Has
your iPhone or iPad been stolen or lost? We’ll help you to locate your
device as quickly and as easily as possible, so that the fright will soon
be over. The key to fixing this mess is the official “Find My iPhone” app. This
app not only works on iOS devices, but also allows you to find your device from
your PC or Mac.
What exactly is “Find My iPhone”?
It’s
Apple’s official solution for tracking down your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch,
or even your Mac. Although it’s called “Find My iPhone”, as you can see, it
is a bit more versatile than that.
“Find
My iPhone” allows you to:
– Locate
your phone or tablet. – Prevent others from using your iPhone, iPad,
or iPod Touch if you have lost it. – Perform a factory reset on your
device, to prevent the information on it from falling into the wrong hands.
Are there any special requirements I need to
meet in order to use this app?
This
first bit is very important: you must have “Find My iPhone” activated on
your lost device. If you don’t have it, we offer alternatives at the end of
this article. You can download “Find
My iPhone” from Softonic with ease, but note that the app comes
preinstalled on newer models.
When
selecting your device, the first thing you’ll see is its location on a map,
providing it is powered on. If the device is nearby, the app can issue a
command to make your iPhone or iPad beep, allowing you or someone else to be
able to find it.
Carefully
examine the iCloud settings: if you want to find your lost iPhone from your PC,
you need to log in to your iCloud.com account. From there you may use the app,
provided you have installed it on the device beforehand.
HOW TO USE “FIND MY IPHONE”?
If
you want to use the app on your iOS device, download it. Remember that it is available on Softonic.
If
you’ll be using it from your Mac or PC, open the page icloud.com/find.
Once
you have confirmed that your device is lost, activate Lost Mode. This
mode blocks the device using a four-digit code, assuming you have set one
previously. What if you don’t have a code? In that case, the app will help you
to create one there and then.
Additionally,
Lost Mode lets you display a message to appear on your iPhone or iPad to
notify anyone who has found your device before you have.
Now there’s one more step to take… but only
if necessary.
Okay,
now that you’ve taken the first measures of preventing others from accessing
your mobile phone or tablet, let us take some more serious steps. First of all,
report the loss or theft of the device to the police. Law enforcement may
ask you for the device’s serial number. You’ll find this on the original box,
and on your receipt in My Support Profile (supportprofile.apple.com)
if you have registered your iPhone or iPad using your Apple ID.
Finally,
erase the data from your device if you really believe that the information is
at risk. But be warned: follow all of the above steps in this tutorial
before wiping the data, because – once you have deleted all the information –
“Find My iPhone” will be disabled. Furthermore, do not take this step if you
know for certain that there is no threat to your data. In order to erase the
information, you must enter your Apple ID password.
WHAT
CAN I DO IF MY PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF?
In
this case, you can at least block and/or erase its contents; both
actions will be executed the next time it connects. What you will not be able
to do is locate it on the map.
What can I do if I haven’t activated “Find My
iPhone” on my lost device?
You
still have a few options which could help:
1. Change
the Apple ID password.
This will prevent someone else from accessing your data on iCloud and other
services.
2.
We also recommend changing the passwords of any accounts which appear in
some form on your device, such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail…
3.
Report the loss or theft of your iPhone or iPad to the police, and inform your
service provider of what happened. This way, they can disable the
connection. If someone has stolen your phone, they will not be able to call,
send text messages, or use data.
If you need additional (and Android)
alternatives…
Here
are four different applications which we recommend to help you locate
your lost device:
– Prey, a comprehensive
anti-theft service – Cerberus,
the best for Android – McAfee
WaveSecure, another comprehensive solution – Norton Anti-Theft,
Symantec’s anti-theft software.
As
if that weren’t enough, here are some additional apps to strengthen the
security of your device, such as:
– AppLock, to block unwanted
apps – Kids Place, for the
security of your children – Secure Wipe,
for permanent deletion – Mobiwol, a useful
firewall.
Will
you be using “Find My iPhone”?
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