How To Track or Find Stolen iPhone or iPad Without FindMyiPhone App

Losing an iPhone or iPad device can be very heartbreaking, whether or not you’re made of money. Apart from the fact that your device costs a lot of money, it’s also difficult to recover the information and data stored in it. Not to mention, it may fall onto the hands of someone with fraudulent intentions. This makes you paranoid with the idea, especially if you rely on using your iPhone frequently.

If these things make you worry about the condition of your device, it’s important to know there’s a way you can track down your iPhone or iPad. You can even lock your phone or wipe away its data. Here are some of your options:

How To Track or Find iPhone Using iCloud

You can now use iCloud to track and find your device. However, it’s important that you have already activated the “Find My iPhone/iPad/Mac” app when you set up your device. If you have not done so, this option will not work for you.

The app can be downloaded from the App Store. Once you’ve set up your device on the app, you no longer need to use it to track your device when it gets lost or stolen. Since the Find My iPhone app is a cloud-based service offered by Apple, you no longer need to have the app installed on your device. If you have the app installed on another Apple device, you can use it to locate your missing phone. But if you don’t, you simply need to use a browser and Apple ID login credentials.

Another advantage of activating this feature is that you don’t have to worry about someone else disconnecting your device from iCloud, erasing your device, or switching off Find My iPhone. If your missing device is running on iOS 7 or a later version, it already comes with a security feature called Activation Lock; preventing other people from doing such things without the right Apple ID password.

To locate your missing device using the app, you’ll have to do these things:

Start “Find My iPhone” by logging into iCloud.

Open icloud.com on a browser and login with your credentials. This will take you to your iCloud dashboard. Look for the “Find My iPhone” icon. Once you’ve opened this, it will lead you to the interface with a map on your screen.

Pick your missing device to start tracking it.

On the screen, you’ll need to pick your missing device from the drop-down menu on the top bar. This will commence tracking of your Apple product. If it is successful, you’ll be able to see where your device is on the map. Using this, you have access to certain functions on your device such as activate a “Lost Mode”, trigger an acoustic signal, and even erasing all data.

You have to remember that erasing data on your device should be your last option. If you tap on this, Find My iPhone will no longer work on your device. If you choose Lost Mode, your device will be remotely locked and will require a password. The screen will display a custom message you have created along with a phone number so that the person who picked up your device may be able to return it to you. If location services is deactivated on your device, entering Lost Mode can enable this for you. As long as your device stays on Lost Mode, it will stay enabled too.  

Using this, you can already track your missing device. Your missing device needs to be switched on and hooked to the internet so it continues to track its location. Otherwise, Find My iPhone would not be able to work. The next time your device connects to the internet, Apple can notify you that it is online so you won’t have to keep checking iCloud for any progress all the time. The only thing left to do is to pray that the person who found your device will be kind-hearted enough to return it to you.

How To Track or Find iPhone Using

Google Location History (or Timeline)

Another option you can do to track down your device is to use Google Location History; which is now known as Timeline. You may have already known that big companies like Apple and Google gather information about their users. One of the information they track down is your location. Even though this may feel like they are violating your privacy, it becomes highly useful for this purpose. In order to use this option, you will need to have location reporting and location history enabled on your missing device.

Formerly called Location History, Timeline gathers all location data collected from your iPhone. This data helps you see where your device has been on a map. You can also use this tool to look at where your phone was last located when its recent location data was obtained by Google. If your device is still switched on and hooked to the internet, you can continue to see its location. Even if your battery has died, you’ll still be able to see the last reported location of your device.

In order to see your location history, here are the steps you need to take:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/maps/timeline 
2. Click on the “Today” button
3. On the left side, scroll to the bottom to look at the last reported location of your missing device. The timeline will also give you access to the recorded points on the map. You can check out the time stamps so you can see when your device was last connected to Google.
4. Use location data to check if your device is moving or not. If it is in one location, you can ask the authorities to help you retrieve your device. You don’t know the person who picked up your phone and what he could do in such circumstance.

Finding Your iPhone FAQs:

Is it possible to track an iPhone if it has been switched off, is on airplane mode, or not connected to the web?

No. Your device needs to be connected to the internet so that location data can be sent. What you can do with this tool is that you can use it to regularly check your device’s location. Once it goes back online, the tool will send you a notification.

If Location Services is switched off, can the device be tracked?

Find My iPhone now comes with a ‘Lost Mode’ that you can activate remotely. Once this has been activated, the tool will try to locate your device even if the person holding it has switched off location services. As long as no one unlocks your device, it will stay activated.

Is it possible to locate a device that has already been erased?

No. This is why you should only erase data on your iPhone as a last resort. Once your iPhone has been erased, you can no longer locate it anymore. Erasing an iPhone gets rid of all your personal data, user settings, images, and all logins. This means that iCloud and Google will no longer be connected on your device.

Is it possible to reset password on iCloud?

Yes. Apple has made it fairly easy to reset the password on both your Apple ID and iCloud account. You simply need to have your backup email account. To reset your password, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open appleid.apple.com
2. Click on “Forgot Apple ID or password”
3. Enter your Apple ID email address and click continue
4. You can reset your password by sending a reset link to your backup email address or answering a few security questions you set up when you created your account.
5. Pick one of the options you prefer.
6. If you picked to get an email, check your backup email for the link to reset your password. You’ll receive the email within an hour.
7. The email will include a password reset link and some instructions. There will also be a few security questions as well as a requirement to enter your birthdate.
8. Once you’re done, you can enter a new password and confirm it so you can start logging into your Apple account again.  

How to track iPhone without a computer

If you don’t have a computer with you to track your device, you can ask a friend who has an iPhone to help you out. You can do this by using the “Find My iPhone” app installed on his device. Just remember to log into your own iCloud account so you track down your device instead of the one in your hand.

Hopefully, you won’t have to use any of these options to track down your device. But it’s certainly good to have knowledge on what you can do in case your device goes missing.