track stolen phone that is turned off

How to Locate a Lost Cell Phone that Is Turned Off: A Step-by-Step Guide

Your phone has been misplaced or stolen? Cell phones are essential devices used by nearly everyone in this world. Losing your mobile phone can be a real nightmare, especially when you lose it and it turns off.

To locate a lost cell phone that is turned off is pretty straightforward. The in-built and downloadable apps accurately locate an iPhone or Android device or help in erasing content to avoid misuse by the thief.

Want to know more? Keep reading! 👇

How to Find a Lost Phone: Immediate Actions

The best thing you can do is to use an instant-working app to track the location. The best, cheapest, and most efficient app for the job is Scannero.io. It only costs $0.99, and you only need to type in a phone number, and the app will locate your lost phone anywhere on the planet.

Scannero spy app

If you lose your phone, the next thing you should do is ask somebody to call you. If your phone is not too far, you may hear it ring nearby.

The logical thing to do once you notice the loss is to change the password to your Google account and your lock screens. Ensure that no one gets illegal access to your data.

Other devices that share the same credentials stay connected as well. The villain who stole your device may click the sign-in button to see your documents or break the code of other default access apps or personal photos.

To find your lost phone, your mobile has to be available for monitoring. Once you reset all settings to factory options, some apps and online tools won’t be able to detect it on a map.

Use KidsGuard

KidsGuard is a phone finder app that helps you track the lost device’s location 24/7 on a map, even if the GPS tracker is completely turned off.

KidsGuard spy app

Instead of GPS, KidsGuard uses Wi-Fi connection networks to track your target’s phone in secret.

You’ll get real-time location and detailed reports on location history by quickly accessing the app’s control panel.

The phone’s whereabouts are displayed as blue dots on the map. If they turn red – the device has been there repeatedly.

Pros

  • Top-notch 24/7 phone finder app
  • Compatible both on Android and iPhone
  • You’ll locate the device in a matter of minutes
  • You can see any activities performed on the device

Cons

  • Requires payment

How to Track a Lost Android Phone for Free

To track a lost Android phone totally for free, you’ll need the IMEI code. This IMEI code is a 15-digit unique code provided by GSMA and acts as an identity certificate for your phone.

You can use the IMEI tracker with the police or your cellular provider. Learn more about IMEI trackers in this article.

Use Find My Device

If you want to find your lost Android phone, one of the easiest ways is using Google’s Find My Device.

It is a service offered as part of the Google Play Protect. You can use Find My Device to track any lost Android device, including phones, tablets, or watches.

You will need the Google account linked to your lost Android to locate your phone.

Follow these steps to find your lost Android device fast:

Step 1: To find your phone, head to https://android.com/find.

track lost android that is turned off

Step 2: Sign in to Find My Device using your Google account.

Step 3: Choose your lost Android phone from the list.

track lost android that is turned off

Once done, you can remotely locate, lock, or erase your Android device.

You can also use it to leave a message and contact number on the screen.

Pros

  • Features indoor maps of larger buildings
  • You can see the last known location
  • You’ll locate the device even when it is turned off

Cons

  • It works only when WIFI or cellular data is active

It is important to note that Find My Device will locate your phone on Google Maps.

Use Find My Mobile

The users of a Samsung device find even more help locating a lost phone. Find My Mobile is an exclusive app for Samsung devices.

The Find My Mobile lost phone app will also help you unlock your phone even if you entered the wrong pin too many times. Many people never bother creating a Samsung ID when they buy a device, but it can be very beneficial.

 If there is Internet connectivity, the Samsung account is set up, and the ‘send last location’ option is enabled, the ‘Find My Mobile’ option can be used to locate your lost Samsung phone. 

The steps to find your phone are as follows:

Step 1: Go to Find My Mobile in a browser and sign in to your Samsung account.

locate my samsung device

Step 2:  Choose your lost device and click Locate my device.

Pros

  • It will locate your lost phone on Google Maps
  • It can show the last location

Cons

  • You’ll need your credentials to the Google account to get synced to all data

Use Prey-Anti Theft

The Prey Anti Theft app is an easy method of securing a lost cell phone. A single download that protects up to 3 devices.

Prey Anti theft

It works through a simple interface that triggers an alarm on the missing phone. Besides, you can remotely lock the device or capture screenshots of actions happening on the phone. 

The Prey Account is free to download and fully loaded with premium features. Simple-to-understand tutorials accompany each download. It doesn’t require an IMEI number to run.

Pros

  • It unifies and monitors your whole fleet seamlessly
  • It adds an extra layer of data privacy compliance
  • It is totally free

Cons

  • You need to have it installed previously on your device before any situations might occur

Can You Track an iPhone if It Is Turned Off?

