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How To Track a Stolen Phone – Have you ever lost a phone or an important gadget? If you have been in that situation before, you will realize that it can be very frustrating and annoying, even confusing.
At that instance, lots of momentary thoughts flash through your mind. You begin to ask yourself questions like; was it stolen? Did I just misplace it? Or maybe I gave it to someone can’t remember. Sometimes, you comfort yourself by assuming that a friend is trying to play a prank on you. Amidst these thoughts, your curiosity and anxiety begin to rise. You will become more and tenser until you are able to recover the phone.
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The agonizing part is no matter how careful you tend to be with your devices, there is a good chance you may still experience the awful situation of losing it. Whether you had the unlucky experience of running into a skilled pickpocket, or you misplaced it somewhere, somehow.
Sometimes, it is better to prepare ahead before losing your phone. If you are aware that your phone can go missing at any point, you will be in a better position to recover it when it finally does. There are so many ways of recovering a lost phone.
Google Find My Device
This service provided by Google is an effective way to track a stolen phone. It can be used to locate, track, and recover Android devices (smartphone, tablet, smartwatch). But the device must be switched on and connected to the internet. Also, the device must be connected to a Google account
Google Find My Device can be used to pin a lost device’s exact location and the previous places the device has been. It also enables you to lock and secure device, erase device data and ring the device.
Find My Device can be accessed through the official website or by downloading the Find My Device app from Google Play Store.
You can also recover your stolen phone using the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
This is a unique 15-digit number provided for every device. It can be used for many numerous purposes, one of which is to track a stolen/missing phone. You can locate your phone’s IMEI by checking for it on the phone box’s label, or the phone’s battery compartment, or by dialling *#06#. It is important to have your phone’s IMEI handy before losing the device.
The IMEI number of your phone is sent to the network base station by phone each time you use it to access network services like make or receive calls or send SMS. This is why you can easily track the device using the IMEI. The sophisticated hardware required to track a device using its IMEI is mostly used by Law enforcement agencies and network providers.
If your attempts at recovering your lost phone failed, you may want to contact the network provider with your IMEI number so as to block (blacklist) the phone (police report and other documentation may be required). By so doing, the thief won’t be able to use the stolen phone. You can also unlock the phone if it is later recovered.
If you use the Erase Device feature, you will no longer be able to track the phone once it’s erased. Reserve this feature as a last resort.
Useful tips to get you prepared
Try to turn on passcode and fingerprint authentication on your device. You may also not want to use the facial authentication as the technology used for facial recognition on most Android devices can be easily tricked with something as simple as a photo of your face.
Although the task of unlocking with fingerprint or passcode every time you want to use your phone can be inconvenient, it is a less scary evil than the idea of someone having access to your photos, banking apps, email and the rest of your personal info is downright scary.
You can check to ensure Find My Device is enabled on your device by opening the Settings app and going to Security & Location > Find My Device. Alternatively, if your device doesn’t have a Security & Location option, go to Google > Security > Find My Device.