If you are looking for how to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off, you must be facing a emergency. You need to act quickly as soon as you have realized that your phone is gone. Therefore, we are telling you some quick steps that are required when learning how to track a switched off mobile phone.
5 Ways To Locate A Lost Cellphone That Is Turned Off
1. Use ‘Timeline’ or Google Location History To Find A Lost Android Phone (When Switched off)
For the same, you need to fulfill the requirements:
- The lost device must be connected with the Google account.
- The device must have had internet access before it disappeared.
- Location history and Location reporting shall be activated on the device.
You may want to know that the Timeline feature isn’t intended to find a lost phone however the saved location data does show past routes traveled. Got the point? Now when you look at how to track a lost Android phone that is turned off, the data of location history can identify the last location.
Here, the left side of the page allows you to change the dates to find the recorded location. Whereas on the right side, a complete map with visualizations will appear.
The best thing about tracking viathe Timeline feature is that it has the ability to track the phone’s location from time to time. Hence, if anyone is traveling with your phone, the location data will be recorded.
Also Read: How To Find Your Lost Apple Watch
2. Use Google’s Find My Device For Android
For the same, you need to fulfill the requirements:
- The device must be connected to Google account.
- The device must have access to the internet.
- Turn ON ‘Find my device’.
- Allow or Turn ON Find My Device to lock and erase data.
Note: If your device is switched off, actions like Secure Device and Erase Device may not work instantly. However, if the device is turned on later, these actions apply at the same time.
Find My Device is an easy and smart way to locate your device without the need for installation of any app.
Start with the phrase like “where is my phone” on Google, and you can even locate the unregistered device. As all the requirements are fulfilled, Google displays the map trying to locate your phone. As the phone is found, reach somewhere near to it and tap on “Ring” or “Play Sound” to locate. Ring feature forces your phone to ring aloud for 5 minutes at full volume, no matter the phone is silent.
Secure Device is another way to secure your device. As you click on it, your device will be locked. However, you can still locate the device.
Erase Device comes as the last resort option when you know that the phone is gone and you can’t retrieve it. In that scenario,it is best to delete all your personal data.
NOTE that if your phone is switched off, for now, the methods mentioned below will track the location as soon as it is turned on.
3. Use Dropbox To Find Lost Phone (Android & iOS)
When you are looking for how to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off, Dropbox is a pretty essential manner for the same. You need to complete the requirements like:
- The device must have access to the
- “Camera upload” must be activated in Dropbox app.
- The person who has your phone must take a picture.
What happens, in this case, is, as the user or a thief clicks a picture from your phone, it gets uploaded to Dropbox “Camera uploads” folder automatically. Now you might be at luck and you can identify the person who stole the phone or where is he through the background of uploaded pictures.
4. Use ‘Find My To Find Lost Apple Phone
Find my iPhone is one app that helps you in finding the lost iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod, AirPods, MacBook, etc. and even allows you to enable the activation lock. Once you log in with your Apple ID, you can easily use Find my feature seamlessly.
5. Preventive Third Party Tools
There are various apps that can be used to track the location of a stolen phone. One of the tools is Samsung’s Find my mobile and you will not be required to search how to track a switched off mobile phone.
Samsung users can find themselves blessed with tracking feature, where they need a registered account, the device having internet access and enabled remote controls.
Sign in to the website and check the left sidebar to make sure you are connected to the internet. Select ‘Locate my device’ from here and click ‘Locate’. You will be able to find the approximate location of your mobile phone if all the requirements are enabled.
Also Read: Top 3 Ways To Find Your Lost Or Stolen Laptop
Conclusion
On the question of how to locate a cellphone when it is turned off, method 1 is most applicable. Whereas in case you are looking for how to find a stolen phone, all the methods mentioned above apply based on the device you are using. It is also best to be preventive in advanced and take care of your phone from getting robbed or stolen.