How to track a stolen phone that is switched off

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Even when your smartphone is turned off, learn what to do and how to track a stolen phone that is switched off, tips here will increase the possibility of recovery of your phone


If you have had your Android phone stolen, the first thing you should do is to contact your service provider and find out what they can do for you. Often times, the thieves will turn off or switch off a stolen device so that it cannot be tracked. However, if they don’t know how to go about this process, there are steps that we can take on our end to help track down our phone.

First of all, check with your carrier-they may be able to provide some information or at least confirm that the line has been disconnected (and not just in an area with no coverage). In addition, use Google’s “Find my Phone” feature by going through their website or downloading their app on another smartphone;

If you installed, Pins Mobile Security application, a more reliable tracking solution than any google or other third-party tracking app, then tracking your becomes easier, all you have to do is to just login into your dashboard or tracking account and you will be able to see the exact time the phone was turned off plus the location of the phone.

So, the big question here is, can a phone be tracked when it is turned off?

Tracking a phone requires communication between the phone and a technology solution through which recovery information such as location is sent. Sometimes, this network either requires a GPS or a full internet to transmit data.

Most tracks rely on internet access to be able to relay information, what that implies is, if or when the phone is turned off, it won’t be able to use internet connectivity and as such won’t be able to relay any information back to the control server.

However, the mindset of a thief is to either be able to use the stolen phone or sell it off, so, it can only be turned off for just some time to discourage the owner of the phone from successfully tracking it and also to get away with the crime.

After a while, the phone will be turned off and there you will have your opportunity to see the location of the phone again if you have a tracking solution installed on the phone. If you do not have any installed, regardless of whether or not the phone is turned off, you won’t have information as there is no tool at all that will communicate with the phone.

What can you do to improve the chance of finding your phone when turned off?

  1. Ensure you have a tracking solution installed on your phone, we greatly recommend that you use the PMS App, it is the only proven app that works at all time
  2. Make sure you complete all settings and the setup process after installing the tracking software before the incident
  3. When your phone is stolen, immediately login into your account page to either start monitoring the location or remove files on your phone that you don’t want in the wrong hands
  4. Wait for a while, the phone will be eventually turned off
  5. Pick the time, location, and date the phone is turned back on (available for PMS app users alone)
  6. Report with this data to the Police for recovery of your phone

The chances of tracking and finding a phone that has been turned off rely a lot on the preventive measure you have put in place to increase your chance of tracking and finding your phone before the incident. That is why you must have a tracking solution installed on your phone.

If you’re looking to track the location of your phone, then this app is for you. Unlike other tracking third-party apps like google or tinder, Pins Mobile Security gives an exact time and place when someone turned off their device plus a map of where they were last located. It is more reliable than any other application out there on the market today!

The Pins Mobile Security app gives you a more accurate and reliable way of tracking your phone. If it turns off, just log in to the dashboard or account and see which location is last recorded with pinpoint accuracy!

Losing your phone is a nightmare. You go through the usual steps to find it, but there’s nothing- you’re left in an infuriating limbo of not knowing what happened and feeling completely helpless. But with patience, which admittedly isn’t one of our strong qualities as humans, you can still track down that missing device using the right tracking solution

Again, patience is a key strategy in tracking a stolen phone that is turned off, as long as you have a tracking application on the phone, you can always find the phone easily.

Oludare Junaid

I am a cybersecurity expert with more than 4years of experience in Nigeria’s smartphone cybersecurity space. During these years, I have personally seen more than 1000 cases of smartphone theft, and I will be sharing with you tips that can ensure you are never a victim of theft. If it ever happens, you can also increase the chances of tracking and find it.