For most people, a mobile device is a repository of personal data, personal information and an indispensable device for solving everyday problems. Sometimes, due to forgetfulness and carelessness, the phone is lost or falls into the hands of attackers. In such cases, it is often a pity not so much the lost device, but the files that it contains. If you take appropriate measures and know how to act in this situation, you can find a stolen smartphone by IMEI or another way as soon as possible.
We are looking for a switched off phone
Not always the person who found the phone, seeks to return to its owner. If the gadget was stolen, then the attacker immediately removes the SIM card and disconnects the smartphone. This significantly reduces the ability to search for a mobile device.
Often people ask, can I find a smartphone if it was stolen and turned off? If the cell is not active, it is best to immediately contact the appropriate authorities and write a theft statement. This will require some data. It is necessary to take a check from the store and a box from the device, if they are preserved, as well as a passport. At the police station, talk about the trouble and write a statement indicating the identification data, more precisely, the IMEI code, which is unique for each device.
In the past few years, the number of phone thefts has decreased significantly, due to the affordable price of smartphones, as a rule, theft is more affected by expensive gadgets. Police officers will take measures to find the device, but statistics are such that they are rarely found. If the device is discharged or turned off, but the SIM card remains inside, the provider determines the location of the smartphone and returns it to the owner.
By IMEI
The device’s personal serial number is called IMEI. It is indicated on the box of the mobile device, as well as under the phone’s battery. It consists of 15 numbers, to find it out, you can display the numbers on the display with a special command.
After buying a phone, it is recommended to transfer IMEI to a notebook or a warranty card. If your smartphone is lost, you will need this code to find it. All mobile devices operate on one of the three operating systems that make his PC:
Law enforcement officers send a request to the court for permission to oblige the operator to find the stolen phone on their own by IMEI. Using satellites, the mobile operator can find the stolen device by identifier, this option is available exclusively from the provider. To do this, a court order is required.
Often on the Internet, there are sites offering to find a stolen phone on their own by IMEI, but third-party resources do not have such capabilities. If, after sending the request, a third-party resource asks to make payment, this is a usual deception of money. Information databases on the code are stored exclusively by the mobile operator; they cannot be freely available. Entering IMEI data of a lost phone allows other users to find out if they are buying a stolen device.
By number
According to the local legislation of the Russian Federation, when buying a SIM card, an agreement is necessarily concluded, usually one number is used from the mobile operator. Often people are interested in whether it is possible to find a stolen smartphone if it is turned off by the SIM card number. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find a smartphone by the SIM number. Such capabilities and technological equipment are available exclusively from the mobile operator, but, having made such a request, the company employees will refuse. It is not a human factor, but the high cost of the procedure; at present, it is not among the standard ones and requires technical resources and time costs. Searching for a device makes sense only if it was released in a limited quantity and is expensive.
There are resources on the World Wide Web with offers to find the lost device for free if it was stolen. You should not be fooled by such offers - this is another myth, not one site has such capabilities. As an exception, official web pages from manufacturers of Samsung and Apple devices are highlighted, which attach a personal account to the device and search through their satellite channel (geolocation), if activated.
We are looking for "Android" through the computer
Some portable devices operate on the basis of the Android operating system. There is no charge for it and the OS is in incredible demand. Therefore, developers of different companies strive to create utilities and programs based on this OS. Any owner of a modern mobile phone model can find an “Android” device using a special application. The main nuance is to install such a utility in advance, preferably immediately after the purchase, because after losing or stealing your smartphone it will be too late to think about it. Installation is carried out independently from an official source (Play Market). Below are the most popular of them.
Lost Android. After downloading and installation, the application will ask for administrative rights. To search through this utility, you must have an account in Google, which is attached to the device.
Utility features:
- search for a gadget with a location on the map;
- the ability to lock or unlock the smartphone remotely;
- accessibility to the user for copying, viewing data (for example, contacts, photos or messages);
- screen control, the ability to turn on the drive or vibration mode;
- Receive notification when a SIM card is replaced on a smartphone.
Where`s my droid. This application searches through a specially designed site Commander. It will be necessary to register on it, and then authorize the account through a mobile device.
Next, the user will have the opportunity to select the necessary elements:
- GPS location;
- Receive location notifications when battery power is low
- the ability to send a command to the gadget from the application, after which the phone rings or starts to vibrate;
- setting a special code to protect personal data;
- receiving a notification about a SIM card change;
- enable invisibility mode, in which the gadget hides incoming messages.
Also, Samsung on Android can be found using findmymobile.samsung.com. To carry out the search, the user needs to log in through the Samsung account and follow the steps on the screen.
We find "Android" through the Android Device Manager
Android Device Manager is designed to search for a mobile device through a computer. Immediately it is worth noting that if the gadget was turned off or all the settings were reset to factory settings, then the capabilities of the service are less functional. In any case, it is worth a try if you stole a smartphone. You can find his location in this way by following the step-by-step instructions:
- Follow the remote link www.google.com/android/devicemanager.
- Register or enter a username and password. Then log in to your personal account. After registration, you need to authorize your account via smartphone.
