How to track my iPhone by phone number? Losing or having your phone taken away is always a very big worry, so you do not need difficult words now, but you need a clear, easy plan with steps, because this plan will help you keep your personal things safe and give you the best chance to get your device back.
Things That Must Be On Beforehand
The chance you have to find or stop your phone from working is directly tied to the settings you made before you lost the phone.
"Locator" Find My
This is the most important setting, so if it is off, Apple cannot help you at all, but you must check in the settings that this is on and that the "Locator Network" setting is also on.
Why you need this: This network changes your phone, which is off or has no Wi−Fi, into a small Bluetooth light, so if any other iPhone passes near it, that phone will secretly tell you where your phone is.
Passcode and Face ID / Touch ID Protection
This is your first wall for keeping things safe, so if the person who took it cannot quickly open the phone, they cannot turn off the "Locator" and get to your personal things, and a six-number code which is hard to guess is better than a four-number code.
Two-Factor Authentication for Apple ID
Your AppleID is the main key for everything, and if it has Two-Factor Authentication protection, a person cannot easily change your password and turn off the "Locator", even if they know your code, because Two-Factor Authentication needs you to say yes on a different, safe device when you try to sign in.
Situation A: Lost Phone Left at Home, in a Cafe, or in a Taxi
If you are sure that the phone was not stolen, but is just somewhere resting or fell out of your pocket, you must act fast to find its exact place, because the first job is to find it quickly.
Go to the "Locator" App or the iCloud Website
You must quickly take any other smart phone, pad, or computer and go to the website iCloud.com/find or open the "Locator" app on another Apple device.
Sign into Your Account: You must use your AppleID and password to get in.
Find the Location: You will see the last place the phone was on the map, and if the place does not change, it means the phone is likely not connected or is off.
Use the Sound Signal "Play Sound"
If the map shows that the phone is near you, maybe in the next room or under a car seat, you must quickly make the sound signal start.
How it works: The phone will make a loud, sharp sound, even if it was put on silent mode, and the sound will keep going until someone physically takes the phone and stops it.
When to use: This is the best tool for looking in your home, at work, or in any small place, and the sound will also get the attention of an honest person who might find it.
Turn On Lost Mode "Lost Mode"
If you cannot find the phone right away, or if you left it in a public place and walked away, you must immediately turn on "Lost Mode", because this mode is your main tool for safety at this time.
What "Lost Mode" does:
Stops the Screen from Working: The phone is quickly stopped by a special code, even if it did not have a password before.
Message for the Finder: You can write a message and your contact number must be a different number, not the one that is lost, and this message will show up on the screen, for example: "This phone is lost. Please call this number and the new number you give will be shown on the screen".
Stop Payments: All payment cards ApplePay and the ability to use the SIM card for calls are stopped, which keeps your money safer.
Keeps Finding: The phone keeps sending its location, and the most important thing is that it uses the "Locator Network" to find itself even without Wi−Fi or mobile service.
Important: If the phone is not on the network right now, "Lost Mode" will turn on by itself, as soon as it connects to the internet the next time.
Situation B: Stolen Phone Moving or Lost Far Away
If you think the phone was taken away, you must immediately move to keeping your things safe and doing legal steps.
The Main Rule: Do Not Try to Find It Yourself
You must never try to follow the person who took it or fight with them by yourself. This is not safe, so your job is to quickly get all the needed information for the police.
Check That Lost Mode is On
Make sure that you turn on "Lost Mode" with a message and another phone number, because this is the most important thing when a phone is stolen, as it quickly makes the phone not worth much to the person.
What to do if the phone is off: Do not stop lost mode, because it will wait until the phone turns on or passes near another iPhone and gives its location to you using the Bluetooth network.
Get the Unique IMEI Number
To talk to the police and the phone company, you will need the International Mobile Equipment Identity IMEI. This special 15-number code is like the phone's passport, and it helps everyone know which phone it is in all the networks.
