How to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off

Lost your phone and can’t find it anywhere? How to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off? Don’t panic since we have you covered. Learn how you can use the Find My feature on Android and iPhone to find them. See what you should remember while using the feature and what to do if the phone is turned off. Even learn how you can turn off the Find My feature using third-party software. If you want to read more useful articles then check out our page.

If you lost your phone then do not worry since Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone, both offers features to locate lost phones. In the article, we are going to see how we can locate our phone even when it’s switched off. Skip to the section where we are discussing how to locate a phone when it’s switched off.

Can you track a phone if it’s off?

If you are an iPhone user then it is very easy to track even when it’s turned off. Skip to the section where we are discussing how to track an iPhone when it’s turned off. We aren’t going to see the steps in this section.

Even if you are an Android user then also it is possible to track it even if it’s turned off. But there are some things which you should keep in mind. See the Android section to know about it. We are not going to discuss the steps in this section.

How to locate a lost iPhone that is turned off?

If you are using a new iPhone which has iOS 13 or later then you are in luck. Apple introduced the “Find My iPhone” feature which allows you to help find your iPhone even when it’s turned off. But your iPhone should have the Find My iPhone enabled before getting lost since it requires permission. And if it is turned on then the iPhone can be located if there is no WiFi or cellular connection.

We can use any other device to track the lost iPhone with the help of the “Find My” app or the “Find iPhone” feature on iCloud. It allows us to track and locate the iPhone and the steps are easy to follow.

But if your iPhone is switched off then you will not be able to track it in real-time. The only option we have is to use the last known location of the iPhone and turn on alter if it’s turned on. The “Send Last Location” feature provides us with the last known location where your iPhone was turned off. Also, you can turn on the “Notify When Found” feature after which you will get an email when your iPhone is turned on again. Follow the steps mentioned below to turn on “Notify When Found”:

1. Open the “Find My” app on any device and tap on the list of your device name from the list.
2. You can scroll up the tab to see more options.
3. Now from here, you will see the option “Notify When Found”, turn it on.
4. Keep checking your mail as the location can come anytime, remember to check the time of mail.

How to locate a lost Android that is turned off?

We can track Android phones in real-time if it’s still on but if it’s turned off then we only have one option. Also, we need to use the last known location of the device to search for it. We can do both of these things by using the “Find My Device” app. Follow the steps mentioned below to find your phone:

1. Open “Find My Device” or android.com/find on any device where you want to track from.
2. Now you need to sign in with the account your lost Android device had. The account must be connected to the lost device, otherwise, you will not be able to track it.
3. Here you should be able to see the list of devices that are currently logged in with this account. Select the name of your lost device and click on it.
4. Now you should see the option of “Find My Device”, if not then see for more options.

NOTE: You can choose to play a sound on your lost device to locate it in a room. Along with it, you can even erase all your user data from the lost device. This is important if you have any sensitive data on your phone and do not want anyone to find it.

How to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off with Google?

It is possible to see the location history of your phone if you have downloaded the “Find My Device” app on the lost device. Follow the steps mentioned below to see the location of your device:

1. Open the “Find My Device” app on any android device and log in to the account which is logged in on the lost device.
2. Now tap on the menu and you should be able to see the “Your Timeline” option. Tap on it and a new menu should pop up.
3. Enter the date you lost your device in the menu which opened, now you should be able to see location history.

Alternative way:

We can also see the location of the missing devices from the Google browser directly. If you do not have an Android device with you, you can use your laptop to track your device. Follow the steps to see the location of your device:

1. Go to Google or Chrome and search “Find My Phone”, open the first result you see.
2. Now click on “Get started” and sign in with the account you have connected to the lost device.
3. Once you sign in, you will see the list of devices that are connected with that account. Find the lost device from the list and click on it.
4. From here you can see the last known location, you will get other options also to help you with the lost device.

How can I lock my lost phone?

This feature is really important since our smartphones contain sensitive data. We can lock our phones easily with the help of apps provided by Apple and Google. In this section, we are going to see how to lock the phone with the Find My apps.

