Losing your phone can be tricky, especially if you can’t track it. And if for some reason your phone is turned off, the task only gets more difficult. But there is nothing to worry about. Here’s everything you need to know about how to find a lost turned off Android phone.
There was a period when finding someone’s location required considerable effort. It’s not as difficult as it used to be. Instead of a government agency, it may be an ordinary person with good computer software and an understanding of modern technology.
Lost your phone and don’t know how to restore it? This blog is for you! We’ve looked at effective ways you can track your phone even if it’s turned off.
Is it possible to find a lost turned off Android phone?
If luck is on your side, your phone is on and has an active connection. You can find out the location of your phone through the Google Find My Device app through a friend’s device.
You will need to open the app and, when prompted, sign in to your Google account. Make sure your account credentials and ID match the one associated with your lost device.
As explained above, you will not be able to track the position of your phone in real time if it is turned off or the battery is dead.
However, the “Send Last Location”option allows you to check your phone’s last location before turning it off. You can also turn on the Notify When Detected feature, which will send you an email when your phone turns back on.
After that, the exhaustive list of devices associated with your account will be shifted. You can click on the missing device and find its location on Google Maps. You can perform various actions with your phone, such as making a call, turning it off, or even erasing data from the device.
I have lost my android phone. What should I do?
If you have lost your phone, you panic and take all possible steps to get it back. However, there are things in this madness that most people forget or don’t know about that will help find your phone.
When you first realize that you’ve lost your phone, it’s very important to take action to evaluate the entire missing device issue.
- When you first discover that your gadget is missing, find the phone and call it to see if you can hear it and track your activities.
- If you don’t hear the phone ring, assume the device’s last known location is further away. As a result, you should use the following strategies to help you find your missing phone.
- If he’s not around, use your phone or computer to block your phone as quickly as possible. It would be helpful if you also put it in Lost Mode or change your passwords and logins to protect your personal information.
Now that we’ve covered the initial steps, let’s see what can help you find your lost phone.
How to find a lost android phone that is turned off?
If you’ve lost your Android device and don’t know what to do next to get it back, here are the top 5 tools/resources to help you out.
- Use the Find My Device feature
- Use Google Maps
- Use IMEI number
- Use the Google Timeline
- Use Google Photos location information
Let’s discuss each of these resources in detail below.
1. Use the Find My Device feature.
While it’s much easier to find your phone when it’s on, there are ways to find it when it’s turned off. The position you will get is the last location of the phone before turning it off. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch the Find My Device app on your friend’s Android phone, or go to android.com/find.
- The program will allow you to track the location of your lost phone using a friend’s device.
- Sign in with your Google account (the one connected to your device).
- Click on the missing device from the list that appears, showing its last position.
Even though it may not sound like much, collecting your device’s last location can be an incredible hook in some circumstances, unless it’s been picked up or stolen.
Advice. All of you should have the Find My Device app installed on your phone.
2. Use Google Maps
Google has many features that allow users to find and retrieve their devices. Google Maps has a timeline that keeps track of where your phone has been. You can find your phone through Google Maps like this:
- Opening Google Maps on a PC or Android device.
- Sign in to your Google account. Do this in incognito mode if you are using a public computer or a computer that other people use frequently.
- Go to Menu.
- Go to the “Timeline”section.
- Enter the date your phone was lost.
- You can watch the movement of your phone on that particular day.
- The timeline also shows the routes that Google Maps last tracked your phone.
3. Use the IMEI number
If you are unable to find your missing mobile phone using the above methods, you are left with only one option: track it down by its IMEI number. However, you will need the help of local police officers to carry out this solution and find the Android phone that is turned off.
The abbreviation IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, a 15-digit unique number assigned to every mobile phone. You can find it on the back of the phone and in its packaging. This number is not affected by the SIM card or network connection. You can use the IMEI number on your smartphone to track it down.
You must file a lost, lost or stolen mobile phone complaint with your local police station. The authorities will then use your device’s IMEI number to track it down and block it through your network operator.
Some apps and software promise to track your cell phone by its IMEI number; however, they are all fake. Only authorities and network providers can use the IMEI number to track a device.
4. Use the Google Timeline
You can use the Google timeline to find your lost turned off Android device. To do this, before turning off, make sure that your device is associated with your Google account and has or had an Internet connection. You should also make sure that location reporting and location history are enabled on your Android device.
If you use this tool to find your lost android, you will use android location data. Let’s say your lost Android is turned off. In this case, you can use the location history data to determine the last recorded location. As a result, you are more likely to find your lost Android.
Follow the steps below to use this tool to locate your missing turned off Android.
- Go to your timeline and make sure the current day is selected in the calendar.
- Alternatively, you can go directly to Google Maps, open the sidebar and select “Timeline”.
- A detailed timeline of that day with the names of all documented sites can be seen on the left sidebar. You can see all sites presented on the map on the right.
Your timeline uses cell tower IDs and Wi-Fi location to get location data. As a result, the accuracy may vary. However, this tool can regularly track your phone’s position over time. Let’s say your phone was stolen. You can use the timeline to find frequently visited places, which could be the thief’s home or office.
