If you have an iPhone, you can track it or find back your iPhone if you lost it. However, make sure the iPhone has been set up so that it is discoverable via GPS or internet and you can track and find it. Here we are going to show you the important settings that you need to know so that you can always find your iPhone if you lost it or got it stolen.

WHY SET UP YOUR IPHONE SO YOU CAN FIND IT LATER?

1. In case your iPhone got lost – If your iPhone got lost, the settings will help you to find and track your lost iPhone
2. In case your iPhone got stolen – In case, your iPhone got stolen, the settings will help your iPhone to be connected to the GPS or internet and in the same time, allows you to track and recover back your iPhone.

So, if you are interested to learn how to do this, here are the steps:-

1. ENABLE LOCATION SERVICES

Step 1

 In your iPhone, go to Settings

Step 2

 In your Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

At the “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

Enable the Location Services by enabling this button to green

• ENABLE FIND MY IPHONE

Step 1

At “Location Service”, go to “Share My Location”

Step 2

Enable the “Share My Location” so your iPhone can be found using Find My iPhone app

Step 3

 At “Find My iPhone” settings, enable the “Find My iPhone” here

Your iPhone now will be discoverable and trackable using “Find My iPhone” app if you log in using your Apple ID account

• ENABLE “ALLOW APPS TO REQUEST TO TRACK”

Step 1

In the “Privacy “ settings, tap at “Tracking”

Step 2

At “Tracking”, enable the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” here by pushing the button to green.

So, there you have it- Simple iPhone settings that you need to know to enable your iPhone to be discoverable and trackable in the future. Please leave us a comment below on what other apps that you use to find the location of your iPhone.

Please also read our previous article on 3 Ways How to Track iPhone Without Internet

The post How to Setup Your iPhone So You Can Always Find it (Enable These Top 3 Settings) first appeared on My Phone Locater.

If you do not want your iPhone to be tracked, you need to know which location settings in your iPhone that needs to be turned off. Some settings completely blocked any location data from transmitting from your iPhone and there are some settings that only partially limit the location tracking of your iPhone. Here we are going to show you the top 7 location settings that are in your iPhone and the steps on how to turn it off.

If you are interested to know how, here are the steps.

#1 TURN OFF LOCATION SERVICES

Location Services is the GPS services provided on your iPhone. This allows all the features that require a GPS location to be active if you have enabled the location services in the settings. You can disable the location services if you do not want your iPhone to be tracked via the GPS.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to Settings

Step 2

In your Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

In “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

Push the green button at Location Services to the left to disable it

Step 5

A pop-up menu will be shown. Tap “Turn Off” to confirm

The button of your Location Services will no longer be green. This means your Locations Services has been turned off

#2 USE AIRPLANE MODE

Airplane mode is a quick feature where it will allow your iPhone to disconnect not just your location services, but as well as your internet connection. This will limit the ability of your iPhone to be tracked.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to your Settings and go to “Airplane Mode”

Step 2

At the “Airplane Mode”. Tap the button to the left to make it green

Your iPhone will now be in Airplane Mode and therefore disabling any location tracking

#3 TURN OFF “FIND MY IPHONE”

The “Find My iPhone” feature is one of the most important features to be used if you have lost your iPhone. However, if you do not want your iPhone to be tracked even If you have lost it, here are the steps on how you can disable this function.

Step 1

At the Location Services, tap at “Share My Location”

Step 2

At “Find My” menu, tap at “Find My iPhone”

Step 3

At “Find My iPhone”, push the green button to the left to disable the function

Step 4

A pop-up menu will be shown requesting your Apple ID password

Fill in your Apple ID password to proceed to disable the “Find My iPhone”

#4 DISABLE IPHONE OFFLINE FINDING

Even if your iPhone is not connected to the internet, your iPhone can still be tracked via the Bluetooth connection.

Here are the steps on how you can disable this Bluetooth location tracking feature.

Step 1

At “Find My iPhone” menu settings, go to “Enable Offline Finding” and push the button to the left to disable it

Step 2

A pop-up menu will be shown. Tap “Disable” to proceed

#5 DISABLE IPHONE FROM SENDING LAST LOCATION

Your iPhone can no longer be tracked once it is turned off or not connected to the internet. However, it can still show the last time it was discoverable via the internet.

Here are the steps on how to limit your iPhone from sending its last location. 

Step 1

At “Find My iPhone” settings, go to “Send Last Location”

Step 2

Disable the “Send Last Location” by pushing the button to the left

#6 DISABLE LOCATION ALERTS

Your iPhone can also send location alerts where it will show your iPhone location in a map.

Here is how to disable this.

Step 1

Go to “Location Services” settings, tap at “Location Alerts”

Step 2

At “Show Map in Location Alerts”, push the button to the left to disable it

#7 DISABLE APPS FROM SHARING LOCATION

If you do not want to block your iPhone from location sharing, you can also just select which specific apps in your iPhone that be blocked from sharing your iPhone’s location.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

At the “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 2

At Location Services, scroll down to see the list of apps that uses Location Services.

Tap at Apps that are listed as “Always”

Step 3

Change the settings from “Always” to “While Using the App” or to “Never”

This will disable the apps from sending your iPhone location to a third-party services

So, there you have it – Top seven iPhone location settings and how you can disable or turn it off. Please leave us a comment below on what are the most common location settings that you would normally use.

Please also read our previous article on how to find iPhone when it is offline.

You try to find your missing iPhone but you just realized that it is probably offline and not connected to the internet. So, how you are going to find your iPhone using the “Find My iPhone” app? Fortunately, Apple has considered the possibility that your iPhone might not be connected to the internet once it is gone missing. Therefore the only way you can trace back your iPhone is using other existing technology such as Bluetooth connection. Here we are going to show you the step-by-step approach on how you can find your iPhone even when it is offline.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The iPhone “Offline Finding” feature uses Bluetooth connection to communicate with nearby Apple devices that have the Bluetooth enabled. This is like asking other Apple devices to help track your iPhone if it is nearby them. By using this channel, your iPhone does not need to rely on the internet connection to be found by “Find My iPhone” app. As long as your iPhone is turned on, other Apple devices can help track the location of your iPhone.

So, if you are interested to know about this function, here are the details.

HOW TO ENABLE OFFLINE FINDING

By default settings, this function is enabled automatically. However, you can always check if it is enabled or not by using these steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Settings”

Step 2

In your Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

In “Privacy” settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

In Location Services, tap at “Share My Location”

Step 5

At “Find My” menu, tap at “Find My iPhone”

Step 6

Make sure the “Enable Offline Finding” is turned on

HOW TO FIND IPHONE WHEN IT IS OFFLINE

So, once you have that function enabled, you can confidently track your iPhone by logging into your iCloud services using either your laptop or your friend’s phone.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Go to https://icloud.com/find

Fill in your Apple ID and password

Step 2

Choose the Apple device that you want to track

The device will show “Offline” if it is not connected to the internet

Step 3

Tap at “Notify me when found”

By enabling this, Apple will notify you when the iPhone is turned on. If there are nearby Bluetooth connection, it will track the location even though the iPhone is not connected to the internet.

