Our smartphones are an essential part of our lives. We carry them around everywhere and in a way, our whole life exists on the smartphone. From calling to social media, and business, we do everything on our smartphones. They also contain all our essential details, documents, and even money details. Hence, losing our smartphones is a nightmare that we do not wish to live.
But at times we might lose our smartphones, someone could steal them, or we simply forget them somewhere. What should you do in case you misplace your smartphone? How can you find it? Well, let me tell you how you can find them.
Almost all Android devices come built with Google. In case you need to find your smartphone, Google has a great feature that can help you locate it. It comes in an app and website version called ‘Find My Device’. With the help of this, you can remotely locate your missing Android smartphone, secure it, and even erase the data.
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If you’re logged into your Google account and open the Find My Device page/app, you will see a map with all the other registered devices.
But, remember that to use Find My Device, your lost device should be powered on and linked to your Google device. In addition to this, your device’s location and Find My Device option should also be on.
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Find My Device web page. On the top left corner, you will see your registered device and its last known location on the map.
Step 2: Here you have two options: “Locate the device” and “Play a sound.”
You can zoom in on the map and try to get the exact location of your smartphone if it is still on. If the smartphone has been turned off, you will see its last active location. If you see that the smartphone is closer to you, you can blast a sound on the device. It will play the sound even if the smartphone is on mute or vibration.
Step 3: If you think that your smartphone is not anywhere near you, then you must secure it. For this just click on “Secure Device”. Your screen will be locked and you can even add a message to display on your lock screen. You can only do this if your internet is still on.
Step 4: If you think you will not get your smartphone back, then you can remotely factory reset it. You will lose all your data and will not be able to locate it either.
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If you’ve lost your iPhone then you can use ‘Find My’ to help locate your device. It is quite similar in function to Google’s version for Android.
Step 1: If you think that your iPhone is nearby and you have an Apple Watch then just simply click on the ‘Ping my iPhone option’. On the Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, you can even get directions to your phone’s location right on your watch.
Step 2: Use iCloud.com on a different device. When you log in, it will ask you to send a code to a trusted device. If you have lost the trusted device, click on the ‘Find the Device’ option
Step 3: If you have logged into any other Apple device using the same Apple ID, then you can use Find My on that device to help locate your missing iPhone.
Step 4: If you are part of a family sharing group, then you can even use your family members’ devices to track your iPhone.
Remember that these steps won’t work if the Find My option is disabled on your lost iPhone. Also, just like Google, you can remotely erase your data or even lock your device with a message.
