Misplacing or Losing your iPhone can be frustrating, as you have not only lost your expensive device but also lost Contacts and Personal information which can be misused. You will find below the steps to Track and Find Lost iPhone.
Track and Find Lost iPhone
An easy way to track and hopefully find your lost iPhone would be to call your Phone Number from another phone.
If the Phone is hiding somewhere below the couch or somewhere nearby in your house or place of work, you will be able to hear it ringing or vibrating.
However, this method may not help if your iPhone is stolen or you lost it somewhere away from your home or place of work.
In such cases, you will have to use other methods as provided below.
1. Track Lost iPhone Using ‘Find My’ Service on Computer
Apple’s ‘Find my iPhone’ service, which is currently known as ‘Find My’ is a device tracking App created by Apple to track your missing iPhone, iPad or MacBook.
The good thing about Apple’s ‘Find My’ App is that it is an iCloud based service and it can help you track your missing device, even if ‘Find My’ App is not installed on your iPhone.
1. Open any web browser on your computer and visit icloud.com
2. Sign-in to your iCloud Account by entering your Apple ID and Passcode.
3. Once you are in iCloud, click on Find My iPhone app (see image below).
4. You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password again.
5. The app will automatically start trying to find all the devices associated with your Apple ID if you have more than 1 Apple product, in this case select your lost iPhone from the list of devices.
6. Check Notify me when found option, in case the app says that it cannot locate your phone. This can happen in case your phone is out of range or switched off.
As soon as your iPhone is turned on, you will receive a notification at your email address associated with your Apple ID.
7. If your iPhone happens to be online “Find My iPhone app” will provide information about the location of your iPhone on a Map.
The Find My iPhone app basically provides you with 3 options. Choose the option that best suits your own condition. Please note that if your iPhone’s battery is dead these options may not work.
- Play Sound
- Lost Mode
- Erase iPhone Data
Play Sound: If the location shows that the iPhone is in your house select the play sound option which will cause the device to ring at full volume.
Go into every room of your house, the device may be in a bag or hidden under a table or the sofa.
Lost Mode: If the location shows that your phone is not in your house then turn on the Lost Mode option. This will lock your iPhone with a password that you can set on your computer.
The Lost Mode option also allows you to display your contact information and a message on the phone saying that you have lost your iPhone.
Erase iPhone: If there is really important information on your device then click on the Erase iPhone Option to erase all data from your device.
This would be your last-resort option, to prevent possible misuse of your personal information. Here we would like to inform you that your information is not retrievable in case your phone is password protected.
2. Inform the Police
If Apple informs you about the location of your iPhone, make sure that you inform the police immediately. Do not make the mistake of going to the location by yourself.
Make sure that you are filing a report with police even if you are unable to track the location of your iPhone using Find My iPhone app.
This ensures that the police will get in touch with you in case anyone finds your phone and deposits it at any police station.
3. Contact Your Phone Company
Contact your phone company in case it is more or less sure that you are not going to find your phone.
Your phone company will immediately shut off the service to your phone, preventing its potential misuse. Also, you may be able to get a new phone in case your plan covers for a lost phone.