- Then the process takes place in automatic mode, the following information appears in the window that appears: location data, last connection to the network and the ability to call, block, clear.
Thus, you can not only determine the location of the device, but also remotely control it, for example, block it by pressing a single button. You can also clear the smartphone’s memory with all personal data or call the finder or stolen.
IPhone Search
Apple smartphones are equipped with the function of encrypting personal information and the operating system. It follows that hacking or reinstalling the OS will be extremely difficult. Therefore, if an expensive iPhone was lost, the probability of returning it is quite high, provided that appropriate measures are taken in advance.
Finding it will be easier than an Android device. When buying an Apple smartphone, the user always activates the iCloud function. After registration, by default, all available options are enabled. If the owner of the iPhone did not deactivate them, in case of loss or theft it will be easier to find a mobile device.
If such a situation occurs:
- it will be enough to go to the official iCloud.com website, fill in the fields for identification and open the control panel;
- after that, press the “Find iPhone” key and wait a few seconds until the map loads in the browser.
- then it will display the location of the smartphone, if it is turned on.
If the user of the iPhone has installed the fingerprint recognition function, then people who have found or stole the gadget will not be able to use it for their personal purposes. Therefore, there will be only two options for action: throw away an expensive device or return it to the owner. Just like in the situation with Android, the iOS phone is controlled remotely, this can be done using the iCloud service.
Windows Phone Search
There are search options for phones running the Windows operating system. The principle of operation here is the same as in the already described OS. Microsoft has developed a search function for a lost or stolen smartphone in its system. You can find a mobile device on Windows using the “Search phone” function, or Find my phone.
The condition for using it, as in all previous cases, is to create an account on live.com. It is important to note that Microsoft may disable this feature in order to save energy, which means that when it is turned off, it will be impossible to find a mobile device.
To determine the location of the device, you need to go to the official website of the developer and select the smartphone search option. A map will appear on the monitor with an approximate indication of the location of the gadget on it. If we talk about the functionality of remote control Windows Phone, then it is no different from other similar operating systems. In the same way, you can call a mobile phone, block it or erase all personal information.
Subject to the inclusion of all necessary options, go to the step by step instructions:
- go to the developer's site windowsphone.com and log in;
- then in the control panel you need to find the line “find phone” and select it;
- on the map that opens, the last location of the smartphone will be marked;
- the program will offer you a choice: block the device, send a message to it or delete all data.
All these features are provided only if the phone is connected to the network.
Through a Google Account
One of the most affordable search options for a mobile device is through the Google service. As you know, the Android operating system is the property of this company, so all smartphones based on it are combined with the Google system. Moreover, using an account in Google, you can find devices based on iOS or Windows. Again, the main condition is the presence of an account in the system.
Go to the “Accounts” tab in the settings menu, select the “Google” line, and then log in. For all users of devices based on Android of the fifth generation and above, no further action will be needed. The system will automatically redirect to the remote control page. Other devices will need to go to the “Administrators” tab and enable access to the smartphone through the computer. After that, you can perform the following actions from your Google account:
- turn on the signal at full volume, informing about the location of the lost device, if it is in close proximity;
- block the phone and display a message with contact information and a request to return the device for a fee;
- activate the search with a mark on the map announcing the last location of the device;
- completely clear the smartphone’s memory in real time from the computer.
By GPS via computer
Alternatively, you can try to find the stolen smartphone on the “Android” via satellite by phone number. The geolocation system allows through the beacon to establish the location of the object with maximum accuracy. Given an active tracker, the system can easily find a smartphone via GPS. The main problem is that the finder with the same ease can disable this function and the device itself, as a result of which it will be impossible to track the device.
To search for a phone, you need to download a special program that will track the location of the device. After that, a computer logs into your account and monitors the location of the device. The most common tracking apps:
- Live GPS Tracker.
- TrackMe.
- My World GOS Tracker.
The use of Avast to protect
So that in the future, after buying an expensive device, not to wonder how to find the stolen Android smartphone from Samsung, suppose you should think about protecting personal data. This is necessary, because the phone usually stores passwords for bank cards, accounts, personal accounts, etc. Just locking the screen is clearly not enough here. One of the most popular gadget protection programs is Avast. You must download Avast Mobile Security antivirus from an official source and install it.
The following actions:
- Next, the “Settings” tab opens and the item “PIN protection” is checked, and then “Delete protection”. If an unauthorized user finds this program and wants to remove it, he will not succeed until the correct password is entered.
- After that, you need to create an Avast account.
- Next, go to the official page of the antivirus developers and select Create Account Now, enter the email address and password.
Then, in the advanced settings tab, the necessary protective options are selected in case of loss of the gadget. It can be remotely blocked, restrict access to personal information, make loud sounds, tracked by GPS, display the specified message text. Upon completion of the settings, you can be sure of the protection of your mobile device.
In the article, we examined programs that will help to detect the device if it was stolen. How to find a smartphone and what to do in such a situation, we hope, is clear. In conclusion, it will be useful to note that blocking the device with a password, pattern or fingerprint will greatly complicate the access of attackers to personal data, so you should not abuse this elementary type of security. Another important point is access to the Internet. It is good if this function is always activated.