Do you ever wonder what to do when you find a lost cell phone? You could wait for it to ring and hope it is someone who actually knows the person and is not a sales call. Or you could bring it into the nearest police department and hope for the best. We’ve got some other ideas that are quicker and probably more effective to reunite that lost cell phone. (Plus the cops are busy. They’ll probably just toss in the lost and found box under their admin’s desk!)
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First – check for contact information:
- Hopefully, they have their phone password protected. (You have a password for your phone, right?!) But the lock screen should have a way to make an emergency call. Click on “E
mergency” to see if they have set that up with an emergency contact. - If that doesn’t work, very carefully remove the phone case if they have one. Sometimes people will tape a contact number on the inside of the phone case.
If they don’t have easily accessible contact information, try this next:
- Press the “Home” button on the lost cell phone until you activate the phone’s voice assistant.
- Say “Ok Google” for an Android
- “Hey Siri” for an iPhone
- For a Samsung, hold the Bixby button and say “Hey Bixby.
- Once it has responded, say “Call Mom” or “Call Dad”.
- If the phone is off, it may need to be charged a little before you can make the call.
If none of that works, the next thing to try is to turn that lost cell phone in:
- Don’t bring it to the local police department. As I mentioned above, they will probably just toss it into their lost and found box and wait for someone to call looking for it.
- Check the phone to see who the carrier is. You should be able to see AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. Drop it off at the local store. They will be able to figure out whose it is and reunite it with the proper person.
Be a Good Samaritan:
- Before you drop it off, give it a full charge. It may be a few hours before the rightful owner can pick it up.
How to set up the Emergency Information on your iPhone:
- Click on Settings
- Then click on “Emergency SOS”
- Then select “Edit Emergency Contacts”
- From there you will be able to enter your emergency contact
Share this widely so people know what to do when they find a lost cell phone!
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Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.
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