Where to find IMEI:
On the original box for the phone
On the iCloud.com website in your device settings
On another Apple device in the settings "Settings" → "Your Name" → "List of Devices" → "Your lost iPhone"
Write it down and keep it in a safe place, because without this number, the police and the phone company cannot stop or look for the device.
Official Steps: Police and Phone Company
After stopping the device from working, you must do the official steps.
Stop the SIM Card: Keep Your Bank and Accounts Safe
You must quickly call your mobile phone company
Why you need this: The person who took the phone can take out your SIM card and use it to get into your bank accounts, email, or social media if those things are linked to your phone number, because many services send SMS to help you get a new password.
What to do: Ask the company to immediately stop the SIM card or pause its work, and they might need your ID, a secret word, or the IMEI.
Getting a new SIM: You can get your number back by getting a new SIM card at the phone store, and you should do this quickly so you do not miss important calls.
Go to the Police
Going to the police is a necessary step for two reasons:
to officially start the search
to get a paper about the theft, which you might need for the insurance company or the bank.
What to take with you: Your ID, the box for the phone with the IMEI, papers that show you bought the phone, and the form for theft or loss.
What to say: Tell them that you turned on "Lost Mode" and give them the IMEI number, because the police can put this number in the search list.
Get a ticket: This paper shows that your report was written down, and you must keep it.
Stopping the Device by IMEI This Is a Limited Action
Although you cannot stop the phone yourself using the IMEI, only Apple can do this, the information you give to the police is important, and if your phone is found, this number will help them know it is yours and give it back to you.
The Last Option: Deleting Data From Far Away Wipe Data
If you have no hope of finding the phone and you worry that your private photos, bank details, or work papers might be seen by others, you must think about deleting the data from far away.
When You Need to Delete Data
Deleting data is a step that cannot be changed. You must choose this if:
Much time has passed since it was lost, like more than a week, and the place is not changing.
The phone has very important information like work secrets or money codes, and if this information is lost, it will cause big harm.
You are sure that the phone is with a person and you will not be able to get it back.
What "Delete iPhone" Does
All Things are Gone: All data like photos, papers, and apps will be completely taken away from the device.
Safety After Cleaning: The phone will be set back to the way it was when new, but it will still be linked to your AppleID because of the "Activation Lock" feature.
Important: Activation Lock makes the iPhone useless for anyone who does not know your AppleID and password, so without them, it is impossible to start the phone, which means that even if the thief deletes all the data, they cannot use or sell it.
What Happens After Deleting Data
You Cannot Find It: After you delete the data, you will no longer be able to use the "Locator" to find the phone, because you took away the information that let it talk to your account.
Hope Still Lives: Even if you cannot find it, it stays locked and cannot be started, so if an honest person finds the phone or if the police get it, they will see your message on the locked screen, if you turned on "Lost Mode" before deleting, and you can get it back.
Getting Back to Normal Life After the Loss
After you have done all the steps to keep things safe, your next job is to make your digital life normal again.
Get Your Things Back from iCloud
If you make backups in iCloud or on your computer, you can get all your things like photos, contacts, and apps back on a new device, and this is the best part of always using Apple's official tools.
Change Your Passwords
You must quickly change your passwords:
For AppleID: Do this on a safe computer, using Two-Factor Authentication.
For all important services: Your email, bank, and social media, because this makes sure that even if the person got some of your data, they cannot use it.
Getting Money Back
If you think that someone used your phone to make purchases or payments with ApplePay or bank apps that you did not agree to, you must immediately call your bank and tell them about the money issue.
A Clear Plan
The most important thing in this plan is to be fast and to keep your personal things safe first.
If the phone is near: Use the sound.
If the phone is far or taken away: Immediately turn on "Lost Mode" and stop the SIM card.
To keep data safe: If there is no hope, use remote deletion as the last step, but remember that the phone will always be useless to the person because of "Activation Lock".
Even if you cannot get the device back, you have kept your money, personal things, and privacy safe, and that is much more important than the phone itself, so use this plan, and you will be very safe in this hard time.