Losing a phone is one of the most devastating feelings, especially considering how much of our lives we store digitally on them, including our contacts, wallets, and even car keys. If your phone was password protected, you can breathe a sigh of relief temporarily. Now a day, cell phone manufacturers have equipped their products with security measures that help people locate lost or stolen devices.
Losing a phone is always a possibility, and some people even lose their phones multiple times a day. Fortunately, if you lost it at home, or it is under your car seat. Unfortunately, it may fall out of your bag or pocket when you were walking around, it can fall out of your car, you left it behind at a restaurant or someone stole it in the market or office, or university.
The moment you realize that your phone is gone can be a moment of panic. However, there are several things to do before losing your phone to ensure you can find it when it is lost. With these pre-active measures, you will have no problem finding whether it is powered off or on. There are different ways to locate the phone when it is powered off depending on the kind of device whether Android or iPhone. Each of these ways has its own pros and cons and situation where they come into play. You can find a lost iPhone turned off using the Find My app or Google Maps.
Can You Track A Phone That Is Turned Off?
Triangulating is one such method and works on the locations of cell towers or mobile network masts. This service works by monitoring which mast you are connected to. When that phone moves, it will ping from a different mast. Using different masts triangulate a position to narrow it down.
Another phone tracking method is GPS service. It is the most accurate monitoring form and can be shown in real-time. It uses satellite signals to ping the phone and provide a location. Phones also use A-GPS or assisted GPS when connected to Wi-Fi or data connections. It uses the cell site mast information to map the location more accurately when satellite coverage is poor. When there is no connection, Bluetooth services can also help to track a phone offline as long as it is switched on.
Finally, you can use IMEI numbers to trace a phone. It only works through GPS services or physically matches the IMEI reported stolen. Generally filling a police report may increase your odds of finding it.
So, unfortunately, there is no simple method to track a phone that is turned off. But you can see recent activities before the phone is switched off such as the last known location and location history. Even Air Droid Family Locator allows you to check whether the pairing phone has a low-charge current. So you can remind them to charge their phone before it switches off due to low power.
How To Find A Lost iPhone That Is Turned Off?
Apple has enabled their device users to track their phone when it is lost and turned off. All iPhone users must have an Apple ID and connect it to their devices. Only then can they find a lost iPhone turned off or initiate lost mode remotely. There are two ways to find a lost iPhone turned off, Find My App or Google Maps.
Find The iPhone’s Last Location With Find My App:
Find My App is available for iPhone users with the latest iOS. When they connect their Apple devices with their Apple ID and turn on “Find My Network” they can easily locate the iPhone’s last location. If you have an iPad or Mac sharing the same Apple ID with your iPhone.
- Open the Find My App on your iPad or Mac.
- Choose the item or device option.
- Select the device you want to locate on the map.
- Click “direction” to open the device location on the map.
Use Find My App On Other’s Devices:
The steps to use the Find My App on other device is similar to using it on devices with the same Apple ID.
- Open the Find My App on another device.
- Click on the sign-out options at the upper right corner of the screen to sign the device owner out.
- Sign in to Find My iPhone with your Apple ID and Password.
- A list of devices with your ID will be displayed below the map on the screen
- Choose the iPhone that you want to locate.
- The last known location will be displayed when the lost iPhone is turned off.
Use iCloud Location Tracking:
- Go to the iCloud website and log in with your Apple ID and password.
- Click on “Find Devices”
- Click “all devices” to see a list of devices using your ID.
- Select the device that you want to locate.
- The selected device will be displayed in the middle of the “Find My Device” toolbar.
- Since the device is turned off, it will appear offline, but the last location will be displayed on the map.
How To Find A Lost Android Phone Which is Switched Off?
1- Find The Phone’s Last Location With Find My Device:
Find My Device is an excellent service Google provides for Android phone users to track their lost or stolen phones. However, you need to sign up before using it. to find a lost phone that is switched off you have to go through the following steps.
- Go to Android.com/find on your web browser.
- Sign in with the Google Account connected to the lost device.
- The device will be displayed at the top of the screen
- Click the lost phone, and its last location will be displayed on the map.
2- Find The Lost Phone Before Powering Off:
Air Droid Family Locator is an app that aids in keeping kids safe, building healthy online habits, and providing parents with control over their child’s phone usage. If you have installed the app and paired it with the lost phone, you can track its real-time location and will get alerts if the phone is low-power. So you can take action before it powered off.
The app is easy to use and set up. You will have a full activity report breakdown of usage to see what apps your child has accessed and the screen time of specific apps.
Keep them safe with live GPS mapping and you can also get instant alerts for specific zones.
Get an alert if the kid’s phone has a low battery or has not been updating inactivity for a while.
Remotely watch, hear, and record what is happening around your kids.
