Whether your iPhone gets lost or stolen, it does not mean that your iPhone is forever free from your touch. Before you actually lose your beloved iPhone, you better start preparing for the unwanted event. Here is a pretty good set of steps you may follow to be able to easily locate your iPhone once it gets lost or stolen. Know how to track an iPhone.
One of the most useful methods of how to track an iPhone is using the app Find My iPhone. It is the official app launched by Apple for the main purpose of locating a lost iPhone as well as the majority of the other Apple devices. Also, it allows the user the remotely lock the phone and setup a password, or remotely delete its data. The app is free but it requires access to a web-connected computer or another iOS gadget. Also, this app requires iOS 5 or later versions.
The steps on how to track an iPhone mainly consists of two major points: the first is to set your iPhone up, and then to find it. The two are composed of detailed sub steps.
The location services must be enabled in your iPhone because that is fundamental in pinpointing its location. This is found in the settings of the iPhone. Then, you would need to sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID. If you do not have any, you are required to make one. Worry not because an Apple ID account is free of charge. Then, in the iCloud section, you need to turn on the Find My iPhone option. It is also highly recommended that you set up a four-digit password for your iPhone. Once you have done this your device should be ready to go with the Find My Phone app enabled.
The second main step on how to track an iPhone involves the search itself. First, the user must log in to the iCloud website via the Internet. Then, the user should open the Find My iPhone option. Its icon looks like a radar. Once selected, a map will appear with the list of devices located which are all registered by the user with Find My iPhone. The user must then select the device he wants to locate. The app will display the last known location of the device within the past 24 hours. If the map shows that the device is nearby, you may choose to play a sound on the device. If it is truly lost, you may turn on the Lost Mode process, though it is only available on iPhones running on iOS 6 or higher. If the phone is stolen or lost forever, you may erase all the data but be reminded that this option also disables the GPS tracking menu.
Aside from Find My iPhone, there are other apps available that can be utilized on tracking down an iPhone. One is the Device Locator that can be purchased from the App Store. Like Find My iPhone, it is a web-based tracker that lets you log in to an account to track the lost iPhone, make it play a sound, lock it, and a handful of other useful features.
It really is very important that you take the initiative and set this up on your phone, iPad or whatever device you may have. We hear increasing often how the police also use data obtained from Find My Phone to recover stolen goods. A lot of the time it’s not only the phone that is recovered, but other goods that have been stolen at the same time.