5. Use Google Photos Location Information
To the surprise of many users, you can also track a stolen device using Google Photos.
In order to track your phone using this method, you need to make sure of a few things beforehand. Your device must be able to access the Internet, and you must enable the “Backup and Sync”option in Google Photos.
Now, if your thief starts taking pictures of your lost device, you can track it down.
When a device uploads an image to Google Photos, not only is the image uploaded, but important bits of information are also uploaded, such as where the image was taken.
Now when you open your Google Photos, you can select a photo that wasn’t taken by you when you had the device and find the location of the image. Using the last known location will greatly narrow your search down to finding the thief.
How to find a lost cell phone that is turned off with Prey Anti Theft?
You can also use third party software to find your lost turned off Android phone. One of the most effective programs in this regard is Prey Anti Theft. You can track up to 3 devices through one Prey account.
The software collects extensive information about the stolen device. You can access IP addresses, your device’s location on Google Maps, and most importantly, the image taken from your device’s front camera.
You can also activate an alarm on a stolen phone to deter thieves from owning a stolen phone. The alarm clock sounds like a police siren to alert thieves.
Prey commands are independent of the Internet. Instead, they use the phone’s text messaging feature. This is pretty handy as you can track your device and set up tools even if it’s not connected to the internet.
You can also designate a contact that receives SMS when a stolen device’s SIM card is stolen.
Finally, the interface of this software can be disguised to resemble the login page of a video game. This disguise is intended so that a thief can brush off the software as a video game and be less likely to uninstall or uninstall it.
You can easily install the Prey Anti-Theft app from the Google Play Store.
How to use Dropbox to find your lost phone?
Assuming Camera Downloads is set to On, Dropbox can help you recover your lost phone device. The software will link each photo session to Dropbox Cloud to roughly determine where your smartphone is based on its location history.
If you’re traveling or worried about your phone being stolen, using Dropbox to determine its location based on its location data is a smart alternative. When you or the suspected thief takes a picture, it will store it in the cloud and in a real-time location that the app associates with the picture.
However, the other method requires the use of an Internet connection. If you can’t view photos, wait while your phone connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or data connection and check if they appear.
How to find a switched off Samsung phone?
Many app developers have created apps to help consumers find missing phones. Since many of these programs required root access to work properly, they never caught on. While some of these apps are still available, major smartphone manufacturers have created their own tracking websites.
Samsung leads the Android pack with its Find My Mobile service, which offers some valuable options in case your phone is lost or stolen.
Find My Mobile is a service available with a Samsung account on a PC or (other) mobile device. Once registered, customers can locate, remotely backup, and delete data on a connected Galaxy smartphone.
To turn on Find My Phone, follow these instructions on your phone:
- Open settings.
- Scroll down and select Biometrics & Security.
- Select the Find My Phone option (not a toggle yet).
- Set the switch to the “on”position in this menu.
- You can also activate remote unlock and send the latest location.
Make sure you have all Find My Mobile standards in place in case you lose it. Verizon mobile devices do not support Find My Mobile.
If you have lost your phone or tablet, you can use the Find My Mobile feature to track it down.
- Go to findmymobile.samsung.com to track your phone or device.
- Confirm your Samsung login information by selecting “Sign In”. This must be the same Samsung account associated with the phone or tablet. Also, it must be an account that has been designated as a guardian.
- Then press LOGIN.
If the system is turned on and connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, its last known location will be displayed on the map. Additional features include a “Call”feature to find a device near the user, the ability to lock the screen, and help to avoid power outages and display a contact message.
It is important to note that Find My Mobile will only work if the lost smartphone is turned on and connected to the Internet.
As a result, Samsung has a feature that allows users to remotely change power settings to extend the life of lost devices and give users more time to locate them.
Conclusion
These are your alternatives for finding a lost cell phone that has been turned off. The range is limited and it all depends on your luck.
Everything else you will come across online that claims to be trustworthy and uses modern technology to help you track down your misplaced gadget is just a scam. Please don’t waste your time giving them another opportunity.
We hope this information has helped you prepare for or avoid the worst-case scenario. We wish you all the best if you come here looking for your lost phone or other item.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I find my device if someone changed the SIM card?
Even if someone changes your sim card, you will still be able to track your phone with your Google account. You can easily sign in to your Google account on another phone, or use a tracking device to find your phone without a SIM card.
Can I track my lost phone if someone factory reset it?
Yes, your lost Android can be tracked even after factory reset by your phone’s IMEI number. Whether it’s a factory reset or a hard reset, the IMEI number stays the same in different situations. Call the recipient with the given IMEI number and he will display your IMEI on the screen.
Is it possible to find a lost turned off Android phone?
If your phone runs out of power or turns off, there is a chance to track it down. However, in this case, you will most likely get your phone’s last known location instead of real-time data.
Can I track a phone without a data connection?
Yes. Despite no data or Wi-Fi connection, you can still find your phone. You can do this with various mapping applications, most notably GPS, and real-time device location if enabled.