The fastest way to locate a stolen phone depends on which device you have and whether you set up tracking before it went missing
If your phone is stolen right now, the first step is to use a tracking service on another device — a computer, tablet, or someone else's phone. Apple users can go to iCloud.com and sign in; Android users can go to google.com/android/find. Both services show your phone's location on a map if location services are turned on. If your phone is offline, the map shows where it was last seen. This works only if you set up the tracking service before the phone was stolen.
If you did not set up tracking in advance, you have almost no technical way to locate the phone. At that point, your options are to contact your phone carrier (they may be able to help with location in an emergency), file a police report, and contact your bank and credit card companies to freeze accounts before someone uses your phone to make purchases or access your money.
Key Takeaways
- Apple's Find My and Google's Find My Mobile both show your phone's real-time location, but only if you turned on location services before the phone was stolen.
- You can access Find My from iCloud.com on any computer; Find My Mobile works from google.com/android/find or through the Find My Mobile app on another Android phone.
- If your phone is offline, the tracking service shows the last location where it connected to the internet, which may be hours or days old.
- If you never set up tracking, contact your phone carrier, file a police report, and freeze your bank and credit card accounts when ready to prevent fraud.
- Even if you locate your phone, police recommend not confronting the person who has it — instead, give the location to law enforcement.
How to use Apple's Find My service
Go to iCloud.com on any computer or another Apple device and sign in with your Apple ID and password. Click "Find My" in the menu. You will see a map showing the location of all your Apple devices — your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Click on your stolen phone to see its exact location, the time it was last seen, and whether it is currently online.
If the phone is online, you can play a sound on it to help you locate it if it is nearby — for example, if it fell under a couch or into a bag. You can also put the phone in Lost Mode, which locks it with a passcode and displays a message with your phone number on the screen. This prevents someone from using your phone but does not erase your data. If you decide the phone is truly gone, you can erase it remotely, which deletes all your data from that device.
Find My also works through the Find My app on any iPhone, iPad, or Mac you own. Open the app, tap "Devices," and select your stolen phone from the list.
How to use Google's Find My Mobile service
Go to google.com/android/find on any computer and sign in with your Google account. The page will show a map with your phone's location if it is currently online and location services are turned on. You can also use the Find My Mobile app on another Android phone — open it, sign in, and tap "Find your phone."
From the map, you can play a sound on your phone, lock it with a PIN, or erase it. Locking it prevents someone from accessing your data but keeps the phone usable. Erasing it removes all your personal information from the device. Unlike Apple's Lost Mode, Google's lock does not display a message on the screen, so the person holding the phone will not see your contact information.
If your phone is offline, Google shows the last location where it connected to the internet. This location may be accurate to within a few hundred feet, or it may be several miles off depending on whether the phone last connected through WiFi or cellular data.
What to do if your phone is offline or location services were never turned on
If your phone is offline and you cannot see its location, or if you never turned on location services before it was stolen, tracking through Apple or Google will not work. At this point, contact your phone carrier — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or another provider — and tell them your phone was stolen. Some carriers have their own location tools and may be able to help in an emergency, though they cannot may provide a result.
File a police report with your local police department. Include the phone's serial number (you can find this on your original receipt or in your carrier's account), the phone's IMEI number (dial *#06# on any phone to see it, or check your carrier's website), and the date and time it went missing. Police can sometimes request location data from carriers with a warrant, though this is slow and works only if the phone is still powered on and connected to the network.
Do not post about the theft on social media or contact the person directly if you somehow identify them. This can alert them to disable location services, power off the phone, or destroy it. Instead, give any information you have to police and let them handle contact.
Protecting your accounts after a phone is stolen
Whether or not you can locate your phone, treat it as a security emergency for your accounts. Call your bank and credit card companies and tell them your phone was stolen. Ask them to flag your accounts for fraud and to call you at a different number before approving any large purchases or transfers. Many banks can send you a temporary card or set up a new account number while they investigate.
Change the passwords on your email, social media, and banking accounts from a computer as soon as possible. Use a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or Dashlane to create new, strong passwords that are different from each other. If you use two-factor authentication (a second code sent to your phone or email), change the phone number or email address associated with your accounts so the thief cannot intercept those codes.
If your phone had access to your work email or work accounts, contact your employer's IT department and tell them the phone was stolen. They may need to revoke access to company systems from that device.
How to set up tracking before your phone is stolen
If you still have your phone, turn on location services now so that tracking will work if the phone is stolen in the future. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Privacy, tap Location Services, and turn it on. Then go back to Settings, tap your name at the top, tap iCloud, and turn on Find My iPhone. On Android, go to Settings, tap Location, and turn it on. Then go to Settings, tap Google, tap Manage Your Google Account, tap Security, and turn on Find My Mobile.
You can also set up a PIN or password that will lock your phone remotely. On iPhone, this is part of Find My. On Android, you can set a lock through Find My Mobile or through your phone's built-in security settings. Test the tracking service once to make sure it works — go to iCloud.com or google.com/android/find from a computer and confirm you can see your phone's location.
Keep your Apple ID or Google account password written down in a safe place, separate from your phone. If your phone is stolen and you cannot remember your password, you will not be able to access the tracking service.
The limits of phone tracking and what police can actually do
Phone tracking through Apple or Google shows you where your phone is, but it does not recover it. Police can use that location to search for the phone, but they cannot enter private property without a warrant, and they may not prioritize a stolen phone over other crimes. In many cases, by the time you locate the phone, the thief has already powered it off, removed the SIM card, or sold it to someone else.
If you do locate your phone and it is in a public place, you can contact police with the address and ask them to retrieve it. Do not go to the location yourself — a confrontation with a thief can turn dangerous. If the phone is in a private home or business, police will need a warrant to enter, which takes time and may not happen for a stolen phone.
Some people use Apple AirTags or Tile trackers — small devices that attach to a phone or bag and send location data. These work differently than phone tracking and can sometimes help locate a phone if it is nearby, but they are not a substitute for setting up Find My or Find My Mobile on the phone itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I track my phone if I never turned on location services?
No. Both Apple's Find My and Google's Find My Mobile require location services to be turned on before the phone is stolen. If you never turned it on, you cannot locate the phone through these services. Your only options are to contact your carrier and police.
Will Find My or Find My Mobile work if my phone is turned off?
Not in real time. If your phone is off, the tracking service shows the last location where it was online, which could be hours or days old. Once the phone is powered back on, the location updates. Some newer iPhones have a feature called Find My (Powered Off) that can send location data even when the phone is off, but this requires an internet connection and works only on recent models.
What is the difference between locking and erasing my phone remotely?
Locking puts a passcode on the phone so the thief cannot access your data, but the phone itself still exists and can be used. Erasing deletes all your personal information from the device. Use lock first if you think you might recover the phone; use erase if you are certain it is gone and you want to protect your privacy.
Can my phone carrier locate my phone without my permission?
Carriers can locate phones in emergencies — for example, if you call 911 from a phone, the carrier sends your location to emergency services. For a stolen phone, carriers can sometimes help, but they usually need a police report first. They cannot share location data with you directly for privacy reasons.
If I find my phone, how do I know it is safe to use?
Change your passwords from a computer before using the phone again. If the thief had access to your phone for more than a few minutes, assume they may have installed software to track you or steal your data. Consider having a technician inspect it, or back up your data and do a factory reset to erase everything and start fresh.