So, there you have it – Simple explanation on how you can track your iPhone when it is missing or stolen even when it is offline. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways you have used to track your iPhone.

Please read our previous article on how to track your phone using Google account.

Tracking and sending the phone’s location on a real-time basis has been made easier with advanced features and applications currently being introduced. Therefore, the ability to people sharing the location to their friends and families have been made simple. One of the apps that have made this easy is Google Maps. You can share your location to people by allowing Google Maps to track your location in real-time and at the same time allow other people with your consent to track you also via Google Maps.

WHY SHARING LOCATION USING GOOGLE MAPS?

There are many reasons why you should Google Maps to share your location, here are some of the top reasons:-

1. COMMON APP – One of the common app used by many people is Google Maps. Therefore, sharing your location to your friends and families would be easier using this platform
2. EASY TO USE – One of the advantages of using Google Maps is how easy it is to learn and navigate this app. Therefore, this gives people an easier learning curve in using this app to help track your location. 

So, interested to learn how you can use Google Maps for sharing your location?

Here are the steps.

Before you can use Google Maps to share location, you must first enable your Google Maps location sharing ability in your phone.

ENABLE LOCATION SHARING ON YOUR PHONE

Step 1

In your phone, go to Settings

Step 2

In your Settings, go to “Location”

Step 3

Change the Location settings to “Always”

This would enable your location to be shared in real-time

You can always change the settings back

LOCATION SHARING USING GOOGLE MAPS

Step 1

On your phone, go to Google Maps

Step 2

In your Google Maps, tap at the profile icon

Step 3

At Google Maps settings, tap at “Location sharing”

Step 4

Choose the amount of time your location sharing will be available

Tap at “Select People”

Step 5

Choose the people you want to share the location

You can also send location using Email or social media platform here

You can share the location via the link or via Email

People with this link can see your phone’s location in real-time

So, there you have it – Simple steps how you can share your location with your friends and families. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways you have used to share your location.

Please also read our previous article on how to track phone using Google.

So, you just lost your phone and you fear that the battery is also dead. Your chances of finding your phone are very low. However, as the saying goes, “Never say never”. There are still many ways how you can still find your lost phone by retrieving your phone’s last location before it went dead.

However, if your phone was stolen, the last tracked location might be irrelevant as your phone can be anywhere else. But, to know where are your phone’s last location might help you are the local enforcers in tracking down your stolen phone.

Here we are going to show the options that you can take to find your lost phone even if your phone’s battery might be dead.

TRY TRACING BACK YOUR STEPS TO FIND YOUR LOST PHONE

The first thing you should do if you just lost your phone and you think the phone is not on, is to manually trace back your step. Trackback your last activities and where have you have been prior you realised that you have lost your phone. Sometimes, you have just probably misplaced in somewhere near you.

VIEW THE LAST LOCATION USING GOOGLE’S “FIND MY DEVICE”

Previously known as the Android Device Manager, Google has an application that helps track all your Android-based device. The Google platform is now called “Find My Device”.

Here are the steps on how to use it.

Step 1

Go to https://www.google.com/android/find

You can also search in the Google Search Engine by typing “Find My Device”

Step 2

If you use any phone that uses Android, it will show your phone’s last here in a map

VIEW THE LAST LOCATION USING “FIND IPHONE”

Besides Android, if you are using an iPhone, you can use the iOS “Find iPhone” to track your lost phone before the battery went dead. You need to log into your Apple account using a PC or laptop.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Go to https://www.iCloud.com

Sign in to your iCloud account using your Apple ID

Step 2

In your iCloud account, click at “Find iPhone”

Step 3

Click at “All Devices” to see all of your Apple connected devices

Step 4

Click at the iPhone that you have lost

The location is based on the location of your lost iPhone before it runs out of power or turned off

VIEW LAST LOCATION USING CLOUD STORAGE SERVICES

If you have been using a cloud storage services to backup your file in your phone such as Dropbox, it is highly likely that your Dropbox account has the latest location of your lost phone due to the syncing process.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

If you use Cloud storage services such as Dropbox, go to the site and log into your account

Step 2

In your account, click at “Settings”

Step 3

At Settings, go to “Security”

Find devices that are linked to your Dropbox for syncing

It will show you the device last location when it wan syncing and connected before it went dead

VIEW LAST LOCATION USING YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

If your lost phone has used any of Google product or services such as Gmail, you can track it last location using your Google account.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Go to https://www.google.com/account

Step 2

Log into your Google account. Make sure you log into the Google account or Gmail account that you have used in your lost phone.

Step 3

Once you have logged into your Google account, click at “Security”

Step 4

At Security, go to “Your Devices”

Click at “Find a lost device”

Step 5

At “Your devices”, find the phone that you have lost and click “More details”

Step 6

At the details of the device, click at “Find device”

Step 7

At the bottom of the screen, it will show you the phone’s last tracked location

So, there you have it – Five ways how you can still find your lost phone even when the battery is dead. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways that you can use to find your lost phone even when your phone is dead.

Please read also our previous article on how to find your lost iPhone if the location was turned off.

If you have used Google search engine before to search for information, you would be interested to know that you can also use Google to find and track your phone. Google can not only track an Android phone but as well help find iPhone also. As long as your phone is using any Google services, such as Android or Gmail, you can use Google to help track your phone.

Here we are going to show you two simple ways how you can use the power of Google in helping you find your phone if you got it lost.

WHY TRACK PHONE USING GOOGLE?

If you are using an iPhone or other types of non-Android phone, it would be easier to use other types of tracking location app that is installed by default in your phone. However, there are some advantages to tracking your lost phone using Google. Here are some of the top reasons:-

UTILIZING GOOGLE SERVICES – By utilizing google services such as Gmail or even Google Drive, you can keep track of the location of your phone

TRACKING ANDROID BASED PHONE – If your family or friends used Android-based phone, Google is probably the best way to track their phone as their phone would be linked to their Google account.

So, if you are interested to learn how to find lost phone using Google, here are the steps.

HOW TO TRACK PHONE USING GOOGLE’S ANDROID DEVICE MANAGER

Step 1

Go to https://www.android.com/find

Next, sign in to your Google account. Make sure to use the same Google account you used for your phone’s Android

Step 2

Google will show you your phone’s last location when it is turned on and connected to the internet

HOW TO TRACK USING YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Step 1

Go to https://accounts.google.com

Choose the google account that is linked to your phone’s Android

Step 2

In the Google account, click at “Security”

Step 3

In your “Security” menu, the device that linked with your Google Account will be shown there

Click at “Find a Lost Device” below if you want to track your phone

Step 4

Next, click on the phone that you want to track and find

Step 5

Sign in to the Google account that is related to your phone

Step 6

Here you can choose to find and lock your phone, try calling your phone or sign out from your google account remotely.

So, there you have it – Two simple ways how to use Google to find and track your lost phone. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways that you use to find and track your lost phone.

Please also read our previous article on how to track phone using google location sharing.

One of the interesting capabilities of smartphones nowadays is the ability to use location services and keep track of your phone’s location and also your families and friends. This location service is used with various features and apps.

