How to find out where your phone, watch or tablet is. Even if they are turned off

Every person has lost a phone at least once in their life and thought: “It would be nice if it left traces by which the device can be found.” And, oddly enough, these traces remain - not on the surface of the earth, of course, but in the memory of Google servers, if your device is controlled by the Android system.

Finding a phone through a Google account from a phone or computer is quite simple, but it must satisfy a number of conditions :

• the device must be turned on ;
• it must be logged into your Google account , and the smartphone must be linked to it;
• the Internet must be turned on on the smartphone ;
• the device must be registered in the Play Store , and the “ Location ” and “ Find device ” functions must be activated.

Only if these conditions are met will you be able to see where your lost device is. Otherwise, you will be able to understand as much as possible where he was the last time he accessed the Internet.

How search works: requirements and conditions

A registered Google account is not a guarantee of protection and security. In addition to preparing your profile, you need to remember the following nuances:

• after loss or theft, mobile equipment must be turned on (in some situations, smartphones and tablets can be found even without access to the network, but rarely);
• information from Google account in hand (login and password are known);
• the Play Market service is not blocked;
• On Android, the “Location” and “Find my device” functions are activated in “Settings”.

If there are no problems with the subtleties listed above, then the following steps described below will not cause problems.

How to find a phone by IMEI?

IMEI is an individual code assigned to each cell phone (from regular push-button phones to Android smartphones and iPhones), and if the device has more than one SIM card slot, to each of them separately. Thus, the IMEI is directly linked to the SIM card currently in use, and theoretically the phone can be tracked by the operator only using this number.

In reality, everything is more complicated. A company that provides cellular communication services will not undertake such complex and non-revenue-generating work on its own. The user (it doesn’t matter if he forgot his phone at home and cannot determine which nightstand the device fell behind, or knows for sure that the device was stolen) will have to file a report of theft with the police , and then hope that government officials will conduct a search not only on paper . Every city receives several dozen such statements a day, and, to put it mildly, they are not a priority - which means you can simply forget about your lost smartphone.

Important: there are still many services on the Internet that offer to find a device by IMEI for a reasonable fee. You should not use them: some of these sites do not function at all, while others are created to defraud the visitor of personal data, money, or both.

View information about your smartphone in your Google Account settings

The most common surveillance option that allows you to determine the location of an Android smartphone or tablet. All actions must begin by going to the Google account settings in the “Security” section (https://myaccount.google.com/security).

Next, go to the “Devices” section at the bottom of the web page and select “Find a lost device.”

The search for a phone begins directly with the selection of a device - the list will be displayed in the central part of the interface.

The last step is choosing a way to interact with the technology. There are several options - go to the map, call a phone number through the Hangouts service, log out of your account, contact the operator for help.

Search for an Android device with reset settings and changed account

If you fail in an unsuccessful attempt to determine geolocation remotely, there is hope that after the loss, the Internet was still turned on and navigation was being determined. You can check this by viewing your geolocation history on Google Maps. To do this you need:

• Log in from your laptop or computer to the page https://maps.google.com using your Google account.
• Open the menu and select “chronology” (Figure 16).

Figure 16 — Chronology of Android device locations on Google maps

• By going to the next page, you must select the date for which you want to know the geolocation status. Provided that the location of the phone has been determined, you will see points on the map. If there is no history for a given date, look at the line with gray and blue columns. They indicate the days and places where the location of the device was noted. Click on the nearest blue column (Figure 17) and see its geolocation for that day.

Figure 18 - Selecting the date and time to view the last location of the smartphone

Google Find service

It’s inconvenient to look at your profile every time and then go to the “Security” settings. Therefore, the Google Find service has appeared on the Internet (https://www.google.com/android/find), which allows, after authorization, to see where mobile equipment is located on an interactive map. The location is determined with an accuracy of a couple of meters. At the same time, additional information and action buttons are displayed to facilitate further searches.

Important! If no smartphones or tablets are linked to your Google profile, a corresponding notification will appear on the left side of the interface.

Phone finder apps

If for some reason you don't want to use the standard search tools or you need additional functionality, you should pay attention to third-party phone tracking apps . Often they are not free and require a subscription fee. However, this is how it should be. Otherwise, it’s worth wondering why the developers of such a useful application suddenly turned out to be so generous.

Sometimes you need to look not only for a phone, but also for a person

also store all your data necessary to find a phone on their server. This is also worth thinking about. After all, someone will always know your location. Be sure to carefully read the privacy policy before registering if you decide to use a third-party application.

How to find out where family members are

Again, before determining the location of another person, even a family member, it is worth asking him if he would be okay with it. He should at least be aware of his location being tracked.

Life360: Family Locator, GPS Tracker is a free app designed for families that allows you to track where everyone in your family is by locating their phones. This way, even if one of the participants loses their phone or something happens to it, others can instantly know where it is.

This will be useful not only in the city, but also on a hike, when something might happen to a person and you will need to come to his aid. However, to send the location you will need a network connection , which can not often be found in the forest or in the mountains, but sometimes it will be much easier to find a person.

