Smartphones have become our faithful companion. That’s why, when you look for it and can’t find it, you can feel how panic gradually takes hold of you. Faced with a lost cell phone, the first action that comes to mind is to call the number. But what if it’s on silent or, even worse, turned off?
This could increase your concern because finding a switched off device can be a bit more complicated. Fortunately, there are some tools that will help you find your cell phone. They are not infallible methods, but they could be very useful to decipher its location.
Locate a lost cell phone with Google
Android smartphones have a default system that can help locate a lost cell phone. It is ‘Find My Device’, a tool that offers several functions to locate a phone on. This information is very accurate when the device’s GPS is activated. However, it allows you to make it ring, which will help you in case it is silent.
When the device is turned off, locating it requires following other steps. From the same tool, you will be able to see the Google Maps timeline, which will tell you which routes the mobile went through until it was turned off.
However, you must keep in mind that this option will not work if this function is not active in the device. To enable it you must:
- Go to ‘Settings’ on the phone.
- Select ‘Location’.
- Click on the ‘Google Location History’ option.
- Choose the account that you use in the cell phone.
- Check the ‘Enable’ option.
The information that Google offers with this tool is actually very general. However, it can be useful to know, for example, if your cell phone was accidentally left in the car of an acquaintance.
Options for locating a lost Samsung cell phone
Finding a lost Android phone can be easier if it’s Samsung. Why? Well, because this manufacturer offers a proprietary feature to help users locate their devices.
It also has a Find My Device app. But unlike Google’s tool, Samsung’s allows you to find your devices in any situation. To take advantage of this function, it is important to have an affiliated Samsung account and to activate the option previously on the cell phone. Here are the steps to follow.
- Go to ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down until you find ‘Biometric and security data’.
- Select ‘Find my phone’.
- Enable the ‘Offline search’ option.
In case you need to find your lost phone, you have to log in to Samsung’s official Find My Mobile website. You will need to log in with the Samsung account username and password that you have on your smartphone. Once this is done, you will be able to see where it is on the map.
If the device is turned off or not connected to the Internet, the tool connects securely to other Samsung smartphones via Bluetooth and WiFi. In this way, the system manages to give an approximate radius of the area in which the device is located.
Locate an iPhone
If the lost cell phone is an iPhone, there are also methods to try to reach it, although their effectiveness is similar to Google’s Find My Device. These devices do not have a security option like Samsung’s, nor can they use Google’s location history.
In this case, to locate an Apple cell phone you have to follow these steps:
- Log in to the website to locate an iPhone (iCloud Find) and sign in.
- Click on the ‘All devices’ option and select the iPhone.
The system will show the point where the device is, if it is on, or the last one where it was, if it is off or offline.
An interesting option from Apple is the lost mode. By activating this option, the lost cell phone is locked so that whoever finds it cannot access its files. In fact, the phone will become unusable until you find it.
Starting with iOS 15, enabling this feature puts the device into a low-power mode, with Bluetooth enabled. This way, if you have another iPhone, you can locate your device within a radius of about 100 meters. This alternative works even when the phone is turned off.
These options can help you find a lost cell phone. You could also use third-party applications, although most of them do not fulfill their purpose. Therefore, you should know how to choose them.
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