How to locate a lost or stolen iPhone?

lose sound iPhone can be a source of great concern. Suddenly you can’t be reached and if you’ve been expecting urgent calls, this can be a real hassle. Fortunately, there are many solutions to this situation, whether immediate or delayed.

The first reflex of those who find a smartphone

Some 70 million mobile phones are lost each year. The society Symantec has investigated in order to know how the person who found one of these devices reacted, as soon as he had the possibility of accessing its content. It turned out that 66% of them will look at the social accounts of the owner of the phone. The intention may be good: that of returning his device to him (which has also been observed in a good half of the cases). Nevertheless, in such a situation, data from your private life is suddenly exposed to the sight of a stranger. So, here is how to locate a misplaced iPhone.

Ring your iPhone remotely

If after turning the pockets of your jackets and bags, looking on the tables, you cannot find your iPhone, the best thing is to ring it and to do this, obviously the easiest way is to call it from a landline or another mobile.

From the ringtone, you can locate where exactly it is. And if you forgot it in a place where you recently went, someone should normally pick up and be able to reassure you.

Find where your iPhone is via iCloud

If you do not have such an additional telephone or even if the iPhone is discharged, do not panic: many apps help locate it.

Suffice to say, the location will not be extremely precise. However, you can be reassured and verify that the iPhone is indeed in the location where you are. Or even in a place where you have recently been, for example a restaurant.

On theecosystem Apple, you are identified by a specific email address. This is your general identifier and allows you to locate all your devices. Apple – unless you have disabled this function and we will see below how to modify it.

So the easiest way is to go to a web browser and type iCloud.com. The advantage is that you can do it from a Mac as from a computer or a Tablet, whether it’s an iPad or Android. Enter your Apple ID and your password.

If you have enabled two-factor authentication (which is strongly recommended in normal times), a code is sent to your iPhone and the problem is that it is not available. Normally, if you have an iPad or Mac, this code is sent to that device as well. If you can’t get this code, skip to the next section.

In iCloud.comlocate theicon “Locate”. A map is then displayed. It lets you know if the iPhone is where you are now or in a recently visited location. The Standard map view shows street names. If you click on the icon at the top left of the map, you can also choose Satellite mode to get an airplane view.

If the iPhone is right where you are, all you have to do is keep looking.

Apple’s Locate app

The alternative to iCloud is to fall back on location apps. The one that Apple manages is called “Locate”. You need either an iPad, an Apple Watch, or a second iPhone.

For example from an iPad, locate the “Locate” application – if it is not present, you should obviously download it from the App store. Open this app. You will again see a map appear with street names and the location of your iPhone – and also of your other Apple devices. However, if you click on the mention of your iPhone, two options appear:

1. Play a sound: this option is very practical because it causes the iPhone to produce a sound, different from the usual ringtone but which can help to locate it, if it is not unloaded.
2. Directions: This option is probably handy if you’ve moved a bit away from where the iPhone is and want to get there again. If the iPhone is already there, it is of no use because the location is too approximate.

Have you activated the geolocation of your device?

It goes without saying that, for it to be possible to geolocate your smart phoneyou must first have activated this function to locate it.

Set the location of your smartphone

The app that locates your device is normally enabled by default. This does not prevent verifying that this is indeed the case.

1. Go to “Settings”, ” Privacy “.
2. If necessary, activate the “Service of location “.
3. Then click on your “Apple ID” (the very first option in Settings). Click on “Find” and activate the option “Find my iPhone”, if it is not already.

Share your location with your loved ones

Another way to find your iPhone is to find a group of friends that you fully trust. Everyone must then install the “Locate Friends by Phone” application. From there, you can create a circle of people who share their respective locations. If you misplace your iPhone, then you need to get in touch with one of them, and they can tell you where your device is.

What to do if your smartphone is stolen?

It is possible that by using any of the solutions given above, you may realize that your iPhone has just been stolen. Normally, the person who will have stolen it will not be able to consult the contents insofar as you have activated the biometric identification. However, it is safer to delete the information from your smartphone as soon as possible, and to lock it. Here are the steps to follow.

1. From another iPhone, iCloud on your computer, or an iPad, sign in to your iCloud account.
2. Open the “Locate” app.
3. All your Apple devices linked to your account then appear on the map.
4. From the “All my devices” menu, select the stolen device, then “Erase the iPhone”, which will reset your mobile and thus prevent the possible exploitation of your data by a third party. Please note: once the deletion is complete, it will no longer be possible to locate the iPhone.
5. Otherwise, you can also from this same menu activate the “Lost Mode”, which will lock it. Whoever took the iPhone will see a message on the home screen allowing them to call you – on another number that you specify. But he won’t be able to call anyone else.

You can also report the loss of the device to the local authorities and provide them with its IMEI identification number (a 15-digit number). Your operator will be required within four days to blacklist the device (add it to a blacklist), which will make it impossible to use the network from this iPhone.

The IMEI number was sent to you when you purchased your device; it is also accessible from “Settings, General, Information” (in the iPhone). Another way to access it is to type on your phone keypad: *#06# and it will show up. Note it well.