If your Windows Phone 8 device is
ever lost or stolen, you can use the Find My Phone feature to locate
it. This feature enables you to locate your phone by forcing it to ring
(even if it is on silent or vibrate mode) or by displaying the phone’s
location on a map. You also have the option of locking the phone or
erasing its contents.
Prerequisite Requirement
To use the Find My Phone feature, your phone must be linked to a Microsoft account.
Although anyone with cellular service can use
the Find My Phone feature, it is a good idea to review your phone’s
configuration. Options exist that can help to improve your phone’s
location accuracy in case you ever need to track down your phone. You
can access these configuration options by going to the Settings screen
and tapping Find My Phone.
The Find My Phone screen
contains two options. The first option is Send Apps to My Phone Using
Push Notifications (Not SMS). You don’t normally have to enable this
option unless instructed to do so by Microsoft support.
The other option is Save My Phone’s Location
Periodically and Before the Battery Runs Out to Make It Easier to Find.
Using this option might help you locate a lost phone more quickly, but
enabling this feature can have an impact on battery life because the
phone is required to periodically transmit location information.
Finding Your Phone
You have a few different options for finding
your phone. You can force the phone to ring, or you can display its
location on a map. You also have the option to lock your phone or
remotely erase its contents. To access these features:
1. From your computer, go to www.windowsphone.com and log in using your Microsoft account.
2. Click the Windows Phone drop-down list.
3. Click the Find My Phone link.
4. Click Find My Phone.
5. When prompted, verify your phone number and select the check box authorizing Microsoft to find your phone.
6. Click Done.
7. Click Find My Phone again. After you do so, your phone’s location is displayed on a map.
Your Experience May Differ
The steps listed here were based on using the
Nokia 920, but users of some other makes and models of phones have
reported a slightly different experience.
Other Location Options
Although mapping your phone’s location is the
primary method for finding your phone, it isn’t the only option
available. The other options on the Find My Phone screen include these:
Ring: Force the phone to
ring nonstop for 1 minute, even if the phone is on silent or vibrate
modes. To silence the ring, turn the phone’s display off and back on.
Lock: Use this option to
lock your phone. You can even use this option to put a Please Return
message on the phone’s lock screen. You can also add a PIN to the
phone, even if you hadn’t previously created one. There is even an
option to ring the phone as you lock it.
Erase: Reset the phone to
its factory settings. You’ll lose any data you have on the phone, but
you also prevent anyone else from accessing it.
