These days, losing your phone is more costly than ever. Not only are phones themselves more expensive, but without them, you’re not only losing your connection to the world but potentially also your payment method and even your car key!
Luckily, one of the many things smartphones are getting better at is helping you find them. Of course, there are some limitations. If your phone’s battery is dead or the phone doesn’t have an internet connection, there’s not much that can be done besides looking for it the old fashioned way: by searching.
Below, we’ll show you a couple of popular ways to locate your phone before you start tracing back your steps.
How to find my Android phone
If your Android phone is missing, the easiest way to look for it is through another device on which you’re logged in with the same account that’s on your phone. That can be either an older phone, a tablet, a laptop, or your desktop PC.
To find your phone from a PC browser:
Open Google.com, type “find my phone” in the search bar and press enter.
The map will show the last know location of the phone. If the location is the same as where you are, you can click on Ring. This will make the phone ring for 5 minutes (even if it’s set to silent) or until the power button is pressed.
This makes finding a phone that slipped between the couch cushions or was left somewhere unusual very easy.
If the map interface pictured above doesn't show up, click on the first result, which should be "Find your phone - Google Account".
On a mobile device, the process looks like this:
Type "find my phone" in the Google search bar.
Select the missing phone from the list.
Tap Ring if you're sure the phone is nearby or Locate if you've misplaced it while you were outside.
If you don’t have access to any of your own devices, ask to use a friend’s phone and go through the same process with just a few extra steps:
Type “find my phone” in the search bar and press enter.
Select the missing phone from the list.
Tap Ring if you're sure the phone is nearby or Locate if you've misplaced it while you were outside.
Sometimes it's as if your phone has disappeared into another dimension
How to find my iPhone
Your iPhone, as well as your other Apple devices, can be located using Apple’s Find My app. Again, it’s easier if you have another device besides your phone that already has your account on it.
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Here’s how to find your iPhone through the Find My app on a mobile device:
Open the Find My app.
Tap on Devices.
From the list of devices, tap on the missing iPhone.
If the phone is near you, tap Play sound, otherwise go to the location shown on the map.
If you don’t have an Apple device with your account on it, you can use any internet-connected phone or computer and use Find My from iCloud.com. Here are the steps:
Select the missing iPhone from the drop-down menu at the top-center of the screen.
Click on Play Sound if the location matches your location, otherwise go to the location shown on the map.
Apple's Find My app might become a lot more useful with the arrival of iOS 14. Apple is preparing to allow third-party products to be added to the app so you can track them down just like your Apple devices right now. The devices will probably have to meet certain requirements before Apple lets them in, but that's still good news for users. The rumored AirTag will also greatly improve the "finding stuff" scene, as you'll be able to attach it to almost anything and look for it through the Find My app.
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