Phone protection app

Cerberus Phone Security is designed to prevent data theft from a stolen phone. If you're worried about your phone getting stolen or you losing it and someone else picking it up, Cerberus might be the best app for you.

It offers many security features that allow you to remotely access a lost or stolen device. You can sound an alarm, erase data, lock your device, and even take photos with the front camera to detect thieves.

Mobile service Find My Device

Developers from Google propose to determine the location of a lost device not from a computer, but from smartphones and tablets, using the proprietary Find My Device application (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android. apps.adm&hl=ru). The functionality is similar to the Google Find service, and the procedure is already familiar:

1. First, you need to log in by selecting the “Login as Guest” option at the bottom of the interface.
2. Afterwards, there is a standard transition to an interactive map displaying the location of mobile equipment and related information related to battery charge, name, and network connection.
3. Through the menu, the developers offer to call (sound loudly) or block access remotely, blocking the scammers’ control over the mobile phone.

Additionally, the following set of functions is provided:

Prey Anti Theft

Prey Anti Theft is an application from a developer with more than 10 years of experience in finding lost phones, laptops and tablets. It is also available for iOS, Windows, Linux, Ubuntu or Mac. Using a free account you can track up to three devices. More than 7 million people use the service.

Prey opens up wide possibilities for remote control. Obtaining the exact coordinates of the device on the map and access to all built-in cameras will allow you to find out the location as accurately as possible. Not only does it have GPS, but it also scans nearby Wi-Fi networks for better location determination.

If your phone goes missing indoors, such as at a conference, you can remotely activate a very loud sound signal, even if silent mode is turned on. Displaying a warning message on the screen will help motivate an attacker to return the device to the owner. When you change your SIM card, you will receive a message with information about the new card. By sending just one SMS command from any phone, you will begin to receive a report on the status and location of the gadget.

Branded solutions from manufacturers

In addition to the official set of tools provided by Google and tied to the Android operating system, third-party services can also help determine the location of lost or stolen mobile equipment. The same specialists from Samsung suggest trusting Samsung Account (https://findmymobile.samsung.com/) directly, and Xiaomi – Mi Account (https://account.xiaomi.com/pass/register).

Important! Manufacturers often remind about the availability of such services in the warranty card or in the documentation placed inside the box with mobile equipment.

The procedure for each site is approximately the same:

1. Authorization on the site (the type of account depends directly on the brand) using a pre-registered account or through a Google profile.
2. Next is a transition to an interactive map, where developers allow you to view information about the approximate location of mobile equipment, as well as use a whole series of additional tools: remote locking, clearing internal or external memory, calling and sending a message with coordinates and text.

Where My Droid

The core features of the Where My Droid app will allow you to call a lost phone, locate it using GPS on Google Maps, and use a passcode to prevent unauthorized changes to the device. When you change the SIM card, you immediately receive a notification, and the stealth mode is available.

There is a Stealth Mode that will not allow a thief to view incoming text messages. You can use SMS messages to control your device. The paid version allows you to remotely wipe data, lock the device, and control the front and rear cameras to take a photo of the intruder.

Temporary difficulties. How to remember data from a Google account

If it is impossible to start searching for a smartphone or tablet due to problems with authorization on the Google website, then before starting all actions you will have to begin the procedure for restoring confidential information:

1. Follow the link (https://accounts.google.com/) to log in.
2. In the text form that appears, under the “Phone or email address” field, you must click on the “Forgot your email address?” button.
3. The system will immediately prompt you to enter a backup e-mail or add a valid mobile phone number. In the latter case, problems will arise - most likely, the SIM card is in a lost smartphone or tablet. Therefore, you have to use alternative search methods: why not view information about the e-mail used on social networks and instant messengers, mail services and websites. Google account information must be stored somewhere.
4. If you have also forgotten your password, then a separate menu item is provided to restore confidential information.

Alternative search methods

Some people use the newly released top model from the flagship line of a well-known manufacturer, while others are used to an old push-button phone and are not eager to part with it. Losing any phone is a sad event for the owner. Let's see what owners of “non-smartphones” can do to prevent loss (by the way, others can try these methods too).

Method 1

Almost every cellular operator in Russia (MTS, Megafon, Beeline, Tele2) has its own geolocation service. Until recently, such a service from any operator could be used (for a fee) by owners of non-smartphones. Now, for example, MTS requires an application to call a service. But most operators still have versions for simple dialers.

Please note: the phone must have your SIM card. The phone must be within the coverage area of ​​mobile operators. A one-time consent of the phone owner is required for tracking (which means you need to enable the service before it is lost). The error is up to 1 km.