Some of the useful function of location services are:-

1. Real-time map services – Apps such as Waze and Google Maps utilizes the location services data heavily to reflect your current location
2. Social media app – Some of the popular social media app such as Facebook and Instagram uses your location services data to reflect your current location in your social media status
3. Gaming – Some game apps relies on your location data for the features contained in the gaming experience

However, there are many reasons why sometimes a user would want to disable the location services. These are several reasons:-

1. To keep the privacy of your location and yourself
2. To ensure the app you have installed does not transmit unnecessary location data to the third party
3. To ensure no third party is tracking your movement and location

If you want to disable the location services in your iPhone, here are the steps on to turn it off

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Settings” and go to “Privacy”

Step 2

Disable the “Location Services” by turning it off here

However, even when the location services are turned off, you can track your iPhone in case it gets lost.

So, if you are interested in how to track your phone even when the location services are turned off, here are the simple steps.

Step 1

Go to https://www.icloud.com/find

Login in to your Apple ID account

Step 2

Choose the Apple device that has the location turned off

Step 3

Enable the “Lost Mode”

Step 4

A pop-up menu will be shown.

Tap “Ok” to enable the Lost Mode.

The Lost Mode will remotely enable your iPhone’s Location Services even though it was disabled previously

Step 5

You can immediately see your iPhone’s location on a map.

Your lost iPhone will also be locked when it is in the “Lost Mode”.

So, there you have it – Simple ways how you can track your lost iPhone even though you have previously disabled your location services feature.

This feature helps people to find their lost iPhone even though they have disabled their location services previously.

Please feel free to leave us a comment below and also don’t forget to read our previous article on top 3 ways how to find a lost iPhone.

Your iPhone is a very powerful tracking device due to the embedded GPS chip in your iPhone. Coupled with the applications that are installed in your iPhone, many added-value functions are created to fully utilize the iPhone’s ability for location sharing. Due to that factor, there are now many ways on how you can share your location using the iPhone and the apps.

WHY SHARE LOCATION?

There are many reasons why you should be sharing your iPhone’s location. Here are some of the top reasons.

1. LET FAMILY MEMBERS KNOW YOUR WHEREABOUTS – By sharing your location, your family members would know where you are and in case of emergency, they could immediately know where to find you
2. ARRANGING MEETUP – If you are arranging a meetup in somewhere unfamiliar to your friends or families, the best way is to let people know where you are by sharing your location. This way they can use the GPS app to meet where you are located
3. SHARING TRAVELLING INFO – Another reason to share a particular location using the iPhone is for other people’s reference when they visiting the location. This would come in handy if you are travelling someplace that you are not familiar with. 

Here in this article, we are going to show you the top five ways how you can share your location using the iPhone to any of your family members and friends.

HOW TO ENABLE “SHARE MY LOCATION” USING IPHONE

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Settings”

Step 2

In the Settings, go to your Apple ID account

Step 3

In the Apple ID menu, go to “Find My”

Step 4

Enable the “Share My Location” there. This would enable your friends and family to find you using Apple devices

SHARE LOCATION USING IPHONE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to Apple ID

Step 2

In the Apple ID menu, tap “Family Sharing”

Step 3

In the Family Sharing section, tap “Add Family Member”

Step 4

Tap “Share Your Location”

Step 5

Send a message to your family on your location by tapping “Send A Message” button below

Step 6

Type your family email address and tap the send button to send the email

SHARE IPHONE LOCATION USING “FIND MY” APP

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Find My” app

Step 2

In the Find My app, tap the “People” icon below

Step 3

Tap the “+” button below to share your location with your contacts

Step 4

Add your contact the “To:” section and tap “Send”

SHARE YOUR IPHONE LOCATION USING IMESSAGE

Step 1

Open your contact address. Select the person you want to share your location with

Step 2

Under the contact’s name, tap “Message”

Step 3

At the iMessage screen, tap the contact’s name there

Step 4

Tap the info icon there

Step 5

At the info menu, tap “Share My Location”

Step 6

You can choose how long you want your contact to be able to track your location.

You have the option to choose to share for “One Hour”, “Until End of Day” or “Indefinitely”

SHARE YOUR IPHONE LOCATION USING PHOTOS

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Photos”

Step 2

In your photo album, choose a photo and tap the three-dot icon above the photo

Step 3

Tap “Share Photos”

Your contact will be able to see the photo’s location in a map by tapping the “Show Map” in their iPhone or Apple devices

So, there you have it – top 5 ways how you can share your location using your iPhone with your family members and friends. Please leave us a comment below on which option that you prefer to share your location with your contacts.

Please also read our previous article on how to track the location of your friends using the mobile phone.

The iPhone is not just a smartphone. It is a very powerful small computer that can help you in many ways. The GPS chip embedded in your iPhone serves as to utilise the location data for the functional aspect of the iPhone system as well as a third-party app. Due to that ability, the iPhone can utilize the location data in your iPhone to serve you better and also to improve their services.

However, this is where the boundary of privacy versus functionality exists. Should you sacrifice your privacy for the sake of better functionality of your iPhone? Fortunately, iPhone allows you to control the privacy settings and therefore limit the location sharing according to your preference.

WHY IPHONE IS TRACKING YOU?

The iPhone system services that might be actively tracking your location are as follows:-

Apple Pay Merchant Identification – This is for Apple to know your current location and therefore any purchases made using your Apple ID account outside your location would trigger a notification

Compass Calibration – This is used for the Compass app on your iPhone. 

Emergency Calls & SOS – This function is important as your iPhone needs to know your location so that the SOS sent will be more effective

Find My iPhone – This will help you to track your iPhone if it goes missing or stolen

Location-Based Alerts, Ads or Suggestions – This location will help Apple or third-party to serve better ads based on your location

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF TURNING THE LOCATION TRACKING OFF IN IPHONE

There are some advantages and disadvantages when it comes to location tracking. One clear advantage of turning off the location tracking is that you can rest assured that no third party are actively tracking your location. This will protect your privacy and keep the peace in mind.

However, if you turn off the location tracking, some of the useful system services in your iPhone will become not effective. This will limit the full ability of your iPhone in giving the best experience to you as an iPhone user.

So, if you are conscious about the privacy of your location, here we show you how to turn it off.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Settings”

Step 2

In the Settings, go to “Privacy”

Step 3

In Privacy Settings, go to “Location Services”

Step 4

In Location Services, go to “System Services”

Step 5

Here it will show you which system services in your iPhone that is actively tracking your location

You can also choose to limit the location sharing to Apple

So, there you have it – Simple steps on how you can check how iPhone is tracking your location and how to turn it off. Please leave us a comment below on what are the location-sharing apps or services that you always use in your iPhone.

Please also read our previous article on how to know who is tracking your iPhone.

If you own a smartphone, the chances are that you can be tracked based on your location. This is due to the GPS technology embedded in your phone. It helps your smartphone to emit your location in real-time. GPS also helps the apps in your smartphone for geolocation or embedding location information in their functionality.

However, if you are afraid that the ability of your smartphone to show location might be used by others to track you, you are not alone. Fortunately, you can block people from following your smartphone using simple ways.

WHY BLOCK PEOPLE FROM TRACKING YOUR PHONE?

