Apps: Find your lost phone

So a couple of Wednesdays ago in a run of spectacular stupidity and bad luck I managed to lose my phone on the morning commute. But with an equal measure of spectacular good fortune and the help of an app (and a couple of friends and work colleagues) I managed to recover it again.

Many people have asked how I got it back (as well as how the hell did I lose it in the first place), which app did I use and could they download it on their phones? Since not everybody has an Android phone, we’ve decided to do a quick round up of the leading phone locator and recovery apps and services for all types of phones out there.

It’s worth noting that in order for all of these apps to work, your phone needs to be switched on as all apps rely on cellular tower information (and in some cases GPS info) in order to pinpoint your phone on Google Maps. This means if you lose your phone on the tube or anywhere where there’s little or no signal or your battery runs out then you might have slightly less luck getting your phone back.

If you do manage to locate your phone with one of these apps and you think somebody has stolen it, we’d advise you to get in touch with the police instead of attempting to recover it yourself. However we’d also advise you to contact the relevant lost property departments first if you’ve lost it on a bus or train.

Protip: if you do feel like catching some sleep on the morning commute, make sure your phone is switched on and in your pocket before you nod off.

[image credit: Johan Larsson]

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