Our mobile phones are big storage of our private information and devices with great features without which we cannot imagine our everyday life. Life can be unpredictable sometimes and people lose their phones unintentionally in the most inappropriate life period. People can leave their smartphones in the backseat of a taxi, in the café or restaurant, or somewhere else by oversight. It can be very problematic not only because mobile devices are pretty costly and not everyone can have enough funds to cover these new unexpected and unforeseen expenses. The great danger is the risk to lose access to bank accounts, social media accounts, personal photos, videos, and cloud storage. Not every person that finds someone’s lost phone is willing to return it to the owner, so your private and confidential data is at stake.
Fortunately, technological development reached the point, when it has become possible to keep your devices safe by installing special applications with antivirus software to detect suspicious activity on your device. Furthermore, there is a lot of useful information on the Internet regarding security concerns and different hacking methods. So, people can find out how to track sim or someone’s geolocation, read someone’s messages on distance and learn how to monitor text messages without installing software. In case of an accident of a lost phone, it is possible to employ some effective methods to track your lost phone. So the information in this article will be helpful not only for people that have already encountered this unpleasant and horrible situation but also for those who want to secure themselves if it happens.
1. Avail of the Find my device feature. If you are an Android user, then you can easily get information about your lost phone, if this built-in feature is turned on your device. First, you should add your Google account to activate this function automatically. The lost phone should be turned on, connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi, signed in to a Google account, and have Location tracking activated to be detectable remotely. So, when signing in to your Google account, click on your lost phone so that it will receive the notification. This way the owner of the lost Android will get information about its current location on the map. Then you can choose from a few available options:
- Play sound. Your phone will vibrate and make the sound for minutes even if you left it on silent mode.
- Secure device. Here you can lock your smartphone with a password, Pin, or pattern so that nobody will get access to it. It is also possible to leave a message with a phone number or necessary information and instructions for returning for a stranger who finds it.
- Erase device. You can delete your data on the smartphone forever without the opportunity to restore it.
2. Use Find my application. The guidance for iPhone, iPad, or iPod users with IOS software can be a bit different, but the main points remain the same. So, to get access to your stolen or lost device, you should sign in to your iCloud or use the Find my app and choose the needed divide from the list. The next step is to mark your device as lost, which automatically locks the phone with passwords or security codes. This application allows you to:
- View phone location. Choose the device for tracking and see where it is even if your device is not connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data. Keep in mind that you can do it only within the period of seven days since the information about the last location was sent to the system
- Play sound. Select the missing device from the list and choose Play sound. Following the sound and vibration will help you find the lost device. Erase the data
- Erase a device. If you failed to find your missing device, the only step is to delete all data from it. After this step, you will lose access to all data on your smartphone forever.
Conclusion
So, we can find ourselves in a desperate situation when our smartphone is lost. But luckily the modern phone comes with a built-in feature for finding it at distance. Both Android and Apple owners can avail of this unique opportunity and find out the location of a lost phone or delete the data from it. So, people can find a way out from this unpleasant situation and find their missing devices even when they are not connected to the network.