Cyber Security - Find My Lost Phone

Cyber Security

How To Find My Lost Phone

Uh-oh. A missing smartphone can escalate from minor inconvenience to identity and financial risk — if not resolved. How to find your lost phone?


First, there are the obvious places to check: on the charger, buried in a purse, between the couch cushions, in the cup holder of your car. The next step is often to call your phone. But what if the ringer is turned off?


With a little foresight, you can increase your odds of recovery. The major mobile platforms (iPhone and Android) have anti-loss/anti-theft utilities built in to the current versions. These utilities differ slightly by phone.


How to Find My iPhone

Apple iPhones running IOS 7 or higher have an app called Find my iPhone pre-installed and on by default. However, to use this feature, you must activate iCloud on the device using your Apple ID.


Set Up iPhone In Advance


  1. On iOS 7.0 thru 10.2, click on Settings > iCloud and enter your Apple ID (usually the email tied to your Apple account). On iOS 10.3 click on Settings > Your Apple ID/Name at the top of the Settings screen. Then click on iCloud and enter your Apple ID (usually the email tied to your Apple account).
  2. Click on Sign In.
  3. It will ask if you want to allow iCloud to use your location (for “Find My iPhone to work)
  4. It will then ask about the data you want backed up (documents, data, email, photos). Select the data that you want included in each iCloud backup.
  5. The backup will run each night when the phone is plugged into a power charger and connected to Wi-Fi.
  6. You can manually scroll down to the bottom of this screen and choose iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.
  7. After the 1st backup, you can login to and see your data and location of your iPhone.

Find iPhone When Lost

If your phone goes missing, you can launch the Find My iPhone app from any Apple device or from the iCloud website. Login using the same Apple ID as the missing phone and select an action. Additionally, if you previously enabled Location Services on the phone, you will be able to track the device on a map.

  1. Log into the iCloud website and click on the "find iPhone" icon.
  2. Active devices will appear as green dots on the map. To see a specific device, select it from the drop down list of devices, in the center of the menu bar at the top of the page.
  3. If your device is online, you will see the remaining battery life. Plus, options that will assist you with finding and/or securing your missing phone.
  4. Click Play Sound to have your phone emit a loud, steady ping that will help you locate the phone if it is nearby. The phone will play the sound, even if the volume is turned down or the ringer is set to silent.
  5. Click Lost Mode to remotely lock the phone and create a message that will display on the lock screen for whoever finds the device.
  6. Click Erase iphone to erase all personal date from the phone and send you an email confirmation. If the phone is powered down, the data will be automatically erased the next time it is powered on.


How To Find My Android Phone

For the last few versions of the Android operating system, the O/S enables ‘Android Device Manager’ by default. However, you need to complete the following setup, before you lose your phone.


Set Up Android Phone In Advance


  1. Verify that Android Device Manager is on
    1. Open your device's Settings app
    2. Under "Personal," tap Accounts
    3. If there is already a Google account, tap it.
      (If not, you will need to setup a Google account tied to this phone. Start with the link for ‘Add Account’)
    4. Under "Services," tap Security.
    5. Under "Android Device Manager," toggle to ON the following features
      Remotely locate this device
      Allow remote lock and erase
  2. Enable the Android Location Manager
    1. To use Android Device Manager, you need to have Location access turned on.
    2. If you’ve turned Location off, here’s how to turn it back on:
      1. Open your device's Settings app.
      2. Under "Personal," tap Location.
      3. At the top, tap the On/Off switch.
  1. After you turn on Android Device Manager, check to make sure that is working, using the procedure below.


Find Android Phone When Lost

If your android phone goes missing, here are steps to locate the phone. Note: Depending on the version of Android, you may see some slight variation in steps/options.


  1. Open Chrome and login to your Google Account at
  2. Open the Device Manager at
  3. If you have more than one device, click the arrow next to the device name to select a different device.
  4. Android Device Manager will show you the approximate location of the device selected.
  5. From here you can remotely ring, lock, or erase that device. When Android Device Manager interacts with the device, the device will perform the action. To lock the phone:
    1. Select Lock.
    2. In the "Phone number (optional)" field, type a phone number where you can be reached.
    3. Select Lock. A button to call the number you typed will show on the phone's lock screen. Anyone who finds the phone can dial that number from that phone.
    4. To remove the phone number, follow the steps above and delete the phone number.




Phone Security Concerns

While ‘find my phone’ tools can be a lifesaver for phone owners, they can also pose security risks. Since the tools are accessible through the web using only the user ID and account password for your device, anyone who gains access to those could track your location, disable your phone, or erase all your data. Recently, a major iCloud breach has been in the news.


For more information on Cyber Security Risks, Prevention, or Recovery, contact MBSG.