Smartphone users are prone to muggers and pickpockets. For many of us, phones are very personal. A day on earth without a phone can be a long one completely, and things could get much worse if this goes on for a few more days. After stealing from you, a majority of the thieves will shut the phone down, dispose of the sim card, and flash the phone to do away with your details.
This makes it difficult to recover your lost phone, and you will be forced to replace your SIM card and buy a brand new phone. Before you jump on this option, there are ways you can track your lost phone and recover it, if it cost you an arm and a leg. Here is a list of options to explore.
1. Use IMEI
International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a unique fifteen digit number that identifies a phone and is the most preferred way to track your phone, as it cannot be tampered with. It comes with the phone. For this method to be effective, your lost phone must have its location services activated and have internet access. For android and IOS devices, you can log onto the Google dashboard to track your phone. With the same email address that you used to log onto google, account, you can see all the devices connected to your account. Select your device and track it even when it is on silent mode. Lock your device and erase all the data.
2. Google search
Uncle Google comes in handy in helping you pinpoint the exact location of your lost phone. Use your computer browser to log in to the Google account on your phone. Type “find my phone” into Google’s search engine after a few second, it will give you the location of your phone. If your thief was dumb enough not to switch it off, you can click the ring icon on the map. Your device will ring at full volume for up to five minutes, and you can be able to recover your phone.
Find My Phone enables account owners to choose between locking the device, wiping it, calling it, or even locking it when necessary. This feature is similar to the services offered by Anti-theft, commonly identified with android devices.
3. Tracking apps
Family Locator by Life360, Find My Device by Google, Cerberus, Prey Anti-Theft, Carrier phone finders, Manufacturer phone finders are among the most known phone tracking applications, that can help you out. Some device manufacturers include inbuilt security features to help phone owners retrieve their phone, or at least secure their information once lost. Others have cell tracking platforms with provisional locking and wiping options among others.