Losing a personal belonging is never fun, but what should you do if you happen to be found in a situation where you lose your phone? Thanks to advanced technology, losing a phone does not have to mean losing it forever. It is possible to locate a lost phone and avoid a lot of stress, but that is, of course, with the help of some features.
Panic not! All you have to do is act fast to recover your phone before it is too late. Let’s discover how to find a lost phone.
How To Find A Lost iPhone
After trying to find your lost iPhone but still in vain of locating it, you first must open a browser on another device and search for https://www.icloud.com/find.
Upon signing in, a map pinpointing the location of your lost device will be shown. If you own other Apple devices like a Mac or an iPad, you can also access the pre-installed “Find My” app to locate your missing device.
However, if you cannot find your iPhone in the list of devices, it likely means that the “Find My” feature is not enabled on your missing device or that your device has been powered off, has run out of battery, or has not sent its location to Apple within the last 24 hours.
The next thing you can do is mark your device as lost, and doing so will help remotely lock your iPhone with a passcode and keep your personal information secure. It will not make any noise or display any alerts when you receive messages or notifications, but it still can receive phone calls and FaceTime calls.
To mark your iPhone as missing, go to the Find My app, select your lost device, choose Mark As Lost, and click on Activate.
Another option available is to add a custom message or phone number to your iPhone’s lock screen, which can inform whoever finds it that it is a lost device and how to contact you. This way, you can increase your chances of retrieving your lost device.
Remember to first enable “Find My” app on your iPhone by going to Settings > select your name > choose Find My > then tap Find My iPhone > turn it on.
If you think your phone is lost for good, you can remotely erase your personal data and reset it by tapping Erase This Device on the “Find My” app. You can still track your device, and if you recover it, you can restore it from a previously saved backup.
Do take the chances of losing your phone ever again by using an Apple AirTag to find your iPhone whenever you misplace it. All you need to do is ensure the tag is firmly attached to the phone. Once the tag has been attached, search for the signal by accessing the “Find My Network” tab to locate your iPhone.
Get your own AirTag hereHow To Find A Lost Android Phone
If you are an Android user, you can rely on comparable functions to locate your lost or misplaced phone. Once you become aware of the loss, head to https://www.google.com/android/find/ on a web browser, then log in to your Google Account, the same one used on the missing device’s main profile.
Alternatively, you can install the “Find My Device” app on another Android phone or tablet.
The map will provide you with an estimated location of your lost phone. If it’s still not found, you may be able to view the last known location if it is available.
At this point, you can secure your phone remotely by locking it with your PIN, pattern, or password. You also can add a message or a phone number to the lock screen and opt to have your phone ring at its loudest volume for five minutes, alerting anyone nearby to its presence.
You can erase all data on your lost device by selecting the “erase device” option on the “Find My Device” app or the website. This action will permanently remove all data from your device except for any data saved on the SD card. If your device is recovered after it has been erased, you must have your Google Account to use it again.
Losing a personal smartphone can be a nightmare for anyone, but these steps can help to address the situation. By acting quickly and confidently, there is still a good chance that you will be able to recover it safely. Share this valuable information with your friends and family!
Source: Apple Support, Google Help