There are many reasons why would you want to block someone from tracking you. Here are the top main reasons.

PRIVACY – If you want to complete confidentiality of your current location or where you are going, it is better that you blocked all means of tracking ability of your phone

SECURITY – With the apps installed on your phone, sometimes there might be some apps that can track your location whether you are aware of it or not.

TEMPORARY OFFLINE – There would be moments where you do not want to be tracked. Be it you are on vacation, or you want to unplug from online presence. By blocking anyone from following you, you would be able to feel free from the digital world temporarily.

So, if you are interested to learn how to block,

Here are three ways how to prevent someone from tracking your smartphone

• DISABLE SMARTPHONE’S GPS

The fastest way to block any app in your phone from transmitting your phone’s location is by disabling your GPS. GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is the primary method of how your phone can give your site in real-time.

Here is the step by step how to disable your GPS

Step 1

Go to Settings, tap “Privacy.”

Step 2

In Privacy Settings, tap “Location Services.”

Step 3

In the Location Services, swipe the button to the left to disable it

Step 4

Tap “Turn Off” to confirm

However, if you are not sure whether disabling the GPS would stop people from tracking you, another sure method is by disabling all your cell phone connection and internet connection. This way, your smartphone will not be able to emit the GPS data from your phone to outside.

• HOW TO TURN ON AEROPLANE MODE

Step 1

In your iPhone settings, go to the “Airplane Mode.”

Step 2

Swipe the button to the left to disable it. Your iPhone will disable all cell network data and also Wi-Fi.

If you are using an iPhone, you have the capability of tracking all of your Apple devices. Therefore, if you are handed down an iPhone from your parents, the chances are that the iPhone can be tracked. Here are the steps on how to disable that function.

• HOW TO DISABLE “SHARE MY LOCATION” ON IPHONE

Step 1

In the Settings, go to Location Services. Tap “Share My Location”

Step 2

Swipe the button to the left to disable the function

Tap in the “From” section to see the list of your Apple devices that can track your iPhone

So, there you have it – three simple ways how to block someone from tracking your smartphone. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways that you can keep your location private using your phone.

Please also read our previous article on how to track your friends using your smartphone.

A Sim card is the chip inside your cell phone that enables it to communicate with your network operator. Before the emergence of the smartphone, a cell phone would be useless without the sim card as the sim card is the only chip in your cell phone that allows you to connect with other cell phones. Now, with the integration of personal computer and cell phone, you got this powerful smartphone that can also be able to be utilized without a sim card. Without the sim card, your smartphone can still be connected with other smartphones as long as you are connected to a Wi-Fi.

The GPS in your smartphone can always emit transmission using the internet. By leveraging the connection on the internet, you can still communicate even without the sim card. This also includes the ability to track your phone’s location even without a sim card on your smartphone.

So, how are you able to use that smartphone ability to track your phone without a sim card? Here we show you several ways how you can do just that.

TRACK USING WEB-BASED TRACKING SERVICES

Both the iOS and Android Device Manager use internet connection to find and track your phone. It leverages on your phone’s GPS connection to the internet instead of the link to your cell network. Therefore, it can always track your lost phone even without the sim card installed in your phone.

If you are using iPhone, you can log into your Apple account at https://www.icloud.com/#find and track your lost iPhone

Read here if you want to know the step by step on how to track your iPhone using the Apple services.

If you are using Android Device Manager, you can log to https://www.google.com/android/find?u=0

Read here if you want to know how to track a phone using the Android Device Manager.

TRACK USING SOCIAL MEDIA APP

Social media apps nowadays can track the location of your phone based on the GPS coordinate. This helps the social media platform to send ads based on your location. It also helps to geotag the location of your post. In specific social media app such as Snapchat, it can also show your location on a map.

Your phone only needs the sim card if you want to use the data plan that is connected to your service network provider. Here we show you how to know the location of your phone based on the last login of your devices using the Snapchat account.

Snapchat has the feature of showing your location in a map. You can access this Snapchat map using the website browser. So, if you lost your phone, you can use this web browser to track your phone based on your Snapchat account.

Step 1

Go to https://map.snapchat.com

Step 2

Log into your Snapchat account, and you will be able to see your location if your phone is active and connected to the internet.

TRACK USING IMEI NUMBER

The IMEI number and the ICCID number is two different numbers that identify your cell phone. The IMEI number represents your smartphone, and the ICCID number represents your sim card number. Therefore, if you do lose your phone and the sim card is taken out of the phone, your IMEI number is the next best thing to use to identify and track your phone.

However, your IMEI number is just a number similar to a plate number in your car. However, it is vital information if you want to get your service network operator to assist you in tracking your phone. The network operator can identify your phone by using their cell tower network each time your phone is connected to a cell phone network tower.

How to Get Your IMEI number

And if you are wondering how to know your IMEI number, here are the steps

Step 1

In General settings of your phone, go to “About.”

Step 2

You will see your phone’s IMEI number listed here. Keep a record of your phone’s IMEI number somewhere safe in case you lost your phone

TRACK USING GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Google services such as Gmail keep tracks of your location based on the latest login using your phone. So, if you are using Gmail in your phone, you can use Google account to track your last position.

Here are the steps on how to track your phone using Google account

Step 1

Log into your Gmail

Step 2

Go to https://myaccount.google.com/security

Step 3

Go to “Your Devices”

Here you can see your devices that use any of Google services such a Gmail together with its detail that includes the last location you used that service

TRACK USING CLOUD SERVICES

If you are using cloud storage services in your phone such as Dropbox, you can use that account to help track the last login position of your phone.

Step 1

Go to https://www.dropbox.com/account/security

Step 2

Log into your Dropbox account

Step 3

In your security settings, you can see the login details together with the last login or syncing location that your device have with Dropbox

So, there you have it. Five simple ways how you can track your phone without a sim card in it. Please leave us a comment below on what other ways you know on tracking a phone that has no sim card.

Please also read our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to track the lost phone.

If you are using an iPhone, you might be comforted that Apple has included a function in which you can find your iPhone if you misplaced it or got your iPhone stolen. As your iPhone is one of the most critical and expensive gadgets that you own, this function will come handy to you in the future.

Your iPhone might also have relevant files or photos that you would not be able to replace. By knowing these three ways how to find your iPhone in case you got it stolen or lost, this tips can increase the chance of you retrieving back your iPhone.

Here are the three ways how you can find your iPhone. 

HOW TO USE “FIND MY IPHONE” TO TRACK LOST IPHONE

Step 1

Open a web browser using your laptop or your friend’s smartphone.

Go to https://www.icloud.com

Step 2

In the website, sign in to iCloud by inserting your Apple ID and password

Step 3

Tap the “Find My iPhone” section below

Step 4

Once you are logged in in the “Find My iPhone” menu, click at “All Devices.”

