As mobile phones continue to become integral in our day-to-day lives, whether it is a boon or a curse, many have reportedly lost their mobile phones in one way or another.
You may have misplaced your smart phone or (worse yet) have it stolen, but there is still hope that you can retrieve it if you decide to track it down.
Well, there’s a solution to this problem. Keep reading this article and find out how you can retrieve your phone in future.
What is phone tracking system?
In layman’s term, phone tracking is, knowing your phones exact location. This is done by a phone tracking system, which helps the user to know the location of the phone.
How does it work?
The device emits a signal which is captured by the nearest mobile tower, which later is stored in the company’s database. This is the basic and common process of tracking a phone. But for this, a phone needs to be turned on so that it is able to emit radio signals.
Apart from this, cell phones can now be tracked with the help of GPS (Global Positioning System) too, which requires installation of third-party apps in the device.
Ways to Track Your Lost Phone
1. Use IMEI number to track your phone
Tracking a phone using International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is an easy and most preferable way to recover a lost phone.
Each phone has a unique fifteen digit IMEI number, therefore, even when the thief changes the SIM card, the IMEI number cannot be altered.
Your lost phone must have its location services activated and have internet access to use this method.
For this reason, it is commendable to keep your location services activated.
Below is a prologue on how you can track your phone using IMEI number.
a.) Navigate to the device setting, be sure to enable the location services
b.) Enable internet access on mobile data or Wi-Fi.
c.)Follow instructions to access google device control panel where you can ring the phone, lock the phone, or even erase it on prompt according to your preference.
d.) Once logged in, reach your device using IMEI. Interestingly, the page will display a map denoting the location of the phone or its whereabouts.
Note: It is wise to make a noble decision to erase, lock or wipe your device depending on security and probability of retrieving your device.
If the device is unavailable, it will proceed with the safety when it is ready to.
Here is a Youtube clip to guide you:
It is best to keep a record of your phone IMEI for easy retrieval when misplaced.
IMEI number comes branded on the phone and casing.
Alternatively, you can fetch the IMEI number by dialing *#06#.
2. Track phone number location
Finding your phone location by number is becoming more fashionable than the above criteria.
The method reliably grants immediate results on the phone GPS and IMEI.
Applications such as Locate My Phone and GPS Phone are helpful here.
These applications track down the phone without the consent of the thief, sealing any suspicious loopholes that can alarm them.
3. Built-in solutions
Some device manufacturers include inbuilt security features to help phone owners retrieve their phone, or at least secure their information once lost.
Some devices have cell tracking platforms with provisional locking and wiping options among others.
How to Track a lost switched off phone:
It is a little technical to track a lost phone that is switched off.
However, recent technological revolutions have made it possible to track a lost phone that is switched off.
Technological spying capabilities have strenuously expanded leaving little revealed on how to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off.
4. Third-Party Solutions - Theft precautionary measures
a.) Find my phone
Find my phone is the most recent feature unleashed by Google to help their client stay safe and theft free.
This product came after the company developed My Account service.
My Account is a robust system that let Google users access all their information centrally.
Find My Phone was specially designed to help people recover their lost phones using google metrics.
Apparently, Google and iPhone are the leading companies spearheading the technology behind phone tracking.
Find my phone is an essential feature with far-reaching potential to end cases of stolen phones, or at least minimize them for most parts.
Find my phone is an iconic feature embedded in My Account accessible with ease.
Google voice service is set to incorporate all the devices associated with your account or have recently accessed Google servers using your mail.
Interestingly, Find My Phone enables account owners to choose between locking the device, wiping it, calling it, or even locking it when necessary.
This feature resembles the services offered by Anti-theft, commonly identified with android devices.
b.) Android device manager
Find My Phone is one of the embattled means of tracking a phone using Android Device Manager service.
The service is simple and explicitly explains how to find a lost tablet and phone using responsive buttons.
It is arguable that Find My Phone is a more adaptable version of Android Device Manager service.
Phone users are expected to download and install the android device manager on their devices for security reasons.
As such tracking is relatively tricky to do, Google was prompted to design Find My Phone to add user convenience.
Some phone manufacturers do not include ADM making it almost impossible for novice tech users to benefits from such a spectacular security product.
Find My Phone and Android Device Manager are two parallel programs used interchangeably without compromise.
These solutions are deemed beneficial in helping people track down stolen, lost or misplaced devices.
Google Play Store is one of the leading hubs for anti-theft applications rated as the third party.
Most of the apps now available enable a user to track a lost phone using IMEI number.
There are several favorite applications you can use for this purpose. Acquainting oneself with sufficient knowledge on how to follow a lost android phone beforehand is desirable.
For my case, I prefer to use Cerberus, one of the costly third-party security application.
When installed, the app captures photos of anyone who gain unauthorized access to your device.
All these security details are regularly uploaded to your email making it easier for the phone owner to learn of its whereabouts.
Another exciting feature that comes loaded with Cerberus is a catchphrase uniquely created to trigger a pre-specified action which includes locking, wiping, and initiating an alarming shrill ring.