Usually, when a phone is missing or stolen, it gets turned off or runs out of battery. You can track its last known location, but you must be fast.

The trick is to track the last known location before it is too late.  The iPhone’s last location will be available for just one day. After 24 hours, it will stop showing the previous location on Find My iPhone. 

If the lost iPhone is switched off, you can still activate Lost Mode or erase its data remotely with Find My iPhone.

Use Phone Finder for Apple

Find My iPhone is a phone finder for Apple that finds a lost iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod touch, Mac, or set of AirPods.

You can also enable the Activation Lock. This feature will stop anyone else from using your device.

It will show you the location on the map. If you want to use it, you will have to enable this feature on your device in advance (Apple ID > Find My > Find My iPhone) and activate all three options there:

Apple lets you quickly locate your lost mobile device without an actual tracking app.

The steps are:

Step 1: Log in to your iCloud account and then click the Find My iPhone option.

track lost iphone that is turned off

Step 2: Click the All Devices option from the drop-down.

track lost iphone that is turned off

Step 3: Choose the lost device.

track lost iphone that is turned off

Pros

  • It will provide you with the last location on a map
  • It is totally free

Cons

  • It requires iCloud credentials
  • It won’t be able to share real-time data once the app is going to be off

Use Apple Watch

Buying a new iPhone is costly, and you won’t want to lose the one you got. The good thing is that Apple devices have a tracking service named Find-My-iPhone. The phone checks the location to find a lost device accurately.

Find-My-iPhone works on all iPhone series that came before the iOS 13. Another technique of locating your iPhone is by using the Apple Watch.

Step 1: Go to the control center on the watch’s screen.

Step 2: Hit the button that resembles the calling icon.

Step 3: Stay alert for pings coming from your iPhone.

find iphone with the help of apple watch

Step 4: If the ping snoozes, tap the icon to activate it and continue the search until you find it.

Pros

  • It will provide you with the last location on a map

Cons

  • It won’t be able to share real-time data once the app is going to be off

Use Google Maps

You must have the ‘Location History’ and ‘Location Reporting’ options enabled and have your Android device linked to your Google account.

Step 1: Firstly, visit https://www.google.com/maps/timeline?authuser=0- to view your current Google account timeline.

Step 2:  Choose the present day in the calendar app.

Step 3:  You can see the time and location history where the mobile device was last operated.

Pros

  • It is totally free

Cons

  • You will be able to see only the last location on Google Maps

How to Locate Your Lost Phone That Is Turned Off Online

Dropbox

Dropbox’s service can help you with locating the stolen mobile device. You need the Dropbox application on your phone with the ‘Camera Upload’ feature.

Whenever the thief clicks a picture, it automatically gets uploaded to your ‘Camera Uploads’ folder. These pictures might be of help in determining some clues regarding your stolen mobile device.

Google Photos

This option may work if you enable backup and synchronization in Google Photos.

All the new photos taken with your stolen mobile will appear in your Google account and the names of the places they were made. You can most likely spot the thief’s home address.

Conclusion

Losing a cell phone can be a stressful and frustrating experience, but it is always better to be prepared for such situations. The ability to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off can save you time and money and even prevent sensitive information from being accessed by the wrong person.

The methods discussed in this article can help you locate your lost cell phone even if it is turned off. Still, it is always recommended to take preventive measures, such as setting up tracking apps or keeping a record of important information, to minimize the risk of losing your phone in the first place.

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9 Comments

  1. I have lost my phone and the phone has died. My location is not on, so how do I find my phone? I can’t access my email, because I have no way to get to it unless I go to a friends house.

    1. You can try using Find my iPhone or Find my Android, it’ll show it last position when it was turned on.

  2. I have left my phone in the uber and the uber driver isn’t calling but find my phone says it’s in my house when it’s not, what do you think I should do?

  3. My husband was working on lady’s yard & forgot his cellphone, when we tried calling his cellphone it kept going to his voicemail, how can we find it if it won’t ring nor be able to see it?

  4. Thank god! i found my phone, its very devastating that my phone was lost and stuck too, i have been seeking help but no one could do it, so i search and found this website. Thank you thank you
    !

  5. I wasn’t sure if I had lost or misplaced an extra phone I have. I take it everywhere.
    I’ve been trying to find where my last location of the phone so I could atleast start looking around there but my location history isn’t showing up, of course it’s only for that one phone. My other phones allow me to see and search there history.
    I’m afraid that makes me think it was stolen or could that mean it’s dead? I’ve been wracking my brains trying to research and find this answer as well as any clues as to see how else I could find my location history, if there’s any help I’d be extremely grateful. Thanks so very much.

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