Some operators allow you to track multiple numbers, including numbers from other operators. More information about operator services can be found at the following links:

Method 2

If the services are not connected, simply ringing the phone has no effect, you can’t find the phone where you last saw it, find the box and documents from the device, if there is no box, take with you the IMEI previously written out on a piece of paper ( we remind you that you can find out by dialing *#06# on your phone ) and contact the police. Don't forget to block your SIM card. Fraudsters can use it for evil purposes, and you will have to pay. By the way, you should contact the police if you couldn’t find your smartphone. This does not at all guarantee the return of the device, but suddenly a miracle happens and your mobile phone is found.

Before buying my first iPhone, I was faced with the situation of irretrievably losing my phone many times. The method of contacting the police practically does not work. Even combined with information from tracker applications. I still receive email notifications about numbers of subscribers who use my lost phone, but the police have not found it. A year ago I had the opportunity to try Apple's service, and I was very pleased. We immediately blocked the phone through my husband’s phone and wrote a message for those who found it. It was at a big festival, and people thought they were lucky to find someone else's phone. But then, apparently, someone from the younger generation made it clear that iPhones “don’t reset” and you won’t be able to use a locked device. A couple of hours later they returned the phone to the cafe where I left it.

— Lily

Adviсe

Tip 1

Smartwatches with the WearOS operating system also allow you to track the location of mobile equipment. Just select the “Find phone” item in the menu, and then look through the list of suggested actions (call, block).

Tip 2

Developers from Google recommend immediately setting up settings related to automatic screen locking. It is advisable to set no more than 30-60 seconds of inactivity, after which the smartphone or tablet blocks access to the menu and forces you to enter a password or use a pattern.

Content

A smartphone is a part of life and it’s unpleasant to part with it. But a thing is a thing, be prepared to lose it. What to do if you don’t want to part with your smartphone without a fight?

They found your smartphone, but we couldn’t get through to it. You can protect yourself from such a scenario even at the stage of obtaining a SIM card.

What is a SIM card and why can you refuse a piece of plastic?

Behind the physical SIM card there is only one important identifier - ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card Identifier), which at the time of purchase is linked to IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) and MSISDN (11-digit subscriber number).

When you come to the office of a mobile operator to get a new number, you are given a stack of SIM cards to choose from. These are SIM cards with a pre-prepared ICCID-IMSI-MSISDN combination. When restoring a SIM card (for example, in case of loss), an employee of the mobile operator selects any SIM card from this stack, binds the ICCID to the current IMSI and receives your old number on the new SIM card.

ICCID is universal, which gave rise to the development of eSIM technology. This is a board integrated into the smartphone, programmable in the same way as a physical SIM card. It is impossible to remove it from a smartphone; it is “part of the ship.” This means that data transfer will work, which gives some room for maneuver. It becomes possible to erase data, block a smartphone or determine its geolocation.

eSIM is not a panacea for losing a smartphone; it only gives the user time to find it.

Search from a mobile gadget

If you have another mobile gadget with a connected account, you can try to find the lost device through it. To do this, you can use one of the search programs that easily finds a linked smartphone, for example “Find Device” or FindMyDevice.

After installation, the application will ask you to log in to your account and confirm to enable geolocation.

Allow access and the following will be revealed to your attention.

At the top of the screen you will see several icons of the devices from which you logged into your account. By clicking on them, select the one we are looking for. At the bottom of the screen you can see the name of the gadget and the geolocation status on it. On the map you will find a mark showing the location of the device.

Third party search tools

Third-party services will provide additional functionality: tracking via camera, notification of SIM card changes, viewing incoming/outgoing calls, connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. Services run in the background: they consume traffic and drain battery power.

The top applications to protect your smartphone remain unchanged:

An obvious advantage of a third-party application is that if you change your Google ID, it does not stop working, and you still have access to the device’s geolocation.

In fact, any data transmission technology (3GPP, Wi-Fi) is suitable for searching for a smartphone.

If you have used similar services, you probably know that the accuracy of location determination leaves much to be desired. This is due to the method of determining the location, which has nothing to do with GPS (Global Positioning System). The search is carried out by base stations.

The base station is a cluster of antennas with limited radiation patterns. The higher the signal level on the device, the closer it is to the base station. This gives a conditional search radius. When two radiation patterns from different base stations intersect, determining the location of the smartphone becomes more accurate.

The Wi-Fi protocol uses 2 parameters to access the network - IP and MAC. The IP address is issued at the communication node, while the device's MAC is registered in the last mile ISP's switching equipment.

Using TeamViewer QuickSupport, you can remotely connect to your smartphone and check the current IP and MAC in the settings. The device must be linked to a TeamViewer account in advance.

In previous versions, MAC was detected in the toolbar; this feature is no longer available. You will have to go into the device settings.

You can unlock your smartphone remotely through the same Samsung Find My Mobile.

To do this, you must first activate the remote unlock function in the device settings.

The received IP address belongs to the Wi-Fi router to which the smartphone is connected. To obtain a global IP, you will need to go to a third-party service, for example, myip. The host name, provider and its DNS are determined by IP. Information about DNS ownership of a specific person is public. The Internet provider has access to the exact location address of the IP+MAC pair. This is non-public information; it can only be requested through the Ministry of Internal Affairs.