You are walking around and you suddenly feel that your pocket where your phone usually sits is empty. You grab your pocket and realize it actually is empty and you start retracing all your steps in your head and checking every other pocket. This is a feeling that everybody hates and makes them start sweating.
That’s why we made a quick guide to try and help you find your lost phone.
1. Backup your data
Before we begin we all know that the most important thing when you lose your phone is that you lose your data. By data we mean your contacts, pictures, videos, account passwords, and a bunch of other useful stuff. So make sure you update your phone’s backup frequently.
If you have already lost your phone, there are ways you can backup your data through Apple’s iCloud service or Android’s Google service.
2. Call your phone
This should always be your first step since you could have just forgotten it at a friend’s place, at home or even somewhere in public where a person could just pick it up, answer and tell you where he found it. Restaurants or fast food diners usually pick up any forgotten phones when they clean the table and keep them safe until someone looks for them.
3. Track the location
With today’s technology, tracking a phone has become much easier. You can use Apple’s Find My iPhone feature or Android’s Google Find My Device. These features use live tracking and even a day after the battery dies.
There are also third-party apps like fonetracker.com that may work even better than Apple’s or Google’s phone tracking feature.
If you find your phone through tracking and you are suspicious it has been stolen by a thief, don’t try to confront the person since he could attack you or run. Report the stolen phone and the person to the police.
4. Losing your phone in transport
If you think you lost your phone in an Uber or Lyft, you may call customer service and ask for the car that drove you. Uber drivers have lost-and-found in their support centers, but they do charge 15 dollars if you want to retrieve the item. The money paid goes straight to the driver which is fair.
If you lose your phone in a regular cab, then try to remember the taxi ID number or check if you still have the receipt. If not try and call the taxi center and tell them the exact location and time you took the ride and they could probably trace which cab it was and contact the driver to check for the phone.
5. Start retracing your steps
You may have lost your phone on the way, whether it fell from your pocket or you sat on a bench, in front of your house or building. If you haven’t traveled a great amount of distance, start backtracking. Retracing your steps means that you need to go through every single thing you did and remember the last time you had your phone with you. Did you take out something out of your pocket to throw in the trash on the way? Did you call someone while you were walking? Where exactly were you when you called? Asking yourself these kinds of questions can help you retrace your steps and you may find your phone.
Make sure to follow these steps thoroughly to try and find your lost phone.
