Somehow yous lost your Windows Phone. It might accept been stolen, or it could be downwardly the back of a chair in your local pub. How will you get it back? Hopefully, you enabled the native Discover My Phone setting before y'all were separated from your telephone. If y'all did, you can now use the web-based service to retrieve it.

Impact Of A Lost Windows Phone

Information technology might be the opinion of some that a lost Windows Phone device isn't all that large a deal. After all, they're non exactly iPhones or Samsung Galaxys, are they?

Well, that's non really an argument. Regardless of the operating organization, Windows Phone 8 handsets take a loftier specification, especially those produced by Nokia. While the operating organisation isn't then swollen that it has a need for annihilation above a quad core CPU at present, there are other aspects to consider, such as high definition displays, storage space and bombardment life.

When it comes to Nokia devices, and then there is also the added element of the camera, which is supported by a Carl Zeiss lens and superb prototype processing software and the selection of impressive camera apps. Phones such as the Nokia Lumia 920, 925, 1020 and higher have remarkable cameras as good as – if non meliorate than – those on other devices.

Your lost Windows Phone might contain your personal data. It might accept a collection of recently-snapped photos, vital emails and documents and apps that are a lifeline to your piece of work. Losing a Windows Phone tin can be as devastating as losing a phone running any other productive operating organization – with deject applications installed, it could exist as risky as losing a desktop computer.

Enabling The Find My Phone Service

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While y'all won't find any third party tracking apps like Prey for Windows Phone, Microsoft offers the Find My Phone service for Windows Phone owners. The service is the same for Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone eight devices, and requires that you lot enable the options in Settings > Find My Phone. The service uses triangulation technology to locate information technology, so you don't demand to worry well-nigh having mobile Net activated - as long equally the phone isn't in airplane mode, everything should work fine.

Finding a Lost or Stolen Windows Phone Device

With the Discover My Telephone selection enabled (see higher up), y'all can launch the retrieval process whenever yous lost sight of your device.

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The first affair you should exercise is log into www.windowsphone.com and select Discover My Phone via the drop-downwardly menu.

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You will then see a map, and the estimate location of your phone volition be displayed. Diverse factors bear on the precision of this feature; for case, if the phone was stolen, it might still exist in transit, which makes information technology tricky to discover until it stops moving.

In one case you know where your phone is geographically, there are three things that y'all can do to retrieve or disable it.

Ring Your Phone

If your phone is somewhere close by, the sensible arroyo would be to ring it. Of course, on the off chance that you don't have another phone to manus, or cannot guarantee you will observe it before the phone rings out, Find My Phone offers a useful Ring feature, which sends an instruction to your Windows Phone to play a special ringtone reserved for this purpose.

Y'all shouldn't have much problem tracking downward the handset with this feature, equally long as information technology'due south within hearing distance. This alert also plays at total volume, overriding vibrate mode or depression volume settings.

Remotely Lock Your Phone

Of form, the state of affairs may be more desperate; it could exist that your telephone is in the hands of someone you do not trust, or has been left in a position where information technology can easily be found.

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The Lock option allows you to display a custom message on your phone's screen and prepare a new 4-digit Pin that will be required to unlock the device. Yous volition also have the option to ring the phone when it is locked, then that it attracts attention.

Given that the majority of people are honest, in that location is a good chance that the device will exist spotted, the message read and your Windows Telephone will be returned. We tin recall of seven reasons why someone might return your lost phone, so don't be disheartened – your phone may well come back.

Erase Your Windows Telephone

The concluding option is, of course, the well-nigh devastating. In social club to protect your data (including admission to more data via your telephone's SkyDrive app), you should utilize the Erase tool to remotely reset your phone. This reverts the handset to mill settings, and will result in the Find My Phone service existence unable to runway information technology.

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Naturally, this is only for desperate situations, and for you to employ the erase choice yous must check the box labelled I'm sure! Delight erase my phone now before proceeding with the Erase button.

Tackle Thieves With This Native Windows Telephone App!

The Windows Phone tracking app is uncomplicated to apply, enabling y'all to quickly find, trace and if necessary, erase your device should it be lost or stolen. If you've prepared your device correctly and perhaps sent a polite screen message, someone might find and render information technology. Afterwards all, it'south not that hard to return a lost phone.

For the best results with this service, even so, y'all should put yourself in a position of never having to utilise information technology.

Did you ever need to utilize the Detect My Telephone service? How did it become?

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