Step 5

Choose the Apple device or iPhone that you have lost here

The location of your lost iPhone will be shown in the map

Step 6

Click at “Lost Mode” here to set your lost iPhone on a “Lost Mode” settings remotely

Alternatively, you can also erase your iPhone remotely if you afraid that the person who stole it might access to your private data in your iPhone

HOW TO USE GOOGLE MAPS TO FIND LOST IPHONE

Step 1

Go to https://www.google.com/maps

Step 2

Go to “Location Sharing” or “Your Timeline” to see your iPhone’s location

However, you should have activated the Google Maps location sharing first before you lost your iPhone as pre-requisite step or this method would not work.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

First, you need to install the Google Maps app on your iPhone. Once installed, in your iPhone, go to Settings.

Step 2

In the Settings, tap “Google Maps.”

Step 3

In the Google Maps settings, tap “Location.”

Step 4

Enable the Location Sharing to “Always”.

By enabling this to “Always”, your iPhone continuously transmit your location sharing data to Google as long as your iPhone is turned on and connected to the internet.

HOW TO USE IMEI NUMBER TO FIND YOUR LOST IPHONE

If all the above tips did not work for you, the last resort is to use your iPhone IMEI number as a way to find your iPhone. You can ask for your service network provider the assistance on this as they can use their vast network of a cell tower to track your iPhone based on your IMEI number. However, not all countries allow this. It is very much dependent on your country as well as the services that are being offered by your service network provider.

So, if you have tried all the methods above but still could not track down your iPhone, the first step you need to do is to:-

1. Report your lost iPhone to the police
2. Use your iPhone’s IMEI number as a reference to your lost iPhone
3. Use the police report to get assistance from the network service provider to track your lost iPhone

However, it is also essential that you know your iPhone’s IMEI number beforehand. Here are the steps on how to find your IMEI number.

HOW TO FIND YOUR PHONE’S IMEI NUMBER

Step 1

In your iPhone, go to “Settings.”

Step 2

In the Settings, go to “General.”

Step 3

In the General Settings, go to “About.”

Step 4

You will see your iPhone’s IMEI number here. Keep a record of your iPhone’s IMEI number somewhere safe.

So, there you have it — three ways how you can find your lost iPhone. Please leave us a comment below on what other methods that you have used to try and find your lost or misplaced iPhone.

Please also read our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to find your lost smartphone.

If you owned a smartphone for a while, you probably are aware of the phone tracking location embedded in your phone. This function serves as an essential feature in tracking your iPhone if you lost it or got it stolen.

You can easily track the location of your iPhone by using this embedded location tracking feature. Read in our previous article on how to track your lost iPhone step by step.

However, the downside of having a location sharing capability in your iPhone is that someone may misuse the function and use it as a way to track you down without your consent. There are several ways you can know if your iPhone is being tracked or it is giving away your location. 

Some of the signs could be:-

1. Internet usage is increasing even when your iPhone is idle
2. iPhone’s battery drains faster than normal
3. iPhone not able to connect with Wireless Network due to consistent disruption

HOW TO KNOW WHO IS TRACKING YOUR IPHONE USING “FIND FRIENDS” APP

The “Find Friends” app comes pre-installed in your iPhone. It functions as a way you can track your family and friends. It also allows you to share your location with your friends or families. However, there might be somebody who can hack your iPhone and set it so that they can track your phone’s location.

If you want to know who is tracking your iPhone using the “Find Friends” app, here are the steps

Step 1

Open your iPhone and tap the “Find Friends” app

Step 2

In the Find Friends app, tap the section below

Step 3

You will see a list of Apple devices here that can see your iPhone’s current location

You can disable the location sharing by disabling the “Share My Location” button here

HOW TO KNOW WHO IS TRACKING YOUR IPHONE BY CHECKING YOUR APPLE ID ACCOUNT

Some other ways iPhone can share location is through Apple iCloud. The iCloud allows you and any other of your Apple devices to be connected. Therefore, the location of the devices also is shared. However, if you have older Apple devices that might change hand, you might not be aware that these old Apple devices can track your location if you are not careful.

Here are the steps to know if any of your old Apple devices are tracking your iPhone

Step 1

Open your iPhone and tap “Settings.”

Step 2

In Settings, go to your Apple ID account

Step 3

In your Apple ID account, go to “Share My Location.”

Step 4

Any family members or friends that know your iPhone’s location will be shown here

HOW TO KNOW WHO IS TRACKING YOUR IPHONE BY CHECKING BATTERY USAGE

Another strong sign that your iPhone is sharing your location is battery usage. This is because sharing real-time location requires a lot of battery power. So, if your iPhone suddenly ran out of battery juices in a short time, it might be that your iPhone is sharing your real-time location to a third party device.

Here are the steps to know your battery usage

Step 1

Open your iPhone and tap “Settings.”

Step 2

In the Settings, scroll down and tap “Battery.”

Step 3

In the Battery settings, look at any spikes in the battery usages

See also if any apps that use GPS exhibits a high percentage of activity even though you are not actively using it. This sign shows that the app is actively transmitting your location to other devices. Open the app and see the location sharing settings. Some apps that can transmit your location in real time are WhatsApp and Facebook.

So, there you have it — three simple ways how you can quickly check who is tracking your iPhone. Please leave us a comment below on how do you think these tips are helpful.

Please also read our previous article on how to track your phone without using the internet.

If you are an avid user of the instant messaging application on your mobile phone, you will have used or heard about WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging application in which you can use not just to text your friend but also send images and videos. Another cool feature of WhatsApp is that it also enables you to share your mobile phone location with your friends.

WhatsApp recently has introduced a capability in which you can track your friend’s location real time. This means that if your friend was at location A in the morning and later in the day move to location B, you would able to know their current location by just using WhatsApp. This cool feature can also be utilized as a phone tracker.

However, the only limitation to this is that it only allows you to share the real-time location up to 8 hours only. However, it is good enough for you to track a phone and another good thing is that it is free.

So, if you are interested to learn how to track a friend or even your phone using WhatsApp, here are the steps. However, first, you need to enable the live location sharing feature in WhatsApp first.

Here are the steps.

HOW TO ENABLE WHATSAPP FOR LIVE LOCATION SHARING

Step 1

Open your iPhone and tap “Settings.”

Step 2

In Settings, scroll down and tap “WhatsApp.”

Step 3

In the WhatsApp settings, tap “Location.”

Step 4

In the Location settings, change to “Always”.

By changing to “Always” settings, you can track the mobile phone regardless of the WhatsApp application is in use or not. As long as the phone is on and connected to the internet, you are good to go.

So, once you enable the live location feature in WhatsApp, you can then start tracking phone by just using WhatsApp. 

Here are the steps.

HOW TO SHARE WHATSAPP LIVE LOCATION FOR PHONE TRACKING

Step 1

Open WhatsApp and open the contact chat screen that you want to share the live location. Tap the “+” button below

Step 2

A menu will be shown. Tap “Location”

Step 3

In the “Send Location” settings, tap “Share Live Location.”

Step 4

You can then set the duration of the live location sharing to either 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours

Your phone will now be able to transmit your location live to another phone via WhatsApp. That another phone will act as the tracker in case your phone got lost, or you misplaced it. The location transmitted will be a real-time location.

As long as that mobile phone is on and connected to the internet, you will be able to track it even when the WhatsApp application is closed.

You can end the live location sharing immediately by tapping the “Stop Sharing.”

