Lost Phone? No worries!

[aanderud]

I had a brainfart and lost my phone this weekend. The end result was that there was a 1/2 mile stretch of gravel road that I knew the phone was on, but I wasn't sure where. I had NOT installed any phone locator apps prior to losing it. I logged into verizon and turned on their family locator app, but it only got me the nearest tower because I didn't have the special app installed to report GPS. I was not about to pay 10 bucks a month for a service that didn't even help me in a pinch, so I quickly uninstalled that stuff and removed the $10 per month feature. I called them, but the wouldn't give me the GPS coordinates because they only give them out for law enforcement. The only thing I got out of their locator app was that the phone was reporting a 1x connection (NO 3g and NO 4g, so I could only call it and send it SMS messages). I had the phone on vibrate, so couldn't even hear it when I called or texted it.

I ended up finding it the old fashioned way -- walk the ditches 4 times during daylight hours, give up until dark. Go there after dark and while continually calling the phone, look for the glow of the screen during the incoming call. Thanks for the suggestion, Dtro -- I was seriously tired of looking by 8 pm and didn't even think of this myself. Wasted most of a Sunday for me, and I was hoping to prevent any future time wastage by me or anyone who reads this -- and hence the following suggestion.

Install a locator app BEFORE you lose your phone. Like right now, since you're reading this and you likely have a few free minutes. Then if you need it later, it's THERE. There are at least TWO apps that can be pushed remotely using the android market HSOforum from a computer, but none that will install without a data connection. Since my phone had no data connection, I couldn't push the app after the fact, and I was hosed.

The first app I've tried is "Plan B". If you give it an SMS message directing it to give your location, it will respond with an initial location, then continue refining the location (by leaving the GPS on longer) and eventually come up with something really close to where it's at. It got me within a few meters. However, the problem with this app is that the position reports come back to you FROM the phone via email (and not via SMS), and thus the phone requires a data connection (1x will not do). So, even if I was able to install this yesterday, it would have been useless as I wouldn't have received any reports.

The second one I tried is called "Android Lost". It is the only one I know of that lets you not only instruct it to do various things via SMS (turn on a high volume alarm even if your phone is on silent mode, send its GPS-indicated position to you, turn the GPS on, etc) and also sends the position report via SMS. The key there is that SMS does NOT require a data connection. Had I installed this app prior to misplacing the phone yesterday, I would have been golden even with the 1x connection. The GPS position reported by "Android Lost" is not as accurate as "Plan B", because it seems like they turn on the GPS only until they get the fist valid postition, and then report that position and turn off the GPS. If they'd leave the GPS on for a bit it would converge to a better solution, but alas, 20 meters is better than nothing. Even if you're off by 20 meters, you can send another command to turn on a high volume siren, and that ought to get you to your phone.

I think I'm going to keep both installed because if I have a data connection, I'd like the more precise GPS report, but I'd also like to keep the ability to send the report via SMS. There are about a bajillion apps that will report this position information. I know of no others besides "Android Lost" that can do everything without a data connection, so I'm going to keep it around for sure. Anyone else have any experience with any of these?

[DTro]

I installed that Android Lost as soon as you mentioned it to me yesterday. Didn't even know it existed. Pretty cool that you can actually take a picture remotely and even wipe your phone right from your laptop.

[LMITOUT]

Good advice! I had no idea any of that was possible. I knew about some of the lost phone apps, but figured that unless it was installed prior to misplacing the phone you were pretty much out of luck.

Thanks for the run down on the apps.

[MuleShack]

Nice Post aanderud!

My phone was "unprotected", but thanks to the awareness, i just installed Look out and android lost in case the inevitable happens.

Thanks.

[MuleShack]

I installed Look out the other day and decided to play with it today and "locate" my phone. It took about 20 seconds and it displayed me at the cleary lake golf course off of hwy 27.

It also said the accuracy was 2200 meters which is over a mile.

According to the map, I am actually 6 miles away from their said location as the crow flies. I've done it multiple times and it provides the same results.

Not sure what good this will do me if it was a real need to find the phone. Granted I am in the house with the phone, but that shouldn't make that much of a difference.

Hmmmm.....

EDIT: I just moved the phone out on the front porch and then suddenly it was really accurate.

So dont loose your phone in someone elses house

[11-87]

my wife's phone has an app called trustgosecurity.com

If you lose your phone, you can go to the site, and have it page your phone..

great idea when it's lost in the couch..

[Scott K]

iphone has an ap that is "find iphone" its free, and it is very accurate. found out by my daughter loosing her phone.