For iPhone:

We can lock our iPhone remotely from any device even without the need for a password. Follow the steps mentioned below to lock your iPhone:

1. On any device open the Find My iPhone.
2. Now login with your Apple account which is the same as on the lost iPhone.
3. Once logged in, click on the device menu which should be at the top of the window.
4. From here you need to select your lost iPhone and click on “Lost Mode”.
5. Now choose the contact number and click next, here you can type any message which will be seen if anyone finds your iPhone.
6. Once you write the message, click on done.

For Android:

We can lock the lost phone, set up a pattern or PIN or a password with the help of the Find My Phone app. Follow the steps to achieve the same:

1. Open Find My Device on any device and log in with the same account which you have on the lost device.
2. Once you open Find My Phone, choose the menu at the top and click on “Secure Device”.
3. Here you can type any message which you want to the person who finds your phone.
4. Once you write the message, click on Secure Device.

How to turn off find my phone without a password?

In this section, we are going to look at the steps on how to turn off Find My Phone for iPhone. These steps are useful if you are not able to turn off the Find My feature on your device. We have divided the section into two parts, skip to the section which suits you.

NOTE: We are going to use third-party applications in this section. So if you do not wish to use them then stick with the previous sections.

Steps for Windows:

1. First, we need to download the third-party application (AnyUnlock). Click here to download.
2. Once downloaded, install it on your system and open the software.
3. Now connect your iPhone to the system via USB cable and click on “Turn off Find My Phone” in the software.
4. Once you select the option, there will be on-screen instructions about jailbreaking. Follow the instructions mentioned in the on-screen guide and then complete it. Once done click on the “next” button and continue with the on-screen instructions.
   NOTE: If you jailbreak your device, then you will not get security updates, and the warranty on your system will be void.

Also read: iPhone unlocked

5. Now disconnect the iPhone from WiFi and cellular data, then tap on “Start Now”.
6. The process of making your Find My Phone should be in progress, make sure you have a stable internet connection on your system.
7. Follow all the steps carefully which are shown on the screen since they are important for the process to complete. Once the process is completed, the Find My Phone should be turned off. You can disconnect the USB from your iPhone and your system now.
8. Now the Find My Phone is turned off on your iPhone along with the Apple ID which was linked with the iPhone.

NOTE: We here at gossipfunda do not take any responsibility if your device gets damaged while jailbreaking jailbreak. You should go over the potential risks of jailbreaking and what to expect from it.

Steps for Mac computer:

Here we are going to achieve the same but instead of using Windows, we are going to use Apple’s Mac. Follow the steps mentioned below to disable the Find My Phone:

1. First, we need to download the third-party application (AnyUnlock). To download AnyUnlock – iCloud Activation Unlocker, click here to download and wait for it to be downloaded.
2. Once downloaded, install it on your system and open the software. Connect your iPhone with Mac via USB cable or the lightning cable, turn off WiFi and cellular data on the iPhone.
3. Agree to all the terms & conditions, then click on “Confirm”. Now the jailbreaking process should have started, follow all the on-screen instructions carefully.
   NOTE: If you jailbreak your device, then you will not get security updates, and the warranty on your system will be void.
4. Once the downloading for jailbreaking is successful, follow the on-screen instructions for putting your iPhone in DFU mode. Now, wait for jailbreaking to be completed, make sure your Mac has a stable internet connection.
5. Once the process is completed, click on “Turn off now”. The Find My Phone should be turned off now, give any confirmation if needed and click on “Confirm”.
6. After giving confirmation the software will remove Find My iPhone, now you can disconnect the iPhone from the Mac.

Also read: How to root android

Summary

In the article, we learned how to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off & how to use the Find My iPhone and Find My Phone feature provided by Google and Apple. Go through steps carefully and keep in mind that the steps or words can vary. But the new steps will be similar, try using the search feature given on Google’s page.

Along with using the Find My Phone feature, we also saw how we can disable it if we want. But remember that the jail break feature will leave your phone vulnerable to viruses and malware. And the warranty on your device will be voided (no longer covered under warranty). If you want to jailbreak an Android device then it is called “rooting” and there are multiple ways you can do it.