 So, there you have it — simple ways of how you can track a mobile phone real time by using WhatsApp. Please leave us a comment on whether this tip works for you or not.

Please also read our previous article on how to track friends using a mobile phone.

The device that tracks the location of a phone is not the internet but the GPS chip embedded in your phone. However, the phone needs an internet connection to transmit the GPS location to a third party provider such as Waze that incorporates it in their app. The GPS data is required as input for the location data based on its usage and objectives.

So, can you track a phone if the phone is not connected to the internet? There are several ways how you can track a phone without the internet. However, the steps shown here is more for your friend or family to send the location to you voluntarily.

If your phone is stolen or lost, it might be hard to find and track your phone without internet. This is due to the need for the app on your iPhone to be sending you the location using the internet. So, if there is no internet connection, the next thing is the mobile network connection that your iPhone already has.

So, here are several ways how you can ask somebody to send you their location using their iPhone.

USE SMS TO SEND LOCATION OF iPHONE

First of all, you need to Install Google Map on your iPhone. Once that is done, you can then send SMS to send the location of your iPhone.

Here are the steps

Step 1

Open your iPhone. Tap “Messages”

Step 2

In “Messages”, tap the edit button at the top right

Step 3

At the “New Message” window, tap the Google Map icon below

Step 4

iPhone will then show your location below. Make sure that the iPhone is GPS enabled. Read here if you want to know what is GPS and how to enable GPS in the iPhone.

Tap the Send icon below to send your location using SMS

Step 5

Your new message will show the GPS of the iPhone current location

Step 6

Fill-up the email here and tap send

Whoever the receiver of the SMS message will be able to use that GPS location to track the iPhone.

HOW TO EXTRACT LOCATION FROM PHOTOS IN IPHONE

Another method of tracking your iPhone is by extracting the location from the photos that was taken. Photos taken by iPhone actually have details such as the location and also GPS coordinate. Read here on how you can track location based on EXIF data on JPEG.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Take a picture of your current location. In the iPhone, tap “Photos” to open your iPhone’s photo gallery

Step 2

Select the photo where you have just taken

Step 3

In the selected photo, swipe up

Step 4

iPhone will show the place where the picture is taken

Step 5

You can then choose to see the picture in a map, hybrid or satellite format

Step 6

The location of the iPhone can be tracked based on the map shown there

USE COMPASS APP TO GET THE LOCATION OF THE IPHONE

Another way how you can extract the GPS coordinates of your iPhone is by using the Compass app. The Compass app is normally pre-installed in your iPhone.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your iPhone, tap the “Compass” app. Make sure the iPhone is enabled for the GPS Location Sharing

Step 2

In the Compass, the coordinate of the iPhone will be shown below

Step 3

Tap the coordinate more than 3 seconds, and tap “Copy.”

Step 4

Open the Message function in iPhone. Paste the coordinate and send the location using your mobile data via SMS.

So, there you have it — 3 simple ways how to track an iPhone without the internet. Please leave us a comment if you do know other ways on how to track a phone without using the internet.

Feel free to read our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to find a lost phone.

So, your kids are all grown and starts to go out to the world more often. Sometimes it is best to trust your kids and let them be but sometimes as a parent, at least knowing where they are removing some of our worries.

With the advent of smartphones and GPS technology, we as a parent can keep track of kid’s location. As long as you and your kids have the right equipment, you can track your kid’s whereabouts in real time.

However, before you start to track your kid’s whereabouts, it is best that you discuss first with your kids and tell them that you want to follow their location for security reason. Don’t track their whereabouts without their knowledge because as a parent you also need to respect their privacy sometimes.

The advantage of keeping track of your kid’s location are

1. Know where they are so that if anything happens, you would be notified instantly
2. Know that they hold to their promise of going to someplace instead of going to another place that you don’t know
3. Know that your kids are nearby and within reach in case of an emergency

So, here are three ways how you can track your kids by monitoring their mobile phone

1. TRACK YOUR KIDS USING IPHONE

One of the simplest ways to follow your kids is by monitoring their iPhone.  

However, first, the necessary equipment that you need

– Your kids iPhone (Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later)

– Your iPhone (Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later)

– Install the “Find Friends” app in both the iPhone. Usually, the app comes pre-installed in your iPhone

– Sim Card with a data plan for both the iPhone

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Open your iPhone that will act as the tracker. Open “Find Friends” app

Step 2

In the “Find Friends” app, tap “Add.”

Step 3

Put both the iPhone close to one another and your iPhone will detect your kid’s iPhone via AirDrop. Tap the iPhone icon

Step 4

A menu will be shown. Tap “Share Indefinitely”

Step 5

In your kid’s iPhone, tap “Accept”. Tap “View” to start tracking your kid’s location

Step 6

You will see your kid’s location by tracking his or her icon in the Apple Map

You can also set a notification via the “Notify Me” function when your kid’s iPhone leaves or start moving.

2. TRACK YOUR KIDS USING GOOGLE MAP

Besides using iPhone, you can also use Google Map as a way to track your kids.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

Install the Google Maps app on your phone and also your kid’s phone. Open your kid’s Google Map app.

Step 2

In the Google Map app, tap the three line icon at the top left to go to Settings.

Step 3

In the Settings, tap “Location Sharing.”

Step 4

In the Location Sharing, set the duration for the real-time location sharing

Step 5

Tap “Select People” here

Step 6

Add your name, phone or email here so that you will be able to start receiving the real-time location of your kid’s phone

3. TRACK YOUR KIDS USING SNAPCHAT

If your kids always on Snapchat, this application can be used to notify you of their location by utilising the Snapchat Map feature. However, for you to use this, you also need to download and open a Snapchat account.

Here are the steps.

Step 1

In your kid’s phone, open Snapchat. Swipe down to enter the Snapchat Map

Step 2

In the Snap Map, tap the Settings icon at the top right

Step 3

In the Settings, enable the “Ghost Mode”. This will make your kid appear in the Snap Map.

Step 4

If you do not want others to see your kids location in the map but only you, tap at the option below the Settings and choose “Only These Friends.”

Step 5

If you have to open your Snapchat account, search for your own Snapchat username in the “Search” bar and add your name to the list.

So, there you have it. Three effective ways of how you can keep track of your kid’s whereabouts in real-time location sharing using your mobile phone. Please leave us a comment on what do you think about the need for parents to keep tracking their kids all the time.

Please also read our previous article on how to find friends using your mobile phone.

Based on actual existing GPS technology that we have right now, we can use an old iPhone that you might not be using to help track people. Yes, by using an old iPhone we have a powerful spy gadget that we can utilise to save the day as what Peter Parker has done in the Spiderman movie.

If you see a scene in the Marvel’s Spiderman Homecoming movie where Peter Parker quietly drops a phone in the villain’s car so that he would able to track it afterwards, that technique is not science fiction.

What is the possible use of an iPhone as a tracking device?

1. Helps you to track your asset – For example, you can use your old iPhone as a tracking device for your car. This way, if your car does get stolen, you will immediately know where it went.
2. Helps you to track your kids/families – If you are worried bad things that can happen to your kids or families, you can use your old iPhone as a way of to keep track the current location and whereabouts of your kids and families at all time.
3. Helps you to track delivery of a package – If you have requested a person to help to deliver an important package, the old iPhone will help you to know where the location of the package as it is being delivered. 

