It can happen to many of us that at some point the mobile phone is lost or stolen while it is turned off, which makes the task of finding it even more complicated. Thinking about it, now there are many methods to locate a switched off mobile.
Although searching for a turned off phone is difficult, it is not impossible. You can recover your phone either Android or iOS without the use of applications previously installed on the device.
Here we will explain what are the steps you must follow to track your phone turned off, either on Android or iOS. It is worth mentioning that Samsung brand phones have their own function to fulfill this purpose.
How to locate a switched off mobile
It is very likely that if a thief takes your phone, the next thing they will do is turn it off. These criminals have to do it to avoid being located by means of GPS or the telephone signal.
The first option we have on the table is Find My Device (find my device) to find a mobile turned off. What the system does is give you the last location recorded by the device, which is extremely important when it comes to tracking the mobile.
In order to use this function you must have a Google account, lately with Android phones all users have to create one. You have to access the account from a laptop or PC, in order to get the location. Follow these steps:
- Go to the browser and type in the Google "Find My Device" search engine.
- Enter all the data of your Google account.
- Choose the device you want to find.
- Because the mobile is turned off, the information that will be displayed is about the last location that was captured in the GPS.
This method is used to find a mobile turned off using GPS. If at any time the mobile is turned on, you can see it on the screen to know its location in real time.
Also keep in mind that if the device turns on, you have three options to choose from:
- Lock – This will lock the phone and allow you to choose a new password from your computer.
- Sound reproduction: with this option the mobile will emit a series of sounds for a few minutes even if it is in silent mode or only vibrates.
- Erase: This takes care of erase all the information you have on your device, includes: contacts, messages, videos, photos, apps, etc.
How to locate a turned off Samsung mobile
El Samsung service to find your device turned off, it works the same as the previous version of Google, what changes is that it can only be used on Samsung brand mobiles. To use it, just follow these steps:
- Go to your laptop or computer, open the browser and enter Samsung's “Find My Mobile”.
- Enter your username and the respective account password.
- Then hit the find my device button.
- Once this is done, the last location of your Samsung mobile will appear.
If the device turns on, you can use one of the following actions:
- Play sound: This option will make your device ring for several minutes at its maximum volume.
- Lock: This allows you to change the unlock password or pattern. You can also send a full screen message to the person who has your device.
- Erase: with this you can delete all the information that is stored on your device and leave it factory restored. It is an irreversible action, so it should be used as a last resort.
- Call history: you can also see the last calls that have been made on the phone, it is important information when tracking it.
Most used apps to find a lost or turned off phone
There are other external applications that have been created to make it easy to find your turned off device. They can be used in both Android and iOS operating systems, if they are distributed in the App Store. These applications are the following:
Lookout
This app has the Signal Flare option that will give you the last location of the device, you can also activate the camera and take photos as well as lock the phone and send a message to the person who has it.
Cerberus
This application allows you see the last location of the mobile if it is turned off or on (in the latter case it would show you the coordinates in real time). You can activate the camera and take photos as well as activate the microphone to listen to the voice or any sound emitted by the environment where the device is located.
You can find the application at this link.
Android Lost
With the Lost Android application and the help of the GPS service you will be able to know the last place where your mobile had internet connection, as well as lock the screen, send a message to whoever has it and as a last option, delete all the information on the mobile.
