Locate Your Phone Quickly and Easily

Have you ever lost your cellphone? Perhaps it was stolen and you didn’t  realise? Nowadays, thanks to the technology inside of smartphones, you can  locate it, and even send a message to whomever found it (or took it), asking  them to return it and not be a jerk. This guide will show you how to do just that with your iPhone or your Android  phone. Android users: If your Android version is lower than 4.4, you’ll need to  download the free app “Android Device Manager” (it’s by Google).

Go over to Google’s Android Device Management site and login with your Google account. You’ll see any Android device you have connected to this account. You’ll see a map with the approximate location of your phone.

Simply use one of the functions: Ring, Lock, Erase

“Ring” will cause the phone to ring in the maximum possible volume for 5 minutes straight, even if the device is set to silent or vibrate.

“Erase” will erase all your phone’s data, including pictures, reverting it to basic  factory settings.

“Lock” will lock your phone with a security password and can display a  message to whomever finds the phone, plus adds the option to have whomever  finds it call you with 1 button. And that’s it, your phone is now locked with a password and other than call  you, whomever finds it can’t do anything with it.

iPhone users: First, it’s recommended that you enable the “Find  My iPhone” functionality on your device.

You can use Find My iPhone to locate your device and take additional actions that  can help you recover it and keep your data secure. Sign in to icloud.com/find  on a Mac or PC or use the Find My iPhone app on another iOS device.

Locate your device. Open Find My iPhone, and select a device to view its location  on a map. If the device is nearby, you can have it play a sound to help  you or someone nearby find it.

Turn on Lost Mode. Using Lost Mode, you can remotely lock your device with a  four-digit passcode, display a custom message with your phone number on  your missing device's Lock screen, and keep track of your device's location.

To prevent anyone else from accessing the data on your missing device, you can  erase it remotely. When you erase your device, all of your information will be  deleted from the device, and you won't be able to locate it using Find My iPhone.  After you erase a device, you can't track it. If you remove the device from  your account after you erase it, Activation Lock will be turned off. This allows  another person to activate and use your device.   (If your device is turned off or is offline, once it’s back online, the  lock/erase commands will activate automatically.) If you didn't turn on Find My iPhone before your device was lost or stolen, you can't use it to locate your device. However, you can use these steps to help protect your data:

Change your Apple ID password: By changing your Apple ID password  you can prevent anyone from accessing your iCloud data or using other services  (such as iMessage or iTunes) from your missing device. Change the passwords for other internet accounts on your device. This could  include email accounts, Facebook, or Twitter. Report your lost or stolen device to local law enforcement.) Law enforcement  might request the serial number of your device. Find your serial number  on the original box or receipt and on "My Support Profile"  (supportprofile.apple.com) if you registered your device with your Apple ID  Erase your device.)    Report your lost or stolen device to your wireless carrier. Your carrier can disable  the account, preventing phone calls, texts, and data use.

(for more info, use Apple’s support page)