So, if the above reasons resonate with you and you do have an old iPhone lying around, here are the steps on how you can use your iPhone as a tracking device.

However, first, here are the equipment that you need:-

1. AN IPHONE (AS TRACKING DEVICE) – Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later. Make sure it is on and fully charged
2. ANOTHER IPHONE (AS THE TRACKER) – Update the iOS to iOS 8 or later
3. FIND FRIENDS APP (IT IS NORMALLY INSTALLED IN IPHONE BY DEFAULT)
4. SIM CARD WITH DATA PLAN FOR THE IPHONE THAT WILL ACT AS THE TRACKING DEVICE

Step 1

Open the iPhone that will act as the tracker. Open the “Find Friends” app

Step 2

In the “Find Friends” app, tap “Add.”

Step 3

Put both iPhone close to one another. Your iPhone will detect the other iPhone via AirDrop connection. Tap the iPhone icon that shows up.

Alternatively, you can also add using contact by tapping the “+” icon in the “To:” section

Step 4

A menu will be shown. Tap “Share Indefinitely”

Step 5

A request will be shown on the iPhone that will act as the tracking device. Tap “Accept”

At the iPhone that will act as the tracker, a notification will also be shown stating the iPhone that will act as the tracking device started sharing location with you. Tap “View” to proceed

Step 6

You will start seeing the location of the iPhone on a map. The location is shared real-time

You can also set a notification via the “Notify Me” function at the above the map. By enabling this function, the iPhone that you are tracking will notify you once it leaves or starts moving.

So, there you have it — simple steps on how you can convert an old iPhone into a tracking device. Please leave us a comment below on whether you have used this function before and how effective is it in helping you track your friends.

Please also read our previous article on how to track your friends using your phone.

The technology behind tracking and also finding a lost phone is the Global Positioning System or GPS in short. It is the small chip inside your smartphone that communicates with an array of communication satellites that then tells you where you are and where you want to go. For some phone, it is called the “Location Services” function.

However, most of the smartphone in the market does respect the need for privacy for their users. Also, therefore, it enables the user to switch off the GPS and location services, and as a result, your phone will not be tracked. Alternatively, is it still can be traced?

The quick answer to this is yes; your smartphone can still be tracked even when you have turned off your GPS and location services. This is because smartphone technology has evolved and become more integrated into our daily activities. Therefore, the more frequent you use your mobile phone, the more you leave what we called digital breadcrumbs or digital footprints.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS / DIGITAL “BREADCRUMBS”

If you disable the GPS, you will not be tracked in real-time. However, our smartphones leave digital “breadcrumbs” all over the internet in which can be traced back to your phone. The digital “breadcrumbs” are basically a footprint that you left when you engaged or used certain services on the internet which identifies you in a specific time and location. The digital footprints can be in many forms such as cookies and also input and output for your smartphone sensors.

SMARTPHONE SENSORS

Besides the GPS chip, your smartphone also has other sensors such as the accelerometers where it is used to track your body movement for fitness and even gaming. Other sensors such as the barometer, magnetometer and gyroscope have its use and function in your smartphone. Each of these sensors is becoming much more advanced and accurate in the coming years as technology, and the internet evolved.

Because of these sensors readily available in your smartphone, by combining some of these sensors, with the help of an installed app, it can accurately figure out your location without the need of GPS. Based on research by a researcher at Princeton University, it is possible to track your phone by using these sensors by only using an app. Read the article here.

HERE ARE THREE WAYS HOW YOU CAN TRACK PHONE WITHOUT USING GPS

CELLPHONE TOWER

Your mobile phone regularly transmits a signal as it approaches a cell tower. This is to notify its location so that whenever a call or data that needs to be transferred to your phone, the cell network operator would able to send it to the nearest cell tower to your phone. Therefore, when your smartphone is on, it is always pinging the nearest cell tower.

The methods use in locating your phone using cell towers is by using the triangulation method. By knowing which signal emits the strongest and lowest between your smartphone and the cell tower, the network operator can pinpoint your location.

So, if you do lose your phone and your phone does not have a GPS function, it is best that you request assistance from a network service provider. As long as the SIM card and IMEI number are in place on your phone, it is possible for the cell network operator to help and track that phone.

Read here on our previous article on how to track phone using IMEI number.

BROWSER OR APP COOKIES

If you usually browse the internet using your mobile phone, you would notice request from the browser to identify your current location. This includes the airline’s website or travel/hotel website where they require you to specify the location of your current place. Once you are given consent to the request, the browser will keep your location in their record.

There are also apps that require your location each time you want to use the app. For example, apps like Waze or WhatsApp. Even though you have to turn your GPS off, the app will not be able to track your phone real-time. However, the app or the browser cookies does have your digital “breadcrumbs” from the last time you use the app or visited the website.

One example is by looking at your Google account. This is one of the services where you can use to track your digital footprints that have been left by your mobile phone.

So, if you are interested to see if your devices are leaving digital footprints, here are the steps.

Step 1

Go to https://myaccount.google.com

Click at the “Security” at the left section of that page

Step 2

Scroll down until you see “Your Devices” section. It will list any of your devices last location that is linked to your account.

Your google account will only remember your device if you have any of google app in your phone. For example, Gmail or Google Earth app that was installed on your phone.

NATIONAL DATABASE OF STOLEN PHONES

Some countries do have a database of stolen phones. So, if you do lose a phone, you can report the phone’s IMEI number into the database. The database is usually linked to the police, and whenever the cops find a stolen phone, it can cross-check the phone with the database.

You can check an example of a national database for stolen items such as in Australia here and also in the United States here.

The only thing needed for cross-checking a phone in this type of database registry is the IMEI or IMSI number. Read here if you want to know more about your phone’s IMEI number. 

So, there you have it. Three ways how you can track your phone even when the GPS or location services is turned off. Please also read our previous article on how you can trace a non-smartphone.

Please leave us a comment below on how do you think other people can still track your phone even without the GPS function.

The last time we wrote about how to track the phone using IMEI number is way back in 2013. Some of the tips we offer at that time are still valid nevertheless. Check out the article here. Over the years, there have been new methods now on how you can track your phone using IMEI. Here is the updated version of that article with some new few tips that you can do to track your mobile phone using IMEI number.



The mobile phone nowadays is equipped with GPS and also have a pre-installed app that can track your cell phone easily if you lost or got your phone stolen. However, sometimes having this advanced features is not enough. So, what happens if you just lost your phone and you could not track it using the pre-installed app such as Find iPhone and Android Device Manager? The second best option is to track your phone using your phone’s IMEI number.

WHAT IS IMEI NUMBER?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique identifier for your phone in which phone manufacturer will need to assign it to all phone being manufactured. It is a 15 to 17 digit of numbers in sequence. Imagine a plate number or chassis number for your car.



Each car will have a different number as a way to identify them from other same car models. The same applies to your phone too. Your phone might have a similar model and colour, but the IMEI number is unique to every phone that has ever been manufactured in the world.

