How to Track a Phone When It’s Lost or Stolen

Smartphones contain GPS receivers and transmitters that allow them, both iOS and Android phones, to access real-time navigation and other location-based services. In the BuddyLocator event of loss or theft of your cell phone, you can also activate the GPS tracker remotely in order to actively track a cell phone’s location. This means you can check up on the target device any time that it is powered and connected to a wireless network. Multiple accounts can also be tied together in order to let friends and family keep tabs on each other.

Obviously, the GPS location tracking service will not be able to work if the battery is completely discharged, but the service may be able to log the last known location of the device. Cell phone tracking services have been added to both iOS and Android phones, but the features are slightly different on each. Let’s go over how to track a phone or tablet on both platforms.

Tracking an iPhone
Find My iPhone logo on phone
The Find My iPhone logo shown on an Apple iPhone screen. XanderSt/Shutterstock
Apple tracking is enabled using the “Find My” app, which can be paired with iOS devices such as Apple watches, Mac computers, AirPods and AirTags. The following tracking features are available to iOS:

View Location
Play a Sound
Mark as Lost (Lost Mode)
Remote Erase
Notify When Found
Notify When Left Behind

Tracking an Android Phone
Google Find My Device app on phone
The Google Find My Device app shown on the display of an Android smartphone. Sharaf Maksumov/Shutterstock
Android’s “Find My Device” feature allows users to track a smartphone or tablet, lock it remotely or wipe the device. This can all be done online using the Google account that is paired to the targeted device. Google support outlines the steps to take in order to track Android devices.

To find an Android device, make sure that device:

is signed in to a Google account
has Location turned on
has Find My Device turned on
has power
is connected to mobile data or WiFi
is visible on Google Play

If your device is off or isn’t connected to mobile data or WiFi, you may still find its most recent location if you’ve enabled “Store recent location.”

Once you’ve verified that all these settings are correct, you may begin the tracking process:

On a browser, go to android.com/find, or download the Find My Device app onto a second phone from the Google Play store.
Sign in to your Google account.
The location is approximate and may not be accurate.
If your device can’t be found, you may find its last known location, if available.
Next:

The lost Android phone gets a notification.
On the map, you’ll get info about where the device is.
If you have more than one device: At the top of the sidebar, select the lost device.
If your lost device has more than one user profile, sign in with a Google account that’s on the main or personal profile.
After that, select the course of action you want to take:

If you get a prompt, tap Enable Lock & Erase.
Play sound: Rings your device at full volume for five minutes, even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
Secure device: Locks your device with your PIN or password. If you don’t have a lock, you can set one. To help someone return your device to you, you can add a message or device number to the lock screen.
Erase device: Permanently deletes all data on your device, but may not delete SD cards. After you erase, Find My Device won’t work on the device.