At the cashier, you place the cell down on a shelf or you notice a small bounce when you walk off the train, only then to find that the cell is off. It exists in the blink of an eye. No matter how you lose it, whether it’s burglary or a pure accident, it’s a traumatic feeling to lose your phone. It not only cut off your access to the rest of the world, but it also makes your phone the most personal device you own. And it is an expensive nuisance to replace.
Don’t worry in case your phone goes missing! There are tools built into any Android phone that enable fast locking and monitoring of a missing phone. But first, you’re going to have to take several actions now to set yourself up for success if and when your phone goes gone — or though you left it in the house only. There are several options to bring the lost phone back. Whether it’s an iPhone or tablet running iOS or Android, you either have the tools needed to search it down — or you can use a range of third-party applications to monitor your handset.
Here are the Ways to Find Your Lost or Stolen Phone:
Finding lost smartphones
If you lose track of your iOS or Android smartphone, Apple and Google feature integrated phone retrieval technology as part of your device account’s native software package. This is your Google Account for Android devices and your iCloud Account for iPhones. They let you lock and delete your phone remotely, have it ring, and set up special reminders to warn anyone who notices it. These features work great as long as the battery on your phone hangs up.
Tell someone who has located your mobile with care while talking. Should not share sensitive details, such as your home address, unless you realize that you are speaking with someone who you can trust. Keep submitting phone numbers or email addresses to discuss whether your handset can be found by a Finder. Here’s our guide on how to locate a missing phone for each operating system or a related computer.
Finding your Android phone
The best way to locate a missing Android handset is to use the Find My App function built into your Android smartphone through Google Play Services — it can also be used through a browser, or downloaded from the Google Play Store. Many smartphones operating Android 2.3 or later will have this feature to use.
Usage of the feature is as simple as asking “Where is my phone?” There is a search option, which enables the computer to check for the app. We’ve written previously about Find My Phone and its potential to dial you, set up a new pin, and ring your handset from afar, along with several other notification features. Although Find My Mobile should be programmed in advance, the service will be activated if you lose or misplace your phone using Wi-Fi or GPS to help you track your mobile away. Enabling Find My Phone on your Android device is a very nice idea.
Head to Preferences > Google (or Google Services) > Protection to make sure the Find My Phone button turns on to Remotely find this phone.
You may be needed to sign in. Once you launch the app or scan the web window, you can see all of the devices displayed at the end, so simply click the correct tab to locate the computer you are searching for.
When your mobile can not be retrieved, you should still scrub it clean to avoid confidential material from falling into the wrong hands. Your computer would have to have an internet link and enough energy to talk. Google’s launched Factory Reset Security (FRP) in Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’s designed to prevent theft from stealing your phone, wiping it, and then using it or selling it. When you reboot a phone with FRP allowed by the factory and attempt to set it up as a new computer, you will be asked to enter the username and password for the last Google account on the system that was recorded. When you can’t, otherwise the handset would stay closed.
Android also operates with several third-party software built to locate the mobile. One such app, Prey Anti Theft, features remote access and control so you can gather more information about your phone’s whereabouts. This has more granular control on whether the computer will be monitored by you or the police — GPS location, MAC address, camera images to help locate the robber, and even more specific alerts that Find My Phone does not have.
The Find My Mobile service is also an alternative for certain Samsung smartphones. You can use it to locate a missing phone, lock it down, or wipe it. You need a Samsung account, and the options enabled on your phone for Remote Controls. To search to see if your mobile will reach Find My Phone, do the following.
- Go to Settings > Security & Biometrics.
- You can use the service if you see Find My Mobile on the menu.
- Activate the options for remote controls that Settings > Biometrics & Protection > Find My Mobile > Remote Controls.
Finding your iPhone
Apple provides you with a roadmap to locate your missing iPhone: Apple’s native Find My iPhone. The app comes pre-installed on any iOS device and can display your missing device on a map to help you find and manage it easily. To implement this approach, you would require a machine or other iOS device that has the Find My iPhone functionality. As an explanation, we’ve used a misplaced iPad operating iOS 13.
- Tap Preferences > The (name) of your Apple ID > Find Me.
- This will take you to the Find My sheet where you can then tap Find My iPhone to switch it on when it’s off. (Note: Is never expected to be off).
- Tap the switches Enable Offline Finding and Send Last Location too with Find My iPhone switched on.
- They help you find where you last put your phone in the case that internet connections are already off.
- Switch to Preferences > Apple ID with all those settings ready to go, then navigate down to display all of your apps in a row.
- Tap the device you are missing and you’ll be taken to a Device Info sheet that lets you search for it directly.
- Tap Locate My (iPhone, iPad, Laptop, Apple Watch) and then tap Reveal in Locate My iPhone and a map that tells you how to get there.
- The service also gives you the option to play a sound on your device, mark the device as Lost, and in lost mode send a message to your phone.
- You also have the option of removing the device, if it fell into the wrong hands.
You will even use my iPhone and select your Laptop, iPod, and iPad. This is an extremely useful method to hunt down almost every iOS user. Don’t trust us? There are several stories about cops using the app to apprehend a criminal. This is only one of several related stories where phone monitoring apps helped to find a smartphone that had been robbed. The Activation Lock is often used by Apple to hold the iPhone secure from hacking. The Activation Lock activated by default allows you to type in your Apple ID and password before you can remove Find My iPhone, delete or reactivate your computer.
Conclusion
When it is apparent that you will never get your phone back, please call your operator to mark the handset as missing or stolen. Doing so will blacklist the phone from the carrier’s database, preventing it from being used by another person.
Lastly, if you pay on your phone for insurance, you will need to file a claim and pay the deductible to get your replacement phone. Have the compensation application procedure going with the insurer, which would presumably refer you to the policy provider that will cover the handset afterward. Good luck! Ideally, you would never have to go through the mental roller ride of missing a cell, tracking it down, and attempting to get it back.
