When it comes to tracking a phone by its IMEI number, no one can do it like law enforcement or maybe pro hackers. Yet they are not perfect at this either, they can only track a phone with an accuracy of a few meters at best. So what to do if someone has stolen your phone or you have lost it? Are there any methods that will help ordinary people like us to track down a phone at all?
Well, there are still some methods that both Android and iPhone users can apply and hopefully track their phones. In this article, I’ll show you what those methods are, so keep reading to find out about them.
What is IMEI?
Think of it as a phone identification number that provides some information about a specific device. Moreover, IMEI has some benefits, for example, if your phone gets stolen or if you lose your phone, in some cases you can get it back via its IMEI number.
How to find your IMEI number?
You can simply find it by one of the following methods:
- Just dial *#06#, it works both on Android and iPhone
- For Android devices, go to Settings> About phone> Status
- For iPhone device, go to Settings> General> About
Can you track a stolen phone using its IMEI numbers?
It might be possible if you report it to local law enforcement, but unfortunately, they won’t bother tracking a stolen phone. Now if the police are looking for a terrorist, a prisoner on the run, etc., the odds are they will try to track down the person if they know the IMEI numbers of the person’s phone, but in other situations, they won’t bother with it.
Additionally, if your device is turned off, this would make tracing it a lot tougher. Even law enforcement wouldn’t be able to track it easily in such a case.
Don’t waste your time on IMEI tracker websites to find your phone location
There are many websites that claim they can help you track down your phone via its IMEI number, however, in many cases, they can only provide you with some basic information about your device info not the location of it. So whether you’ve lost your phone, or your phone has been stolen, etc., the chances of finding it by IMEI tracker websites are very low and many of them are just fake. So stop wasting your time and even your money on things that don’t work.
How to track a phone location [Android and iPhone]
Before you read the instructions below, you should know that it isn’t easy to track a phone if the phone is turned off. If the person who stole your phone connects to the Internet with your phone, then it’s possible to track it down especially if it’s an Android phone. Also, if you have never added a Gmail account to your phone, this will not work. But it’s unlikely that you haven’t already added a Gmail account.
#Android
If you are an Android user I would recommend that you track your phone using Google Dashboard.
- On your browser, type Google Dashboard and open the first page
- If you haven’t already signed in, do it. Make sure to sign in with the Gmail you used on your lost or stolen phone
- Scroll down and click on Android Backups
- Once you do that, the system will automatically try to connect to your lost or stolen phone. If it can connect to the lost or stolen phone successfully, then it will show you the very exact location
- You can get the IMEI number by clicking on the device information
- You can even erase all the data from your lost or stolen phone by clicking on Erase all content from the device. At least if you aren’t able to track your phone and if it falls into the wrong hands, by clicking on that option and deleting your data, your mind will be at ease
- By clicking on Secure Device you can lock your device and track it at the same time
- You can also click on Play Sound, but this is only useful if you’ve lost it somewhere in the house
#iPhone
If you’re an iPhone user you should know that it’s not possible to find your stolen or lost iPhone by IMEI number at all. However, you can still track your phone through iCloud but only if you’ve already turned on Find My iPhone.
- Go to the iCloud website and sign in with your Apple ID
- Then click on Find iPhone or Find Devices
- Then you’ll see the location of your iPhone on the map even if it’s not connected to the Internet
- You can have it Play Sound to find out if it’s somewhere in your house
- You can click on Lost Mode, this will lock the phone so no one can access it
- You can also click on Erase iPhone to remotely delete all the info in it. It is a good idea to click on this option if you’re sure there is no way to get your device back
