Find a Lost or Stolen Cell Phone

Help, I Lost My Phone!

Losing a mobile phone can be a very big deal. Setting aside the fact that smartphones can cost several hundred dollars, your phone and the apps you have installed may give a thief access to all of your contacts, your email, your bank account and perhaps work-related confidential data. While there is no sure-fire way to recover a lost or stolen phone, here are a few tricks you can try.

Several carriers offer subscription services that will display the location of your phone(s) on a map. You have to sign up for these services before you lose a phone, because the activation process involves changing some settings or responding to a text message on the phone(s) you wish to enroll. Prices range from $5 to $10, allowing you to track two to five phones. Verizon calls it Mobile Recovery, AT&T offers FamilyMap, and Sprint has the Family Locator service.

You should know up front that if your phone is turned off, or the battery has died, your chances of recovery are slim to none. Your phone must also be able to receive both cellular and GPS signals, in order for these phone locator services to work. (If you're sure your phone is gone for good, skip ahead to "What if I Can't Retrieve My Stolen Phone?" section below.) But as long as the phone is on and within reach of a signal, there is hope.

Lost Phone Recovery Apps

If you have an Apple iPhone, you can access the "Find My iPhone" app via a Web browser. Find My iPhone will display the current location of your iPhone on a Google Map (and optionally lock or wipe data), if the phone is turned on. If you can't find the iPhone, you can use Find My iPhone to disable it remotely the next time the phone connects to the cellular network. Find My iPhone was originally part of Apple's paid MobileMe service, but it's now part of the free iCloud service.

Another alternative is the $3.99/year iHound locator service. The iOS version works with iPhones, iPads, iPods, and iPod Touches. It tracks your device's location. You can push a command to a device that sounds a siren alarm. There's also an Android version that costs the same and does even more. You can send commands to disable the Android phone, and even wipe all of your data from the phone remotely.

GadgetTrak Mobile Security is a $19.95/year service for Android, Blackberry, and iOS devices. It does tracking; sounds an alarm on a stolen phone; backs up phone data to a remote server; and wipes a phone upon receipt of a special SMS message. Lookout Mobile is a similar service that offers location services, remote wipe/lock, backup and anti-malware protection for $29.99/year.

Pintail is a free app for Android phones that can help to find a lost or stolen phone. Once the app is installed, you can borrow a friend's phone and send your phone a text message with a PIN code. Pintail will use GPS services to locate the lost phone, and then send a text reply containing the phone's physical location and a link to Google Maps. Pintail can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

Another free option for lost phones, laptops and tablets is Prey, a tiny software agent that silently waits for a remote signal via the Internet or text message. When Prey activates, it will gather info on the location and status of your device, and optionally trigger certain actions on it. You can remotely sound a loud alarm, snap a picture, lock down the device, or monitor what the stolen phone is doing online.

Even if you don't have any locator apps or services pre-installed on your phone, you can still try some old-school tricks to recover a lost or stolen phone. Call the phone right away, using another phone. If you're lucky, your phone will ring and you will hear it under the sofa cushion. Or some good Samaritan may answer and agree to return your phone, especially if you promise a nice reward. Texting a plea for the phone's return, along with a financial incentive, is another tactic you can try.

If someone does find your phone, make it simple for them to contact you. Write an alternate phone number on a sticker attached to your phone. Enter your alternate or home phone number in your phone's address book. If you decide to meet up with someone offering to return your phone, be sure to meet in a very public place, and don't come alone.

What if I Can't Retrieve My Stolen Phone?

If all attempts to find a lost or stolen phone are fruitless, ask your carrier to disable the device, so you won't be liable for any misuse. Fortunately there is some good news on this front. The FCC, in cooperation with four of the major wireless carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint) has established a database for stolen cell phones. Users can contact their carrier to report a stolen phone, and prevent it from being reactivated.

Phone thieves formerly would pop out the SIM card and replace it with a new one, enabling them to sell the stolen phones. But this database uses the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, which is encoded in the hardware and uniquely identifies a mobile phone. This won't help you recover a stolen phone, but it will allow you to quickly cancel service. More importantly, it should also create a negative incentive for people to steal them in the first place.

Do you have other tips to find a lost phone? Post your comment or question below...