Find lost iPhone with Find My iPhone
If you want to find out how to find lost iPhone with minimal effort and without downloading any kind of software on your phone, the best thing you can do is rely on the service. Find my iPhone of Apple.
You may not have noticed it yet, but your “iPhone by default” includes a free function that allows you to track it on a map in case of loss using any PC connected to the Internet. To verify that the service is active and to find out how to use it, read the instructions below.
Preliminary operation
To check that the location service is active, access the home screen of the device, press on Settings (l'icona a forma di gear) then select the first you don't know and then the voice iCloud. If you are using an iOS version earlier than 10.3, you can press directly on iCloud without selecting your name first.
Then stop on the item Find my iPhone present in the menu that is shown to you and make sure that the lever relative to the option Find my iPhone in the newly opened screen is set to ON. If this is not the case and therefore in the event that the service is deactivated, fix it immediately by pressing the relative switch.
Use Find My iPhone
When the Find My iPhone service is active, you can find your iPhone on an interactive map at any time using any computer (Windows, Mac or Linux that is) connected to the Internet. In fact, just connect to the iCloud website, type in the username and password related to your Apple ID and press the button in the shape of arrow located on the right.
If you have enabled two-factor authentication on your account, then enter the code that was sent to you via SMS or that you can view on another of your devices connected to the account. If this is your first time connecting to iCloud.com you will also need the language and time zone.
Now click on the icon of Find iPhone (if requested, re-type the password relating to your Apple ID) and wait a few moments for the map to be shown with the geographical position indicated above, using a special green indicator, your iPhone and any other Apple devices associated with your account.
To find the lost iPhone, simply click on the item All devices present at the top, select your iPhone name (eg. iPhone in ) from the list and specify which operation you want to perform from the menu at the top right. Based on your real needs, you can choose from the following options.
- Make sound - To make your iPhone emit a sound so you can easily identify it if it is nearby.
- Lost mode - The device will show a contact phone number on the lock screen.
- Initialize the iPhone - Allows you to delete all data on the iPhone in order to prevent other unauthorized parties from accessing it (later the iPhone can no longer be traced via Find my iPhone).
When you don't have a computer at hand and you are on the go, you can also find your lost iPhone using another Apple device (yours or a friend's). In fact, the Find my iPhone app is available for iPhone and iPad which allows you to track and remotely control iPhones, just as we saw before with the iCloud web panel.
However, keep in mind that, regardless of whether you choose to use Find my iPhone from a computer or from another Apple device, in order to detect the location of the lost iPhone, it is essential that the Internet connection is enabled on the latter ( Wi-Fi or 3G / 4G that is). Otherwise, you will not be able to locate the device on the map.
Find lost iPhone with Prey
If for one reason or another you do not want to use the service Find my iPhone Apple, you can turn to Prey. It is a free application that allows you to locate your lost smartphone (but also other devices) remotely through detailed reports distributed at regular intervals via email.
To use it, after downloading it from theApp Store, start it and create your free account on the Prey network by pressing the button Sign Up. Then fill out the form that is proposed to you by typing the username you want to use, your e-mail address and the password you want to associate with the account and press the button Create my New account but I will complete the operation.
Then press on Allow to allow the app to access your location data, then click OK to allow Prey to access the camera and to finish up again Allow to enable receiving notifications.
Stop now on the button OK visible on the screen and Prey will start monitoring your "iPhone by" allowing you to track it from the computer or other device on which you have installed Prey (the app is available for Android, Mac, Windows, Ubuntu and Linux) every time desires.
As for the use from the Web, to track your iPhone with Prey, you must connect to the Web panel of the service, click on the button Login present at the top right and log in with the data you chose during registration. Once logged in, click on the name of your phone (eg. iPhone in ) from the list on the left and click the button Set device to missing. In this way, Prey will understand that your iPhone has been lost and will send you a report via email every 25 minutes (the time interval you can change via the appropriate drop-down menu) with the status of the device, its geographical position and a photo taken by the front camera of the smartphone (to understand where it is or who took it).
You can adjust the type of information to include in Prey reports by clicking on the tab Settings on the left and view all the reports sent by the app in the appropriate section of the site.
If you think it is more appropriate, as an alternative to the function just indicated you can use the controls on the right to make your iPhone emit a sound, thus allowing you to identify it in the place where you have lost it more easily (Send alarm) or to make a message appear on the device display so that in case of discovery by third parties they can know what to do (send message).
I remind you that the free version of Prey supports a maximum of three smartphones per account and no more than 9 reports per phone (the older ones are automatically deleted). To add a greater number of devices and to take advantage of some additional features, you need to subscribe to a paid plan.
What to do in case of theft
You hadn't enabled either of the two aforementioned solutions and now that you've lost (or been stolen) your iPhone, you don't know how to do it? Given the circumstances, I suggest you take advantage of the code IMEI associated with the device. It is a code (acronym for International Mobile Equipment Identity) consisting of 15 digits that allows you to uniquely identify mobile phones. Thanks to this code you can let your telephone operator know that you have lost your device or that it has been stolen in such a way as to allow the operator to block SIMs and smartphones in order to prevent unauthorized third parties from using it.
You can find the IMEI code of your iPhone by taking a look at the sales package of the same or by calling your operator's customer service (in this case you will have to provide all your requested data and information relating to some of the numbers you call most often). To learn more, I suggest you consult my tutorial on how to check IMEI.
After finding the IMEI code, go to the nearest police station to you and state your intention to stick out complaint for theft or loss of the device. You will get documentation to match the phone lock request that you will need to send to your carrier.
Then contact your mobile operator again and request the block iPhone so that it is virtually impossible for other people to use your card. The manager will therefore provide you with a special form (by "traditional" post, by mail or by hand, by going to one of his shops) which you will have to fill in and send to the operator by fax or post.
In the first case, you can find the appropriate form by proceeding as indicated below, while in the second case, that is to say if you choose to go to a sales point of your operator, you will need to provide the IMEI code of the device and your identity card to the clerk you will find yourself talking to in the store.
- If your manager is TIM - Click here to find the form for rechargeable customers or here for the one for subscription customers. The form must then be sent to the address TIM Customer Service P.O.Box 555 00054 - FIUMICINO RM. If you prefer, you can alternatively fill out the form for rechargeable customers or for subscription customers directly online.
- If your carrier is Vodafone - click here to find the form for rechargeable and subscription customers. The form must then be sent by fax to the number 800.034.651.
- If your manager is Wind - Click here to find the form for rechargeable or subscription customers. The form must then be sent to the address Wind Tre SpA - Post office box n. 14155 - Milan Post Office 65 - 20152 MILAN MI.
- If your carrier is 3 cities- Click here to find the form for rechargeable or subscription customers. The form must then be delivered by fax to the number 800.179.700.
