July 9, 2022, 10:25 am | Read time: 4 minutes
If you’ve lost your phone, you can simply call yourself to find it. But what if the device is on silent? TECHBOOK shows you how to find it anyway!
Who hasn’t experienced this: Frustrated searching in your pocket and usual spots yields nothing–the phone is gone. Even though we rarely take our eyes off our phones, we often misplace them. In such cases, many people just call themselves to locate their phone by its ring. However, the smartphone is often set to silent or vibrate, so it doesn’t ring when called. TECHBOOK reveals how you can still find your Android smartphone or iPhone.
Overview
How to Find Your iPhone
Go to icloud.com on your PC or Mac and log in with your Apple ID. Alternatively, you can open the “Find My iPhone” app on another iPhone, iPad, or Mac. To find out where your phone is, select “Find iPhone.” Your smartphone will then be located, and you can see where it is on a map. If the display isn’t precise enough because the phone is hidden in a couch cushion, you can manually activate the ringing from outside. To make a silent or vibrating iPhone ring, simply use the “Play Sound” option in the app. If the iPhone still has battery and is connected to the internet, you can now hear it.
If the iPhone is no longer connected to the internet, you can at least activate “Lost Mode.” This allows you to lock the device with a passcode and write a loss message with your phone number and contact details. You can also remove payment data for Apple Pay. If the iPhone is turned on by a finder, it cannot be used without your code. Newer iPhones generally only work with a code, Face ID, or fingerprint sensor. Additionally, location tracking is automatically activated in “Lost Mode.” In the worst case, you can also remove all personal data from the device via Erase iPhone.
Read also: Apple opens device tracking for other manufacturers
With the Apple Watch or Siri
If you own an Apple Watch, it can also help you find your iPhone. Go to the control center and select the blue icon to start the ringing on the phone. You can also make your phone light up via the Apple Watch–this only works if your iPhone is nearby. If you have the voice assistant Siri activated on the iPhone, you can start it with the words “Hey Siri.” Then use the timer function. If your phone is nearby, you can now hear it.
What should I do if I have lost my cell phone?
Samsung Recommends: This Setting Smartphone Users Should Definitely Enable
How to Find Your Android Smartphone
For Android devices, location tracking works similarly to the iPhone. Simply go to Android.com/find and log in with your Google account that you use for your smartphone. On the website, you can now select the device you’re looking for, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch, from the gallery. The device will then be located, and the last location will be displayed on a map. The website now offers three options: Under Ring, you can make your smartphone ring for five minutes–even if it’s set to silent. But this only works under one condition: The phone must be turned on and connected to the internet.
The website has two more advantages. If you still can’t find your smartphone and fear it might be lost, you can lock it with your password or PIN and display a loss message or phone number, just like with the iPhone. If necessary, you can also remove content from the device via “Erase.” But be careful: If you choose this step, you can no longer locate it with the mentioned services.
Read more, as well as the video embedded below, in our report: Finding and Locking Lost Android Smartphones
What to Do if Your Phone Was Stolen
All search functions to find a lost smartphone are, of course, only somewhat useful if it was stolen. As mentioned above, there are ways to lock the phone remotely. Do this as soon as possible!
It’s also important to report the theft. For this, you should have your device’s IMEI number ready. You can easily find this out by simply typing *#06# into the call app. Alternatively, you can find the number in your settings under “Device Information” (Android) or under “General” and “About” (iOS).