How to track & find my iPhone
Help! Lost or stolen iPhone? Here’s how to track & find it.
When Apple introduced a kill switch on ‘Find my iPhone’ in 2015, it really shook up the pickpocket game – leading to falls in iPhone thefts by 50% in London, 40% in San Francisco and 25% in New York.
But, as criminals get ever more sophisticated and the tools they use get more advanced, high-priced Apple devices are once again on the agenda – and Apple iPhones remain the most likely smartphone to be stolen overall.
As the average person now relies on their Smartphone so much, that they’d pay $500 to get a stolen device back, so it’s pretty important to know how to track and find your iPhone should you fall victim to forgetfulness or theft.
Protecting yourself from the loss or theft of your iPhone
Apple’s ‘Find My iPhone’ is a built-in app on many Apple devices – from iPhones and Macs to iPads. It’s introduction of the remote kill switch certainly put criminals off targeting Apple devices, however there are premium apps out there that offer more features to increase the chances of recovering your iPhone should it be lost or stolen. Let’s compare ‘Find my iPhone’ with HiddenApp – an app used by millions of users worldwide.
It’s pretty clear – the best protection for tracking and finding your iPhone is to switch on ‘Find my iPhone’ AND bulk up your protection with a premium app such as Hidden.
“My house was broken in to one week before Christmas and two laptops were stolen. I received my laptop back after tracking it down and feeding the data to the police.”
- Laura, Melbourne Australia
Sign up for a free trial of HiddenApp
No tracking app? Don’t panic, yet…. This might work
If you’re still logged into your Google+ account on your iPhone, you may want to try this tactic...
- Head over to maps.google.com/location history.
- Make sure your Google+ account is logged in.
- Select today’s date on the Calendar present on the left side.
- View the last reported locations of your iPhone.
- You may also want to check the last time the location data was updated.
- If your iPhone was lost, use the location data to retrieve it. However, if it has been stolen, you may want to consider contacting the police beforehand. If you’ve lost your iPhone, but the location continues to change, consider calling beforehand.
Lost or stolen iPhone – What if you don’t have ‘Find my iPhone’ installed and you’re not logged into your Google+ account?
Unfortunately you won’t be able to track your iPhone without a tracking app or being logged into Google+. In this instance, follow these steps…
- Protect your Apple data and services - Change your Apple ID password.
- Change your passwords for all of the other internet accounts saved on your device. This could include email, banking and social media.
- Report your iPhone as lost or stolen to local law enforcement. When reporting you may be asked for your serial number, which can be found on:
- The product's original packaging - check the barcode for the serial number.
- The ‘Devices’ tab in iTunes preferences.
- The original product receipt or invoice.
- Report your iPhone as lost or stolen to your mobile contract provider – they will be able to block calls, texts, and data use.
HiddenApp – it’s the app that protects your Apple devices, and your privacy.
Using proven technology, Hidden tracks your missing Macbook, iPad or iPhone and collects the evidence needed to get them back. And don’t worry. Your personal information stays locked away, too.
