How to Find a Lost Phone: 7 Strategies When It’s Off or On

With the development of technology, it is now easier to track the whereabouts of a lost phone whether it is on or off. If an undesirable situation occurs, such as forgetting to put your cell phone away or being the victim of theft, you can easily track it.

However, it is important to remember personal data such as email accounts and passwords, as well as the IMEI number of your cellphone device to track the location of the cellphone.

Therefore, we have summarized the following methods that you can use to track a lost Android cellphone or iPhone, whether it is off or on.

How to find a lost phone when it is turned off or on

If one day your cellphone is lost and falls into the hands of an irresponsible person, the chances of it being returned are very small.

Therefore, it is important to understand the method of tracking a lost cellphone in order to immediately find out its location. So, follow the explanation on how to track a lost cellphone, whether it is off or on, below.

1. Tracking with Google

  • First, visit the site https://www.google.com/android/find
  • Second, agree to Google to track your cellphone location
  • Third, log in to the Google account listed on your lost cellphone
  • Fourth, if the account is on several cellphone devices, then select the type of cellphone that is lost at the top left.
  • Fifth, if your cellphone has several Google accounts, then make sure you log in to the account that is used as your main profile.
  • Sixth, then, a notification will appear on the cellphone that is missing from Google Play Services. Then, information will appear regarding the cellphone’s location on Google Maps.


Unfortunately, the location of a lost cellphone may not be accurate and is only an approximate location. If you can’t find it, try looking at the last location.

In addition, there is an option to activate built-in features such as Play Sound, which will make the phone ring for 5 minutes without stopping, even if it is on vibrate or silent mode.

The next feature is called Secure Device. Phone owners can lock the device using a PIN, pattern, or password, and send messages or contact numbers to the lock screen. This aims to make it easier for people who find the cellphone to contact the owner.

The next feature that can be used is Erase Device which will permanently delete all data on the cellphone.

However, this method is not capable of deleting data stored on external memory, such as an SD card. Please remember, if detikers activates this option, the Find My Device application function will no longer operate.

2. Tracking via email

  • The first step, log in to the Gmail account registered on your cellphone via the browser application on your PC or laptop.
  • Next, click the three dots icon located at the top right.
  • Select the account connected to the lost phone.
  • Open the Security menu.
  • After that, check the information of devices that have access to your Gmail account.
  • Select the lost device to track it.
  • Click the “More Details” button.
  • Select the “Search Device” option.
  • You will be directed to Google’s Find My Device service.

Although the location may not be accurate, this method can be used to estimate the location of a lost phone.

3. Tracking cellphones when they are off

  • The first step, open the Google Maps application on a PC, laptop or other cellphone device.
  • Next, click the small triangle icon on the right side of the page.
  • Select the “Add Account” or “Add Another Account” option.
  • After that, enter the email address associated with the lost phone.
  • Enter your password and click “I Agree”.
  • Click the small triangle icon in the top left corner of the page.
  • Next, select the “Timeline” option.

Thus, the Google Maps application will start showing the location of your lost phone.

4. Track your cellphone with Find My Device

  • The first step, download the Google Find My Device application on another device.
  • Then, log in to the Gmail account associated with the lost phone.
  • Select the ‘Login as Guest’ option.
  • Enter your email address and password to log in.
  • After successful login, start searching for the location of the lost device and allow location permissions on the device.
  • Click the green icon on the cellphone screen that shows the location, and select Google Maps located in the lower right corner to track the location.

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