Tip of the Week: Find Your Lost Smartphone With Ease

For an iPhone or Other Apple Product
If your go-to operating system is iOS, the Find My iPhone application can help you if you should find that your device has gone missing. If the device in question is linked to your iCloud account, or has the app installed, you can log into the app from another device to make locating the lost one much easier.

The app allows you to track the movement of your device, as well as lock the device, and send a message to the finder so they may contact you. Just make sure you set up Find My iPhone while you have your device.

For a Device with Android OS
If you can perform a Google search, you can find a misplaced Android device. All you have to do is sign into the same Google account that you use on your device and enter “Find my Phone,” into the search bar. If you’ve connected your Google account to the device, you’ll be able to pull up a small map of the device’s surroundings. You can even ring the device if you’re nearby (and it’s turned on) to help your efforts to find it.

Finding Other Devices
Even if you aren’t an Apple user, and your lost device runs an operating system other than Android, you still have options. One of these options is an app called Prey. Able to be installed on up to three devices, you can use Prey to identify who has your device, assuming they have yet to wipe it. All the device will need is the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and have a camera in order for the app to do its job.

Prey can keep you updated on the status of your device, issuing a new report every 20 minutes. These reports can involve images captured by the device of its surroundings and the person who has it, as well as images of the display itself and notifications of changes made to the device. If you aren’t suspicious of any foul play, you can even send a message to whomever has your device, giving them the ability to contact you directly. On the other hand, you can also lock and/or wipe your device if worse comes to worse.

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