I. Can I still track the location of a lost phone that is turned off?
The short answer is Yes. The long answer is it depends on your phone, such as what brand it is, how long it has been turned off, and where it was lost. If your phone has been lost for less than 12 hours, and the location is in an area with good public network signals, there are many opportunities to locate it.
Google's Find My Device allows some Android phone users to still view their phones' location after they are turned off for hours. Samsung Galaxy mobile phones will record the location of the phone before it is turned off for users' reference and greatly increase the chance of recovery... Below I will introduce you to various methods to recover a powered-off lost phone.
II. Use “Find My Device” to locate a turned-off Android phone:
Google's Find My Device service allows you to find the location of any Android phone that is bound to a Google account. This function is similar to the Find My service launched by Apple. Both can locate a lost phone or remotely lock and erase phone data.
The difference between the two is that Google's Find My Device can also provide offline positioning functions. That is even if the lost phone is turned off, it can still be located. However, there are limitations. Currently, the offline tracking feature is only available for the Pixel 8 series. The feature is now rolling out in the U.S. and Canada, and Google confirmed to Android Authority that it will roll out globally by the end of 2024.
- How to use “Find My Device”?
1. Get another Android phone and download the Find My Device App on it. Or just visit the official website of Find My Device on the browser directly
2. Log in to your Google account in the App or on the official website
3. Then you can see the lost phone's approximate location information on the app/web interface at this time, and you can find it back based on this location
4. If you have arrived at the reported location but still cannot see the phone, you can find the "Play Sound" button on the app and click it. The device will ring at the highest volume for 5 minutes, helping you better recognize the location of the lost phone
III. Use “SmartThings Find” to track a switched-off Samsung phone:
In addition to Google's Find My Devices feature, Samsung phones are also equipped with the company's own device tracking function, called SmartThings Find. Although Google's offline search function is limited to the Pixel 8, Samsung's mobile search tool can be used offline on almost all of its mid-range and high-end Galaxy devices.
The “Offline Finding” feature of SmartThings Find leverages millions of Samsung community members to help find the last known location of your supported Galaxy device by anonymously detecting your missing devices via Bluetooth. You just need to ensure that you have logged into your Samsung account on your device and enabled this feature beforehand.
- How to use “SmartThings Find”?
1. Get an Android phone and download the SmartThings Find App on it. Or just visit the official website of SmartThings Find on the browser directly
2. Log in to your Samsung account in the App or on the official website
3. Then you can see the lost phone's approximate location information on the app/web interface at this time, and you can find it back based on this location
4. Smart Things Find also provides many other features for your needs, such as "Ring Your Phone", "Lock Your Phone", "Track Phone Location", "Erase Phone Date" and "Extend Battery Life".
IV. Use “Phone Finder” to find any turned-off phone:
Feel like the above two methods are too complicated? The above method is not suitable for your phone type? Why not give Phone Finder a try?
Phone Finder is an online platform that provides one-stop mobile phone tracking solutions. No matter what brand of cell phone it is, whether the mobile phone is turned off or not, Phone Finder can quickly help you find the location of it.
This tool has four modern high-precision positioning technologies built into it. You only need to provide a mobile phone number to the platform, and you can get a detailed report on the location of the lost phone within seconds.
- How to use “Phone Finder”?
1. Enter "www.gps-phone.net/phone-finder" in the link search box of the browser to visit the homepage of Phone Finder
2. Filling in the number of your lost phone (please make sure to select the correct mobile phone area code first) and then click the "Locate" button
3. The system will immediately find the location of the lost phone for you. After successful tracking, provide your email and complete the payment
4. Then you can get into your account interface and see the specific location of the lost phone on a map
V. Try to track your phone with the IMEI number:
If your lost phone has been turned off for more than 48 hours, or your phone has not been activated and is not equipped with a SIM card yet, then the above methods are no longer effective. After all, once your phone is turned off, it will lose its connection to the network. and immediately cease reporting its location.
But there is another way at this time, which is to find the phone with an IMEI number. First of all, try to find out the IMEI code of your phone and provide it to the police. When the police obtain your permission, they will cooperate with the operator of the mobile phone. Once your lost phone is turned on or activated, the operator will immediately obtain its location information and notify you in time. But this method is obviously complicated and usually takes a long time and effort on your part.
- How to get the IMEI number of my phone?
1. Call the number of *#06#:
For most mobile phones, you can get the IMEI number of your phone by dialing a specific code number, which is *#06#. You need to open the phone's dialing interface, enter *#06#, and press the dial button. The phone's IMEI number will be displayed on the screen immediately.
2. Check your phone's Settings:
(1) For Android phone:
Open the Settings app → click the "About Phone" option → in the "About Phone" interface, and find the "Status" or "Device Information" option, where you will find the relevant information about the IMEI code.
(2) For iPhone:
Open the Settings app → click the "General" option → in the "General" interface, and click "About" → after entering, you can view the IMEI code information.
3. Look over the back of your phone or battery compartment:
On some phone models, the IMEI number may be printed somewhere on the back or side of the phone. You can find the IMEI number by looking over the phone's battery surface or SIM card slot.
4. Check the phone packaging box or warranty card:
The IMEI number of the mobile phone is also usually printed on the phone packaging box or warranty card. If you still have the original box or related documents of your phone, you may try to look for the IMEI number in it. This method is suitable for situations where you have lost your phone but did not record the IMEI number in advance.
5. Use a third-party IMEI number checking service:
If the phone has been lost and the original packaging box or invoice is not retained, you can also try a third-party IMEI number query platform. For example, TrackMobi allows users to check the IMEI number of the bound mobile phone with only the phone number.
