue! My phone is a google pixel pro 9 and fully updated to the latest firmware. All settings have been accepted within Bitdefender, all the theft control options are set correctly and everything is installed correctly.

I have tried to send commands to my phone for all options, wipe, sound and location and I have tried from Firefox, Chrome and Edge with no luck!!

Close to deleting this app as it clearly works for find my device through google.

Please note that I have also deleted the app and reinstalled many, MANY times and always accepted EVERY security option. I have cleared the cache and data from Bitdefender many times.

The phone shows up in central just fine and all looks great until you try to send a command!

Any help would be great, thanks :)

Flexx

Well, @Alexandru_BD, it has started again. I tried the Anti-Theft feature on three devices, but it's only able to track one. The other devices are with me, and I waited for 5-10 minutes with no success. Despite location services being enabled, Bitdefender being active, and Anti-Theft settings properly configured, they are still not trackable.

Time to get it resolved again, just like you did three years ago—lol—as mentioned in the link below 😂

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/350334

Regards

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/350337#Comment_350337

It's now been more than 30 minutes, and the Remote Action in the Bitdefender Central app for IOS still shows "Pending" under location services.

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

I hear there's an ongoing investigation regarding this behavior.

Stamatis

Hi. Same problem here. I have been using it for more than 8 years and it worked like a charm. It still works perfect on my windows devices. When Android switched to 14.0 and after that HyperOS the problems have started on all android devices. Locate doesn't work anymore. It says you will be notified when we find your device and that's it. It may send a found update after 8-10 hours (may send) and that's all. Message send doesn't work, Snapphoto doesn't work… It all started with Android 14 and HyperOS… I believe bitdefender should have provided an answer by now.

Ajay Patel

Hello, I am facing same issues where bitdefender central anti theft is not able to locate device when command is sent from central portal. Facing same issue with google pixel 8 pro (android 15) and asus zenfone pro max m1 (android 10) devices. I have noticed that it's not like you need to wait certain minutes before it locates, it will locate instantly if your device is unlocked and not in idle state. But it will not locate device yet wifi/mobile data is connected, if your device is locked state. Google find my phone is able to locate device accurately even if phone is idle and locked. Bitdefender should look into this issue fix this ASAP, such bugs make this feature unusable.