HOW TO FIND IMEI NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE?

Here are two quick ways how you can find your phone’s IMEI number or read here for more details

FIRST OPTION

Step 1
Go to your phone keypad

Step 2

Type *#06#

A string of IMEI number will appear on your screen. This method applies to all types of phone.



SECOND OPTION

Step 1
Go to your phone General Settings

Step 2
Go to About

Step 3
Search for IMEI number in the list of information

HOW TO USE IMEI NUMBER TO TRACK YOUR PHONE

The IMEI number has one important purpose, and that is to identify your phone in a cell network operator. With thousands of mobile phones connected in the same time as yours on the cell phone network, the network operator will use your SIM card number and also IMEI number as a valid identifier to your phone to differentiate from other connected phones. This way the network operator would know your cell phone usage for billing purposes as well as your phone’s location at the same time so that they can send and received any calls for you that they received from their network.



So, in a scenario, if you do lose your phone or got it stolen, as long as the SIM card is there; your phone is on, and the phone battery does not run out, your phone will continue to send a transmission to the nearest cell phone tower. Even if the SIM card is taken out, the cell tower can still identify your phone using the IMEI number of your phone through the Equipment Identity Register or EIR. The EIR is a database commonly GSM network used to list all valid mobile equipment that is using their network.

So, if you now understand what IMEI is and how it is used, here are the steps if you want to track the phone using IMEI number

1. REPORT LOST PHONE TO THE AUTHORITIES

This step is essential to provide legal documentation that your phone is lost. This will help you in the second step.

What do you need to report? Among the critical information you need to provide to the police are:-
i. IMEI number
ii. SIM card number
iii. Phone’s model, brand and colour
iv. Any other unique physical identifier for your phone
v. Where do you think you lost it
vi. Where do you think it got stolen



2. REPORT LOST PHONE TO YOUR CELL PHONE NETWORK PROVIDER

As explained earlier on, your SIM card number and IMEI number is the unique identifier for your cell phone network service operator. Using the Equipment Identity Register (EIR), a cell phone network operator can blacklist the stolen phone from using their network. That’s why it is vital that you make a police report first so that you can show this legal documentation to your cell phone service provider so that they can act.

The cell phone service provider can also help you to locate where your phone is if the phone does transmit an active signal to their nearest cell tower. However, a disclaimer here is that not all countries and cell phone network service provider will help you to do the blacklisting and also to track your phone using the IMEI method. It needs a clear government policy of allowing this to happen in certain countries. So, that brings us the last option.



3. REPORT LOST PHONE TO A NATIONAL DATABASE REGISTRY FOR STOLEN ITEMS

Another method that has grown popular over the last few years are the establishment of a national database for stolen goods and properties. The way this database works is that if you submit your IMEI number there and report it as stolen or lost, the database will keep your data as a record.

If someone naively did buy your stolen phone from the thief and checked the IMEI number in the database, it will instantly alert the buyer that the phone was stolen property. Some of the database in certain countries also link this to the police database so that law enforcement can immediately act on it.

Here is some example in certain countries where this database have been developed to help customers retrieve back their phone using IMEI number.



In Australia, they have created a central database called the EIE Administration Node that helps to check the status of your phone by just providing an IMEI number.

In the United States, an organisation such as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, CTIA offers free services to check if the phone you just bought was stolen or not. You can check their website here. You can submit your IMEI number there, and if someone did buy your stolen phone and check it in the database, the law enforcement could immediately investigate it.

If you are in the United Kingdom, similar services like this are the Immobilise website. The database has been there for a while, and the services do not limit to cell phone recovery only but also to all stolen goods and property.



So, there you have it. A step by step guide on how you can track your phone using the IMEI number. Please leave us a comment if you think this article might have been useful for you and can help you trace your lost phone.

Read also our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to track your lost phone.

The post 3 Ways How to Track Mobile Phone Using IMEI Number appeared first on My Phone Locater.

So, you thought it would never happen to you. You just got your phone stolen. For most people, their phone is considered one of their most precious possession. The phone is kept with them all the time. So, the thought of their phone got stolen is very far away from their mind.



However, misfortunes do sometimes happen in life. Also, when they do, it is vital that you know what to do precisely so that you can lessen trouble. In the case of a stolen phone, you can track your phone back or minimise the lost.

So, here are the top 3 things you should do once you’re just realised your phone just got stolen.

These tips are for iPhone users only

1. LOCK YOUR PHONE IMMEDIATELY

Once you realised that your phone just got stolen. Use this step immediately to lock your phone.

Step 1
Go to this website
https://www.icloud.com/#find

You then need to enter your Apple ID there to use the function. However, if you forgot your Apple ID, read this article on how you can retrieve your Apple ID



Step 2
Select the Apple device that has been stolen

Step 3
Once it shows you the location of your iPhone, turn the “Lost Mode” on so that your iPhone will get locked



Enter your phone’s number and message so that the thief would not easily sell your phone to other people.

However, this is optional. You may do not want to share your phone’s number with the thief if you have reasons for it.

The screen of your stolen phone will be seen like this each time it is activated.

2. REPORT YOUR LOST

If you manage to track your stolen phone location, never try to retrieve it on your own. By extracting it your own, it may put you in a dangerous situation. Report it to the authorities and let the police do the retrieving of the phone.

However, the police might want some details on the phone so that they will know which phone is the one that is stolen. The features of the phone that you can include in the report are
1. IMEI number
2. ICCID number
3. Phone’s model and brand
4. Colour of your phone
5. When do you last have your phone
6. The “Find iPhone” report on the last location

You can also report you’re lost to your phone’s network operator. They can block the phone from using the cell phone network. This way, you would not be billed for any unauthorised use of your cellular data.



Read here in our previous article on how you can get the phone’s details. It is essential you note all the phone’s features down earlier on.

3. ERASE THE DATA ON YOUR PHONE

However, if you know that your phone got stolen you do not want to track it, you can erase your phone immediately. This is important if you do not wish to your sensitive data such as pictures and notes in your iPhone to be used by unwanted personnel.

When you have erased your iPhone, the activation lock is still there until you can retrieve back your phone. However, you will not be able to locate it using Find iPhone once you have erased it. So, make sure the delete option is the last option you will do in case your phone got stolen.



Here are the steps on how to remotely erase data on your iPhone.

Step 1
Go to https://www.icloud.com/#find

Step 2
At the website, select the Apple device you want to erase the data remotely

Step 3
Select the “Erase iPhone” option. This will remotely erase all your iPhone’s data to the factory settings default.

However, once you remotely erase your iPhone’s data, you can no longer track it. You can restore your data if you have backup all of your data into the iCloud regularly before it got stolen.



So, there you have it. The top 3 things you should immediately do once you found out that your phone just got stolen. For Android users, the step is almost the same, but you can do it with the Android Device Manager. Read here how you can track your lost phone using Android Device Manager.

Please leave us a comment on how you find this tips helpful and if you have any experience of your phone got stolen.

Read also our previous article on the ultimate guide on how to track a lost phone.

The post Top 3 Things To Do Once Your Phone Got Stolen appeared first on My Phone Locater.