How to find a lost iPhone

Here are five ways to find a lost iPhone

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• Active Apple ID

• Active mobile number

• Web browser

• Apple Watch (optional)

• Third-party GPS app (optional)

Let’s cut to the chase: losing your iPhone sucks. Misplacing a device that can nowadays cost upwards of four figures is never an easy pill to swallow, especially for those not signed up to anAppleCareplan that covers accidental loss.

The good news, though, is that there are now more ways than ever to find a lost iPhone. So, whether you’ve misplaced one of thebest iPhonesor an older-generation model, one of the below methods may help return your trusty mobile companion to your pocket.

Quick steps for how to find a lost iPhone

There are several ways to find a lost iPhone, five of which we’ve identified below. Read on for a detailed breakdown of each method.

Step-by-step guide

How to find a lost iPhone using Find My iPhone

The most efficient way to track down a lost iPhone is to use Apple’s built-in location-tracking software, Find My. We’ve published a separate guide onhow to use Find My iPhone, but the basics of the service are as follows:

How to find a lost iPhone using an Apple Watch

The most efficient way to track down a lost iPhone is to use Apple’s built-in location-tracking software, Find My. We’ve published a separate guide onhow to use Find My iPhone, but the basics of the service are as follows:

How to find a lost iPhone using Google Maps

Google Maps Timelineshows an estimate of places you may have been and routes you may have taken based on your Location History. If Location Services and Location History are enabled for Google Maps on your lost iPhone, you may be able to use the app to track down your device.

How to find a lost iPhone using GPS

On the App Store, you’ll find several GPS tracking apps that can be used to locate your iPhone should you happen to misplace it. As with Find My, though, you’ll need to have had one of these apps installed on your iPhone prior to losing it.

Each GPS tracking app works slightly differently, but all of them will have an accompanying website that you can access should you lose your iPhone. Once there,sign in using the login credentials you were given– or that you created – in the original GPS app, andfollow the on-screen instructions to track and locate your iPhone.

How to find a lost iPhone the old school way

As the saying goes, sometimes, the old ways are the best. If you think you may have dropped your iPhone in your current location, few methods are more effective than a good old-fashioned ringtone-trigger to reveal where it’s hiding.

Obviously, you’ll need to know your mobile number by heart to give your iPhone a ring, but you don’t necessarily need a friends’ phone to make the call itself. As noted byWikiHow, you can enter your mobile number intoICantFindMyPhone.com, and the site will make a call to your iPhone on your behalf.

Other helpful websites includeLostphone, which claims to be the world’s largest database of reported lost or stolen phones. You’ll need to know your device’s IMEI number to access the database, though, so again, this could be something worth noting down if you’re reading this article with a view to future-proofing yourself against a phone loss.

Useful tips

If you haven’t yet lost your iPhone – or you lost your iPhone and have since found it again – we’d suggest activating the ‘Send Last Location’ toggle in the aforementioned Find My section of its Settings (see above). Once enabled, your iPhone will ping its location toAppleevery time its battery drops below a certain critical level.

On a more pessimistic note, we’d suggest contacting your bank and mobile carrier if you’re without your iPhone for more than a few hours. Unfortunately, these companies won’t be able to locate your lost device, but theywillbe able to limit its call and banking capabilities.

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Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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