If you’re like most smartphone users, your phone is probably more important to you than any other piece of value in your life. Even if you don’t use your phone that often, losing it could feel like a big deal. After all, who wants to waste time looking for a lost cell phone?
Losing your phone can also make it difficult to stay connected with friends and family. Luckily, losing or finding a lost cell phone can be easier than you think. Here are some tips on what to do if your cell phone is lost or stolen so you can get back in touch with the people you care about:
Immediately Turn Off Your Phone
The first thing you should do if you lose your phone is turn off the phone immediately. Turning off the phone will prevent anyone from accessing the phone and accessing your information until the phone can be found. In addition to preventing others from using your phone, turning off your phone will help prevent any service providers from being able to track the phone’s location.
Keeping your phone off will prevent the phone from sending out your location until you manually turn it back on. Turning off your phone will also prevent your phone from draining battery life. Since the phone is searching for the phone, it will be searching for a signal and using up battery life. Turning off your phone will allow it to search for a signal, but it won’t be searching for a signal on its own.
Get A New SIM Card
If your phone is lost or stolen, there’s a chance your carrier will allow you to get a new phone. But first, they may want to see if they can track down your old phone. That’s why it’s important to get a new SIM card as soon as you lose your phone.
With a new SIM card, you can change your phone number and stop using your old phone. Once you have a new phone number, your old phone will stop pinging the towers, so it will be harder for anyone tracking it to get a location. To get a new SIM card, you can go to your carrier’s website, call customer service, or visit a retail location like Best Buy.
When you go to your carrier’s website, look for “order a new phone” or “order service.” Once you’ve ordered a new phone, the carrier will send you a new SIM card so that you can switch to a new phone number.
Show Up at the Scene of the Crime
If you’ve lost your phone and you have the current address of where you last had your phone, it’s important to go to that location.
You can show up at the scene of the crime and look for any clues that could lead you to your phone. If you don’t know where you last had your phone, you can leave a note or search through any bags or items you had with you. You can also ask people you had with you or the people at the location to help you look for clues.
Contact Your Carrier
Once you’ve lost your phone, you should contact your carrier and get a new SIM card. Your carrier may be able to track down your phone based on the GPS data stored in the phone. This can be especially helpful if your phone is lost or stolen.
To get in touch with your carrier, you can call customer service from your phone, call the carrier’s 800 number (if available), or visit a retail location like Best Buy.
Record Video of the Suspect If Possible
Before you contact your carrier, you may want to record a video of the person who stole your phone. Recording a video of the thief could be helpful later if your carrier can’t track down your phone.
If you can’t record video on your phone, you can use a camera phone or video recording app on your computer. Look for apps with long battery life because you may need to keep the app open to record video until the battery dies.
Consider Using a Tracking App
If you’ve tried all of the above but your phone is still missing, consider using a tracking app to help you find your phone. Many phone tracking apps can be set up to send you a text or email when your phone enters a certain area. One great app is Find My Phone. This app can track your phone’s location and send you push notifications when your phone enters a certain area, like a particular street or building.
Conclusion
If you’ve lost your phone, don’t panic. There are plenty of steps you can take to help locate your phone. When you’ve located your phone, get a new SIM card and record a video of the person who stole it so that you can press charges. Using a phone tracking app may also help you find your phone.
Make sure to keep your phone charged and inside a protective case whenever it’s not in your pocket or on your person. Even if you don’t think your phone is that important, losing it could feel like a big hassle. These tips will help you find your phone if it’s lost or stolen, whether it’s your phone or someone else’s.