How To Find A Lost Phone Using GPS Tracker Software:
If you lost your mobile phone then another option is to add a third-party application that uses GPS, such as mSpy, so that you can find your phone when it’s lost.
mSpy uses the device’s information to create a link between it and its servers. It can then access information on the phone, including location and battery percentage. It is also a good option for making remote changes to your phone if you discover that it’s not in close range. Follow these steps to use mSpy to find your phone.
Use a computer, tablet, or any other phone to log into your mSpy phone tracker account.
Browse your dashboard to find your phone. Real-time location data from your phone may take a few minutes to reach your control panel. However, location data is usually real-time.
1- Trace Your Steps Using The Google Maps Timeline:
Another genius way to find your lost cell phone is by seeing where you have been with the Google Maps Timeline. With so much reliance that we put on our phones for commuting and finding directions, there is a great chance that Google Maps has a detailed history of where your phone has been, as long as you have got location history in Google Maps enabled on the device.
- The Google Maps Timeline displays every route you have taken and every shop and place that you have visited. This is a great way to locate your lost or misplaced Android device.
- On a computer or a phone, open Google Maps and sign in to your Google Account.
- Click on the menu icon and select Your Timeline from the options. This will bring up a timeline view of your recent outings.
- To narrow down your search, select the date you lost your phone using the drop-down menus.
- By retracing your steps, you may eventually locate where you lost your phone.
Best Android Anti-Theft Apps To Protect Your Phone:
Google offers built-in Android security, including an option called Find My Device that can a missing phone, but there are also some great third-party options available. Let’s take a look at the best anti-theft apps for Android.
CERBERUS:
The three main ways that Cerberus protects your device are remote control via the web portal, remote control via text message, and automatic alerts.
The app can locate and track your phone, lock your device, start an alarm on your phone, upload call logs and wipe both internal and external memory.
Cerberus will also help ensure anyone who steals your phone ends up in trouble with the law. It can secretly take photos and record videos of anyone who has your device, then upload them to the cloud for you to see. You can even record audio from your phone’s mic.
The app also supports automatic actions. Like, you can make the phone lock itself if the SIM card is changed, or instantly receive a photo if someone enters the wrong PIN.
There to use Cerberus, you will need to download the APK directly from the official website, then sideload the app onto your Android device.
ANTI-THEFT ALARM:
At the other end of the complexity, scale is the Anti-theft alarm. It is a Theft deterrent. It does not have post-theft features like phone locating and remote wiping. The app will sound a loud alarm in certain circumstances, you can ring the alarm when someone removes or steal your phone while it is charging if someone removes your phone from where you left it, or if you drop your phone.
You can also activate the alarm remotely if you realize someone has stolen it.
The alarm can sound even if your device is on silent. Once activated, the noise won’t stop without a password, changing the battery or sim will not have any effect on the sound.
McAfee MOBILE SECURITY:
It’s called as one-stop-shop for all your security needs. Specific Anti-theft features included device lock security, a thief cam, and app uninstallation protection. If someone enters the wrong PIN code three times, the phone will lock itself until you enter the master password, and take a snapshot of the perpetrator.
McAfee Mobile Security also has a Find My Phone feature. You can see your phone on a map, sound an alarm remotely and get step-by-step location tracking. The app is available for free, and an annual plan with extra features is available for $30/per year.
CROOK CATCHER:
Crook Catcher is designed to help you get your phone back, but also gives you the satisfaction of catching a thief in action in real-time. When someone tries to unlock your phone with the wrong code, it will take a picture of the person and immediately email it to you. The email will contain the picture, GPS coordinates and accuracy, an estimated street address, and a map.
One of the biggest differences between crook catcher and other apps on our list is the lack of battery drain. The app only fires up when the wrong code is entered, it does not need to run in the background permanently.
How To Use IMEI Number To Locate Your Android Device?
Your phone’s International Mobile Station Equipment Identity number is a 15-digit number that serves as your phone’s device code. The IMEI code is information you should record when you have your phone’s custody. It helps you to search when you lost it. if you lose your phone, you can give the IMEI number to either your service provider or the police, and they can use it to track your phone down.
Locating IMEI Number On IOS:
Here are the steps to find the IMEI number on your iOS phone.
Go to the settings app to find the code
Click on general and about.
Once you scroll down, you should find the IMEI number to write down for future reference.
Locating IMEI Number On Android:
There are three places on your Android device where this number may reside. There is one place you may find it internally and two are external. Follow the steps given below.
Some Android phones may have the IMEI number on the back cover, if you find it there you won’t have to go to the next steps.
Go to the setting and look under “About device” Scroll down until you locate the IMEI number of your phone.
If all these do not work, then you can find the IMEI code inside the phone’s protective covering.
Conclusion:
These were some easy and simple steps to find your phone when they are lost and also turned off. If you have lost your phone, then make sure to keep the above-mentioned things in mind, and then you will be good to track your phone back. However, with apps such as Air Droid Parental Control, you may be able to monitor your child’s phone until it turns off.
