How to Find a Lost Phone

Now we will tell you how to find your phone if you suddenly discover that it is lost. In this article, you will learn about all the proven ways to find your Android phone or iPhone.

How to find the lost phone

Among all the popular ways to find a lost phone, we will note the search:

• the IMEI;
• geolocation;
• the number;
• using third-party applications.

Further in the article, we will also tell you how to find a lost phone that is turned off, but now let's look at each way to find a turned-on gadget in more detail.

By the IMEI

Let's find out how to find your phone by IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) — the identification number of your smartphone. A unique combination is assigned to each device at the factory, and it is impossible to change the symbol's order.

It is possible to find and identify the phone by IMEI if it is in the coverage area of any mobile operator. It is realistic to determine the location of the gadget using this method even after the SIM card is changed.

Make sure you know the IMEI of your smartphone beforehand. If you have the phone in your hands, dial the combination *06. Write down the information you get and keep it in a safe place.

If you don't have your phone already, you can do the following to find out its IMEI:

• see the IMEI on the original box;
• find out the IMEI in your iPhone, Microsoft, or Google account.

According to the legislation of most countries in the world, only the police can give permission to the operator to search for a lost smartphone by IMEI. It is important that the gadget is turned on.

This method of searching for a lost cell phone is real and effective, but its algorithm is not the easiest:

• go to the nearest police station, write a statement, attach your passport data, the IMEI, and documents for the purchase of the smartphone, such as a sales receipt or warranty card;
• The police open a case and pass it on to the department that deals with the theft of gadgets, and then the specialists of this department send a formal request to the mobile operator;
• It is very important to get a document from the police that certifies the fact that they accepted your report about the theft or disappearance of the phone.

Let's be frank—you will hardly return the phone quickly using this method.

Important: The Internet often sees advertisements for programs and applications that search for phones by IMEI. In fact, these companies do not have such technical capabilities.

Read also: What the IMEI is and What It Is for

By geolocation

We will tell you how to find a lost cell phone location. We have prepared a step-by-step algorithm for both Android and iPhone owners.

Android

Go to the Google page "Find Devices"‎ option. It offers three ways to remotely search for your smartphone:

1. Ringing: If the phone is connected to the network, it starts making loud noises. It continues for five minutes. You can turn off the sound by pressing the power button. 2. Lock your device: It will work even if there is no protection with a pin code or a graphic key. Here, you can also send an SMS to the person who found the phone. Be sure to write down your contact number, as this number allows you to call even from a locked gadget. 3. Clear your device: All data will be deleted and will not fall into the wrong hands. It works if the phone is connected to the Internet and the memory card is not yet formatted. Once the function is applied, it will not be possible to determine the location anymore.

The "Find Devices" option is also available on other Android gadgets, but this will require installing an app with the same name and logining in to the same account that was accessed via your smartphone.

iPhone

Let's take a look at how to find a lost iOS phone. To determine the location, you need to activate this function on your smartphone beforehand. It is often enabled during the initial settings of the gadget at the suggestion of the iPhone itself, but it is better to double-check just in case.

The next steps are to find the "Locator‎"‎ application and activate the "Share Geo-Position‎"‎ and "Find iPhone‎"‎ options. In this case, you will see the location of the phone on other gadgets or devices of your family or friends who are connected to the same network. And if you've installed the iOS 15 update, the iPhone will transmit its location data even when it's turned off.

You can find your gadget on any Apple device in the Locator app. The function is also available from the Android browser.

Tap on the name of the phone to use the features:

• sound playback: the gadget will start ringing loudly; it is better to use if it is somewhere near;
• erase iPhone: quickly erases all data on the smartphone;
• missing mode: the iPhone will be blocked for everyone except its owner.

If two-factor authentication is enabled or you lose access to your account, you can correct the situation by sending a confirmation code to the backup device or phone number.

Thanks to Yesim app, you will definitely be in touch abroad, and you do not have to pay extra for roaming or use the services of local mobile operators.

By the number

Here we tell you how to find a lost phone by its number. If you know for sure that your phone was lost outside your home or stolen, go to the operator's office and tell a specialist the number of your lost phone as well as the IMEI code. Only the owner of the SIM card has the right to do this.

The operator may try to track the phone's location using signals from the cell tower.

Very often, such manipulations do not work; most representatives of mobile operators immediately ask a client to contact the police.

In addition to the ISP and the police, there are private companies that advertise services for searching for phones by number. But the use of cell phone towers by such companies for searching is considered illegal and brings results very rarely. Therefore, it is not recommended to spend money on the services of such companies.

Third-party applications

There are several popular applications that reliably capture the latest location of the gadget when it’s online, such as Snapchat.

If you use this service regularly, you know that it shows you where your friends are at the moment. And if the same option is activated on your smartphone, the only thing you have to do is ask one of your friends to see where the app detected your lost smartphone last time.

Do you often use Google Foto to create backups? If so, you can easily access your photos from any device. This will allow you to see where the latest photos were taken. For example, if someone finds your phone and uses it for their own purposes, the main thing is to activate the camera location function in the app beforehand.

If you remember all the services you use on your smartphone, it is likely that there are several other applications which you can try to track your phone location using approximately the same principle.

Read also: What to Do if Your Phone Was Stolen on a Trip

How to find your phone if it's turned off

Let's look at the most popular ways to find your phone if it is turned off. It is important to understand that all of them, in one way or another, are related to the settings of gadgets.

The general algorithm of actions looks like this:

1. Go to "‎Phone Settings"‎. 2. Activate the gadget search options. 3. For an iPhone, you also need to activate the Send Last Location and Find My Network options. 4. Make sure that you have downloaded the Find My Device app for your smartphone operating system.

Now let's figure out how to find a turned-off Android or iPhone.

How to find a turned-off Android phone

If you've lost your gadget and it's off, do the following:

1. Go to the "‎Search" section of the Android website or open the "‎Find My Device" app. Use any other Android device for this purpose. 2. Log in to your Google account via the Gmail account linked to your lost phone. 3. Select the lost gadget from the list of devices and if the necessary preventive measures were taken before, the application will show the location of the phone. Besides, additional functions will be available, such as: "‎Erase device"‎, "‎Protect device"‎, "‎Play sound"‎.

How to find a turned-off iPhone

To find a turned off-iPhone, do the following:

1. Launch the Locator app or go to "Find‎"‎ on the iCloud site from any other iOS gadget, such as a tablet PC. 2. Open "‎Devices‎"‎ and select the lost iPhone in the list. If it is nearby, use the "Play Sound"‎ function. 3. If your smartphone is far away, you can erase all data on it. To do this, use the "Erase Phone‎" function. After that, you need to activate "Missing Mode‎". This option will help block access to your contact list and generally prevent third parties from using the gadget.

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