If you’ve ever lost your phone, you know the pain and the frustrations it comes with. You lose contacts, data and suffer inconveniences. What most people don’t know is that there are several ways you can locate your lost gadget. Interestingly, even when it is dead or powered off. Tracking android phones can be a bit complicated than iPhones. Apple has the best tracking tools for its devices. Thus, there is no point in panicking and giving up when you can’t locate your phone.
In this article, we bring you the best available tricks you can use to locate your iPhone even when it’s turned off. So, if you are worried about your lost iPhone, you’ve come to the right place. And in the worst-case scenario when not recoverable, there is a way to permanently lock it.
Sometimes, what most people care about is not even the gadget but their information. Some people carry crucial and sensitive information in these small electronic buddies. With the device lost, their sensitive contents can easily leak without their consent. That’s why going the extra mile to try and salvage your lost gadget is advisable.
What can you do if your iPhone is Lost
When you lose your iPhone, you can either search for it or just let go. Maybe because you are not ready for the hassle involved or you no longer need it. In the event you choose the latter, you don’t have to lose your data. A professional tool known as iMyFone D-Back makes it possible to recover data in your lost phone. Luckily, the tool works on all iOS devices regardless of their versions.
To Use iMyFone D-Back, Follow the Steps Below:
- Download, install and launch iMyFone D-Back on your computer.
- Once launched, scroll to the “Recover from iCloud Backup” option and click Start.
- Log in to your iCloud account and proceed.
- On the next page, iMyFone D-Back will locate all data contained in your iCloud backup. Now, select the folder you want to restore and click next. This button is at the bottom left corner of your display.
- Select the specific files to recover then click “scan”. This will initiate the download of the said files. Wait for the download and scan to complete.
- Once complete, the app will display the files on the screen. Preview the files to ascertain they are exactly what you want to recover. If you don’t want to recover everything, select the specific files you want and click recover.
- Finally, select the storage location for the recovered files on your computer. Then wait for the download to complete.
How can you Lock your Lost iPhone
As a privacy precaution, you may want to secure your lost iPhone especially if it doesn’t have a passcode. As mentioned earlier, people store all sorts of data on their mobile devices. These may include financial, work, social among others. You may feel that exposure to such contents may damage or affect you adversely thus the need to secure it. iPhones have a feature that allows you to introduce a screen passcode.
Additionally, you can erase all the data on the phone through iCloud. This way, you can be 100% sure of your data safety. To lock your lost iPhone screen remotely, follow the steps below;
- Visit Find My iPhone web page.
- Log in to your account with your user credentials.
- Select the device menu option found at the top part of the screen.
- Chose the lost iPhone model from the available list.
- Click Lost Mode.
- Pick the lost contact number and click next.
- On the next pop-up screen, input a display message you want for anyone who finds the phone.
- Click done to finalize the process.
How to Find a Lost iPhone that is Turned off – Easy Ways
Finding an iPhone that gets lost while powered on is easier and straightforward. The search gets tricky if the device is powered off. Although, there are several ways you can follow and get it done. One of those methods is the use of Google timeline. A Google Timeline is like your phone’s database. It keeps a real-time record of your phone’s locations.
So, based on the geographical information, you can track down your device. The timeline provides even the last location the phone was used. Something worth noting is that for Google Timeline to work, location history and reporting must be on. Otherwise, you won’t get any information.
If you have lost your phone and it is off, follow the steps below to track its location through Google Timeline;
- Enter and proceed to google/maps/timeline on your browser.
- When the webpage loads, locate and click the “Today” tab located at the top left corner. This provides only your iPhone’s recent timeline.
- Navigate to the last location at the bottom timeline records. That represents the last recorded location for your iPhone. This information should point you in the right direction. Remember sometimes maybe you have just misplaced your phone. The timeline data will tell you whether the phone is still around the area or it’s far away. It can also be in the move suggesting that it may have been stolen.
- The Google map on the screen can also help you pinpoint the approximate position of the phone. Even though the map may not be 100% accurate, it gives you a rough idea of where your phone is.
