The good thing about Windows Phones is that they are inexpensive compared to other phones and they have a built-in feature to track and find your lost phone.
Find Lost Windows Phone using ‘Find My Phone’
Find my Phone is a feature that is pre-installed in every Windows 8 phone. Here are requirements to locate and find you lost phone using ‘Find my phone’ feature:
- A computer with an internet connection.
- Airplane mode must have been turned off on your phone before it was lost or stolen.
- Find my Phone feature must have been enabled on your phone before it was lost or stolen.
How to Use Find My Phone
Here is how to use Find my Phone to locate your phone.
- Go to Windows Phone website: Use this Link
- Sign into the Microsoft account associated with the phone.
- Click on Find my Phone button.
- Windows will try to locate your phone.
- You will be provided with 3 options: Ring, Lock & Erase.
Ring your phone
You can choose the option to ‘Ring Your Phone ‘ to ring your phone at full volume even if it was set to vibrate mode. This feature is really helpful if you have lost your phone in your house.
To ring your phone, simply press the ring link. Next you will be prompted to enter your phone number. Enter the phone number associated with the lost phone.
You should be able to locate the phone if you hear it ringing in your house or someone answers it.
It is not uncommon for the phone to be misplaced in your house or at your friend’s house by yourself or someone else who had access to the phone.
Lock your phone
You can use this option to lock your phone and prevent its misuse. Good thing about this option is that it works even if you did not set up a password to protect your phone.
If your phone doesn’t have a password already set on it, you will be prompted to make one. Once you set up a password the phone will be locked.
You can also enter a custom message with your contact information in case someone finds your phone. The message will be displayed on the lock screen.
Erase data on your Phone
This option wipes all the data on your phone. Erasing all data will set your phone to factory settings.
Do this only if you have really important information on your phone and you don’t want anyone to see it.
Once you click on erase, Windows will give you a warning and you can either say you want to erase all memory or say cancel if you have changed your mind.