How to Find My Lost Phone: iPhone and Android Steps That Work

If you are wondering how to find my lost phone, act quickly but calmly. Both iPhone and Android phones have free, built-in locating tools that can show the phone on a map, make it ring, lock it with a message and, if necessary, erase it. They only work if they were turned on before the phone went missing, which they usually are by default once you sign in with an Apple Account or Google account.

This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Apple, Google or Samsung. For account recovery or warranty issues, use each company’s own support site.

First: quick checks

1. Call or text the phone from another phone. It may be under a cushion or in a car.
2. Check with places you visited. Restaurants, taxis, rideshare apps and transit lost-and-found offices recover many phones.
3. Use a computer or borrow a phone and move on to the steps below.

How to find a lost iPhone

Using icloud.com/find in any browser

1. On a computer or another phone, go to icloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple Account. Apple notes that you do not need a verification code here, so you can sign in even if the lost iPhone is your trusted device.
2. Select your iPhone in the device list to see its location on the map.
3. Choose Play Sound if it might be nearby.
4. Choose Mark As Lost (Lost Mode). This locks the iPhone with its passcode, suspends Apple Pay cards and lets you show a phone number or message on the screen.
5. Use Erase This Device only when you are sure it will not come back.

Using the Find My app on another Apple device

On another iPhone, iPad or Mac signed in to your Apple Account, open Find My, go to the Devices tab and select your iPhone. Turn on Lost Mode (or Mark As Lost) and tap Activate. Family Sharing members can also see your devices in their Find My app.

If Find My was not on before the iPhone was lost, it will not appear, and you cannot lock or erase it remotely. Go straight to the “If your phone was stolen” section. If you have also lost access to your account, see our guide on an Apple ID that is locked or forgotten.

How to find a lost Android phone

Google’s locating service is now called Find Hub (it replaced the name Find My Device). It is turned on automatically when a Google account is added to the phone.

1. On a computer, go to google.com/android/find, or open the Find Hub app on another Android device. A friend’s phone works too, using guest sign-in.
2. Sign in with the Google account used on the lost phone and select it.
3. Check the map for its current or last known location.
4. Choose Play sound to ring it at full volume for several minutes, even on silent.
5. Choose Mark as lost (shown as Secure device on older versions) to lock it and display a contact message.
6. As a last resort, open the device’s Settings in Find Hub and choose Factory reset. After a reset, the phone no longer appears in Find Hub.

The phone needs power and an internet connection for locking and erasing to work immediately. If you cannot get into your Google account, our guide to recovering a locked Google account can help.

Samsung Galaxy phones: SmartThings Find

Samsung phones also work with Samsung’s SmartThings Find at smartthingsfind.samsung.com, which replaced the older Find My Mobile service. Sign in with your Samsung account to locate, ring, lock or erase the phone. It only works if the phone was signed in to a Samsung account with the finding feature turned on; search for “Find” in the phone’s Settings to check this on your own Galaxy phone.

If your phone was stolen

Do not try to get the phone back yourself, even if the map shows an address.

1. Lock it remotely with Lost Mode or Mark as lost, as above.
2. File a police report and share the location shown in Find My or Find Hub. Keep the report number for your carrier or insurer.
3. Contact your wireless carrier to suspend your line and ask them to block the device using its IMEI number, so it cannot be used on their network.
4. Change important passwords, starting with your email, Apple Account or Google account, banking and social media. Check which devices are signed in and remove the stolen one once you no longer need to track it.
5. Watch for scam messages. Thieves often send texts or emails claiming your lost iPhone “has been found” with a link to a fake sign-in page. Apple says it will never contact you this way. Never enter your password or share verification codes from such links.

If the phone was insured or covered by a theft plan, check the claim rules before removing it from your account.

Prepare now, before you need it

• Make sure finding is on. iPhone: Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone. Android: Find Hub is on by default with a Google account; you can confirm it in Settings (search for “Find Hub”).
• Turn on Stolen Device Protection on iPhone: Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) > Stolen Device Protection. It requires Face ID or Touch ID for sensitive changes away from familiar locations.
• Turn on Android theft protection: Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection on supported phones.
• Note your IMEI and keep it somewhere safe. Dial *#06# on most phones to show it, or find it in Settings under About phone.
• Use a strong passcode and keep regular backups. If you ever get locked out, see our guide for a forgotten phone passcode.

When you replace the phone, or before selling an old one, follow our guide to back up and wipe a phone before selling. More guides are on our mobile topic page.