How to Find a Lost iPhone That Is Turned Off

How to Find a Lost iPhone That Is Turned Off

Detectico Team Detectico Team

Skilled techies mastering location data.

I can’t remember where I left my phone. Maybe the battery is dead. How to find a lost iPhone that is turned off? If you’re dealing with this right now, you’ve come to the right place.

Table Of Contents

Can You Track an iPhone That Is Turned Off?

If my iPhone is off, can it be tracked? Yes! You can find either its current location or last known location.

The current location is available on powered-off devices with the Find My Network setting enabled. It works if the device supports the Ultra Wideband technology, allowing the phone to determine its current location before going offline, usually for up to 5 hours.

The last known location is where your device was before its battery died or was powered off. Third-party tools and built-in apps provide you with this information, which usually includes coordinates, address, date, and time.

Some may even show you the phone’s current location when someone turns it on. 

So, our short answer to your question, “Can you track an iPhone that is turned off?” is yes. 

Let’s now go over all the possible methods and apps you can use to locate your powered-off iPhone.

How to Find a Lost iPhone That Is Turned Off

All methods outlined below are quick and simple. Before you track iPhone location with any of these tools, here are a few general requirements to keep in mind:

  • You need a device with an active Internet connection.
  • If the Find My app is not enabled on your iPhone, start from method 3.
  • The Find My Network feature is unavailable on iPhone SE or older models. If you have one of those devices, use alternative apps to Find My.

Find the iPhone’s Last Location with Find My App

Find My iPhone

Find My is a built-in location tracker available for iOS devices, such as iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macs (or MACs). It was designed to locate lost or stolen devices and has other useful features such as Lock My Device and Notify When Online. 

For this app to work, you need to have location tracking enabled on your device and Find My toggled on in settings of:

  • Your lost device
  • Your second iOS device logged into the same Apple ID. 

Here’s how to find a dead iPhone using Find My:

  1. Open the Find My app on your Apple device.
  2. Pull out the list of the devices linked to your Apple ID. It’s at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Choose your lost iPhone from the list.
  4. Find your device on a map. You’ll see a blue dot showing its location and a pop-up window with its current or last known address.
  5. If your device was lost over 5 hours, activate “Notify When Found”. You’ll receive a notification when the iPhone turns on/goes online. 

Read Also: How to Find an Android Phone That Is Dead

banner

Use Find Devices on iCloud.com to Track Your Lost iPhone

icloud

How to find an iPhone that is dead if you don’t have another Apple device? One way is to use “Find Devices” on iCloud.com. It works just like Find My and has a similar interface. The only difference is that icloud.com displays the last known location for up to 24 hours.

  1. Go to the iCloud website.
  2. Login with your Apple ID and password. If you have two-factor authentication enabled but can’t access the trusted device to get the code, click on the “Find Devices” button.
  3. Choose your device from the drop-down menu. If the last known location doesn’t show up, enable the “Notify When Found” feature. To do so, click on “Notify When Found” and follow the on-screen prompts.

Check Your Location History with Family Sharing 

Family Sharing-1

If someone adds you to a Family Sharing group, your device automatically shows up on the “Find My” apps of all participants. This is a quick way how to ping a dead iPhone. You don’t have to log into your iCloud account or deal with two-factor authentication.

The process boils down to three steps: 

  1. Ask your family member to open the Find My app.
  2. Find your iPhone under “Devices.” Tap on it. It’s usually at the bottom of a list.
  3. You’ll see where your phone is or last was.

Contact Your Mobile Carrier to Find Your Lost iPhone

Your mobile carrier can pinpoint the approximate last known location of your iPhone. The tricky part here is that you can’t do it from your mobile carrier account. 

Your phone’s location data is considered private information, so mobile carriers need legal authorization or a court order to share it. Thus, we can’t provide specific steps on how to find a dead iPhone after 24 hours since each company follows its own rules for this process. We recommend contacting your mobile carrier to discuss your issue. They’ll provide you with the necessary information.

The Easiest Way to Find a Lost iPhone Before Powered Off

detectico-find-my-lost-phone

Detectico is an advanced web-based application that can locate any iPhone (whatever model you have). 

During our testing, we found that it’s the best tool to locate your missing phone before it shuts down. It’s also great for tracking stolen phones, sometimes even better than Find My’s “Lost Mode” feature. Let us explain why.

Why Use Detectico?

  • Highly accurate. Detectico uses GPS and cellular network signals to locate phones with an accuracy of up to 6 meters.
  • It doesn’t require iCloud credentials. No need to wonder how to find a lost iPhone with Apple ID. You just need your phone number to track it. That’s convenient if you forgot your password or can’t access a trusted device to get a 2FA code.
  • Great for finding stolen phones. If someone has found your phone but doesn’t return it, you can send an anonymous text with a hidden link to trick them into sharing their location.
  • Unlimited searchers. You can locate any phone by number using Detectico from a single account. Just type it in. No need to add family devices to lists or anything like that.
  • Cross-compatibility. Unlike the FindMy app, Detectico lets you access its map from any device, not just iOS.
  • Worldwide coverage. Detectico works in over 150 countries and with all major mobile carriers.

How to Use Detectico?

Detectico is really user-friendly because it works just like a search engine. Here’s a quick guide on how to find my lost iPhone with Detectico:

  1. Enter the phone number you’re targeting on detectico.com. Click Locate.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to send a location tracking request.
  3. Let Detectico do its thing. Once your phone is located, it will display the location on a detailed map. Next to the map, you’ll find more details, such as the exact address and coordinates.
Tip: To get to your phone’s current location, use our special trick. Copy the coordinates provided by Detectico, open the Maps app or Google Maps, and paste them into the search box. Then, select your preferred transportation mode to create a route. It’s that easy!

FAQ

Does Find My work when the phone is off?

It depends on your phone’s model and Find My settings. If you’ve enabled “Find My Network” and “Send Last Location,” you’ll be able to track your phone’s whereabouts even when it’s turned off. Unfortunately, iPhones running iOS versions older than 11.0 can’t be located using this method.

How to find my iPhone from another iPhone?

There are four ways to go about this: 
a) Log into the Find My app
b) Go to icloud.com/find 
c) Use the Family Sharing feature 
d) Track your phone by number with Detectico

How to locate a lost cell phone that is turned off with IMEI number?

The only thing you can do with an IMEI number is to block your phone through your cellular service provider. We suggest trying the methods mentioned in our post. If you’re not a part of Family Member Group or don’t remember iCloud credentials to log into Find my, use Detectico to send location tracking requests. Also, make sure to report your missing phone to the police.

Can I find my iPhone if it is off by its number?

Yes. If you’re a part of a Family sharing group, you can type in your phone number into the Find My app on your family member’s iOS device to locate it. If not, use Detectico’s “Find Lost Phone” feature to locate your iPhone by number as soon as someone turns it on.

Conclusion 

Can location be tracked when iPhone is off? Yes! 

iOS is a really well-thought-out operating system that never lets you down.  If you’ve got the right settings enabled, tracking a powered-off device with Find My App, iCloud Find My Device, or Family Sharing is just a matter of time and a bit of effort.

Now, if you weren’t prepared for the loss of your precious phone (who really is?) and didn’t set up Find My, there’s always plan B – Detectico. This zero-installation tool can pinpoint your phone’s exact location by its number. 

It doesn’t really matter what iPhone you have—Detectico works with all iPhone models and OS versions. So, stop wondering how to find a lost iPhone that is turned off for free. Give Detectico a try, and you’ll have your phone back in no time!