Nowadays, phones play a key role in our lives in keeping us updated. They also have personal and work-related important data stored and if you somehow lose your phone, it can be very distressing. A lost phone could be stolen or misplaced out of your sight accidentally. These days, most smartphones have some built-in features like find my device that allows you to track the lost phone remotely. There are also OEM and third-party service providers offering this service for you. Losing a phone is never a pleasant experience as it can get extremely stressful and exhausting. So, What do you do if you, unfortunately, face a similar situation and lose your phone?
There are a few easy ways to track down a lost phone:
1. Find my device
Find my device is a google feature for android phones. If you log in to a google account on your phone, find my device automatically turns on. Through this feature, you can also lock or erase the data on your phone.
There are a few pre-conditions for you to be able to use the ‘Find my device’ feature-
- Your phone must be switched on.
- Google account must be signed in.
- Your phone should be connected to a mobile network or wi-fi
- It must have the location tracker turned on
- It must have the ‘Find my device’ feature turned on
To remotely lock or wipe the stored data on your lost phone, follow these steps-
- Sign in to your Google account on ww.google.com/android.com/find
- Select the lost phone, and it will receive a notification.
- You will receive approximate location-related information about your lost phone on the map.
- You can choose to either lock or erase the data of your lost phone with its security password.
2. Google Maps
The location history feature on google maps can also help you find your phone. To use this feature, turn on Google maps and you will find this feature under “your timeline” in the menu.
Steps to follow-
- Open Google maps
- Log in to the Google account of the misplaced device on another phone or PC
- Click on the three-dotted icon on the top right corner
- Select ‘Your Timeline’
- Enter the day, date, and month for which you are looking at the location history of the lost phone.
The only constraint for this feature is that your lost phone must be switched on and have the location tracker turned on.
3. IMEI Tracker for a lost phone.
IMEI refers to International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique 15-digit number mandated by GSM. IMEI acts as a unique identification number for your phone. It means that every time you make a call or send an SMS it is the IMEI number that is automated and tracked. Enforcement agencies and service providers generally maintain these databases, which categorizes a particular IMEI in either blacklist or whitelist. you can make a report/request to have the IMEI blacklisted if your phone is lost.
Your phone’s IMEI number is usually printed on its backside or underneath the cover. Alternatively, you can also check it from the About Phone option in the settings.
4. Apps
A few apps are available online, which can track a lost phone or storage device if you have them pre-installed on your device. Parents use this app to keep track of their ward’s movement for their security. But they are equally effective in finding your lost phone.
A few examples of such apps are- Family locator, Life360, and Safe365.
However, there are a few issues related to them. You must keep in mind these issues before you decide to use them:
- Only two alerts and two-day location history on the free plan
- Crime reporting and rapid response features are missing.
- Locking and erasing data feature not available
- A few apps might not have a free version available.
- Data privacy concerns
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