How can I find my Verizon phone if it’s lost or stolen? The network offers a few different options, and we’ll discuss the steps you can do on your own.
If your phone gets lost or stolen, stay calm. There are a lot of ways to locate your Verizon phone. Chances are, you will find it within the next 24 hours if you follow this guide.
If you just lost your phone, don’t worry! We got you.
If you’re looking to find your Verizon phone, give it a ring to hear where it is. If that doesn’t work, you can use Verizon’s Family Locator app to track your phone and check it’s last known location.
Before we proceed to the actual steps, here are little-known facts about finding your Verizon phone.
What You Need to Know About Finding Your Phone with Verizon
The best thing about Verizon phones is you don’t have to worry about losing them. You can track their location using the phone’s built-in features.
Check your phone to see if you have locator apps installed.
✅ Is Your Phone Lost or Stolen
If you misplaced it, you should first check where you last used it. If you think your device was stolen, contact the proper authorities.
✅ Built-in Locator Apps on Your Phone
There are recovery methods available on your phone that allow you to see it on a map, make it ring, or lock it.
You can use Find My Device for Android devices and Find My app for iPhones.
✅ Verizon’s Phone Locator Services
Verizon phones have a simple, secure phone locator service called Family Locator.
It lets you and your family locate one another’s phone from a computer or mobile device.
✅ Enable Your Phone’s Location Services
Turning on the Location Services does not only get you better local search results.
It also allows locator apps to use information from Cellular, WiFi, and GPS to determine the approximate location of your device.
Now that you know everything you need about finding your phone with Verizon, let’s proceed to ways you can locate your lost device.
Can Verizon Find My Phone: Locate It With These Easy Steps
The question “How can I find my Verizon phone” has many answers. There are locator apps that can help you recover your lost device quickly and easily.
Verizon also has a locator service that helps you monitor your family’s whereabouts.
But, to give you peace of mind, consider taking preventive measures to keep your data safe.
Now that you’re sure your personal data is safe, you can proceed to find your Verizon phone with these easy steps:
1. If You Misplaced Your Phone, Give It a Ring
Losing your phone should not be a panic-inducing event. With the latest advancement in technology, there are many ways to find your phone.
However, there’s still an effective and quick method, especially if you simply misplaced it.
Giving your phone a quick ring to let you know where it is can be helpful as long as you know it’s somewhere nearby.
Of course, you want your phone’s volume to be up as much as possible so you can hear it.
Here’s how to find your misplaced phone by contacting it:
- Use a different device.
- Contact your phone by calling it.
- Texting your phone is also an alternative.
- Listen to the sound to locate it.
Note: This method is not effective if you’re certain you lost your phone in a different location.
2. Get Your Phone’s Hardware Details on Your Verizon Account
If you simply did not misplace your phone, it’s time to proceed to other methods.
Before that, you do need to get access to your device’s hardware information.
This is necessary as it can help you identify your phone when you find it. It’s also helpful if your phone is stolen and you contact the authorities for assistance.
Here’s how to get your phone’s details from your Verizon account:
- Log in to your My Verizon account through the app or a browser.
- Go to the My Devices page.
- Choose your phone from the list.
- Scroll down and look for the Device Info section.
- Under Device Details, you’ll find your phone’s IMEI number.
Note: The advantage of getting your IMEI number this way is that you can still retrieve it even if you already lost your phone.
3. Locate Your Verizon iPhone Using the Find My App
If you have an iPhone, there’s a built-in app that will allow you to track it no matter what carrier you’re on.
It’s called the Find My app and as long as you’re logged in to your Apple ID on your phone, you can quickly track it using a different device.
You can track it by logging in using your Apple ID on a different device or through a web browser.
It’s that simple and you can locate your phone the moment you realize it’s not with you.
Here’s how to find your Verizon iPhone using the Find My app:
- Get a different Apple device and open the Find My app.
- Log in using your Apple ID.
- Select the Devices tab at the bottom.
- Tap on your lost iPhone from the list.
- If your phone is online, it will appear on the map.
Pro Tip: Alternatively, you can also go to iCloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple ID to find your phone.
4. Locate Your Verizon Android Phone with Find My Device
Built-in locator apps are not just exclusive to iPhones. Android phones also come with a similar feature that will help you quickly find your phone once you realize it’s missing.
You will be able to locate your phone and track its exact location as long as it’s turned on.
Here are the steps to find your Android phone:
- Open Google’s Find My Device app on a different phone.
- Log in to the same Google account as that of your lost phone.
- Tap on the phone you want to track from the device list.
- Wait for it to appear on the map so you can start tracking it.
Note: You can also go to android.com/find, then log in with your Google account to find your phone.
Step #5: Find your Phone On The Verizon App With Family Locator
You also have an alternative if these built-in locator apps on your phone don’t work. Verizon has a service that will allow you to locate family members.
In this case, it does come in handy if one of you lost their phone and you want to track it.
The most important thing you need to do on your phone so that this method works is to switch on location services.
For the most part, you won’t have an issue here since it would be activated anyway.
Here’s how to find your phone using Verizon’s Family Locator:
- Open the Verizon Smart Family app.
- At the top of your screen, select the owner of the phone to locate.
- Wait for the app to locate their lost phone and appear on the map.
- Tap on the map to get more location detail.
Note: Verizon’s Family Locator service is an add-on to your account, so you’ll need to set it up before any of your phones get missing.
6. Check Your Phone’s Last Known Location If It’s Turned Off
It’s not all the time that the phone you’re trying to track is switched on. You’re wondering, can Verizon find my phone if it’s off?
The good news is there’s a way for you to find it even if it’s turned off. Your phone continuously saves location data and it will send it to the cloud allowing you to track it once it’s off.
Although you will only get your phone’s last known location, but it’s still better than nothing.
With that information, you can still narrow down the area that you need to search.
Here’s how to check your phone’s last known location:
- On the Find My iPhone app, set your phone to Lost Mode.
- Open the Google Maps app and check your device’s Location History.
- On the Smart Family app, select the History section.
Note: If the result is recent enough, the chances to find your phone will be high.
Whether your phone is turned on or not, you will be able to find your phone in no time.
Now, if none of these work, there’s still one thing you can try, and that’s to contact Verizon customer support.
Let them know your device’s IMEI number and they can help you locate it.
Bottom Line
How can I find my Verizon phone? You now know the exact steps you need to take to get your phone back.
The good news is that it’s not so complicated, and most of the tools you need are already pre-installed on your phone.
When it comes to Verizon’s Smart Family, it does help to be prepared and have it activated before any of your phones are lost or go missing.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.