1. Using a Friend’s iPhone
You may not have activated location history and reporting on your dead or turned off iPhone. In that case, you can’t use the Google Timeline method to locate the phone. So, you have to find an alternative. Using your friend’s iPhone or iPad is one of the best and straightforward methods you can opt for.
To use this route, do the following;
- On your friends, iPhone or iPad, install and launch “Find My iPhone”.
- Log out your friend’s accounts and log into yours with your Apple ID and passcode.
- Once logged in, a list of all devices connected to your account will appear. From the list, select the specific lost phone.
- The app will generate an onscreen map showing the approximate location of your iPhone. For better accuracy, you can zoom into the map.
- If you want the direction to the location, click “Actions” and choose the car icon. This will generate a map of the location.
2. Using a Computer
The “Find My iPhone” feature plays an important role when it comes to keeping your iPhone secure. One of its major functions is tracking and providing the location of your device. You may be wondering whether this feature works when your iPhone is dead. The answer to your question is yes.
Now, if you’ve lost your dead iPhone, fret not. iCloud is capable of tracking it as if it was 100% charged. All you need is a computer and internet connection to get it done.
To actualize this technique, proceed as follows;
- Ensure your computer has an internet connection.
- Go to icloud website.
- Click the “Find My iPhone” tab.
- Click the “All Devices” icon and pick your lost iPhone.
- The feature will display a map showing the approximate location of the phone.
3. Law Enforcement Agencies
If none of the above methods works for you, you can turn to the law enforcement agencies. Such government departments have equipment that can help you easily find your iPhone. All you need is to provide the officers with your device IMEI. This is a unique mobile identifier that you can obtain from different sources.
Some of the common places to find your iPhone IMEI include:
- In your iPhone warranty pamphlet.
- On the battery.
- On the back of the phone’s carton.
- You can also dial *#06# on your smartphone and the IMEI will pop up on the screen.
How do you Find your Phone when it’s Turned off in your House
If you lose your iPhone within the house, its search is much easier. Unlike when lost outside, the search within the house is less complicated. Some of the best techniques you can use to locate an iPhone lost within the house are;
Use of an Apple watch:
Yes, an apple watch can save you a lot of time when trying to locate your iPhone in the house. To use an Apple Watch, follow the steps below;
- Connect the two devices to a common network. To establish such a connection, you can either use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
- Activate the Apple watch and navigate to the glances menu.
- Locate the “ping” button and click on it. This will cause your iPhone to produce a short pinging sound making it easy to locate it. Don’t worry even if the phone is silent, the method will still work.
- If you are searching for the iPhone in a dark room, you can long-press the ping button. This will activate the LED light on your iPhone making it even easier to see its location.
Make a call to your phone:
If your search in every room doesn’t bear fruits, you can use a friend’s phone to call your number. This way, you will hear it ring from wherever it is-could be under a pillow, bed, papers etc.
Alternatively, if you don’t have any other phone in the house, you can use your computer. You just need to visit the “ICantFindMyPhone” page and input your number. The service will place a call to your number thus you’ll easily locate your iPhone.
Can I Find My iPhone if it is off
Yes. There are two major ways you can use to locate your iPhone even when turned off. The Google TimeLine and Find My iPhone. These features give you the last known location of your iPhone. Also, if you keep the ‘notify me location’ will give you a new location when the phone is turned on again. To receive the new location, you just need to tick the “Notify me when found” option. Besides the above features, Apple recently developed a new feature dumbed Zombie mode.
In the event you lose your phone with zombie mode activated, the phone pretends to be off. Although, the background remains live to the owner. So, it is easy to track its location. In case the person who collects or steals it tries to recharge, they are prompted to enter a passcode. Failure to provide correct information activates the Zombie Mode feature. Disguising itself, the tool sends an email with crucial information revealing its location.
Final Word
In simple language, this article tells you that all is not lost even if you lose your phone. You still have several options to get your little buddy back. Even though we’ve only explored the ways to find iPhones, that doesn’t mean androids are untraceable. They can as well. However, it is much easier for an iPhone than the other devices. We cannot guarantee that you will always succeed in getting your iPhone back.
That’s why we offer an alternative solution to secure your data in the event you don’t find it. Just lock the phone permanently to ensure that no one will ever access it.
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