Losing your phone can be stressful, but it does not have to be that way. It is as easy as taking some proactive steps and enabling some features.
Devra Gelman lost her iPhone three times. She said she took the obvious step, but it did not work for her.
“I tried to use find my iPhone app but it was nowhere to be found,” said Gelman.
Even though the Find my iPhone app did not help Devra, Hotspot Shield Security Expert Robert Siciliano still advises taking the extra time to set it up properly and to make sure it works.
“Have it setup on your spouse’s phone or on your computer so you can remotely access it. If you put your phone on lost mode it will send the last location of the device before the battery kicks out,” Siciliano explained.
There are steps you can take to prepare for the inevitable and to make things easier if someone finds your phone.
Before your iPhone is lost, take the time to make a simple tweak to the wallpaper. Siciliano recommends taking a photo of your contact information and use that as your home screen.
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If you cannot do it on your own or do not like how it looks, an inexpensive app called ICE, which stands for "in case of emergency", does the work for you. It makes it easy for anyone who finds your phone find you just by looking at your locked home screen.
Another way to get your iPhone back is through the Apple Health app so be sure to enter your contact information. If someone taps it on your home screen, even if it’s locked, they can get your phone back to you.
Also, be sure to have your contact information up to date on your phone. It helps Siri help the person who finds your phone. All a person has to do is ask “who does this phone belong to” and your contact information reveals.
The process is a little different for Android phones. Android automatically lets you leave a message on your lock screen with your contact information on it by going into settings, security, and then tying into the screen lock message.
Android phones include apps that are similar to Apple’s Find my iPhone app.
