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I must have dropped my phone along a mile section of the Llandegla blue / new red berm bits yesterday. I remember taking some photos, stuffing it in my pocket to catch up with the family and then a mile or so later it was missing as the pocket zip was broken
The 'find my phone' function indicates it's still in the forest, but basically can I get it to tell me it's location with its GPS ?
Plan B is going back and using the find my phone noise, if the battery still has charge.
https://www.google.com/android/find
Is the Google site to check where it is. It depends on the feature being turned on, plus there's an extra setting for a phone to send its last location before the battery dies.
Samsung also has a similar feature, not sure about others.
Good luck!
Edit - just reread, you've already used this. No, not aware you can remotely get the GPS coords. There might be an app, but not after the event. My 'find my' location is pretty accurate though?
IIRC when using a Windows PC on the Google Play store, I could select a device to install an app on, phone/tablet
(I don't get that option anymore on a Chromebook though)
Whether or not it would still need to be activated on the phone, or allow certain permissions, I don't know. But it would definitely use some much needed battery life.
The Find My Device on your Google account will also tell you how much battery life is left
If a phone rings in the forest and nobody is around to hear it does it make a sound.
Sorry for that, couldn't resist, anyone got a metal detector is your next post.
Thanks.
I think the phone signal is poor and that there is only one signal mast. This puts the location to that of that one mast, which is the radius of a couple of miles.
I did pedal back up the track to look for it, but suspect it bounced into the heather / undergrowth so nowhere to be seen / heard.
I was with the family, who had got a bit cold by then, so couldn't spend too long looking.
Thanks anyway.
Got a connected watch or headphones, walk the trail, see if they connect?
I have a Garmin Fenix 5 plus, but not sure I could work that out.
Would I pick up its WiFi signal with another phone ?
Yes, in theory, the Garmin when in range of your lost phone will connect via Bluetooth. Might reduce the search area a bit if you can spot it connecting on the Garmin. Then ring the mobile.
Don't think it would work with another phone 'cos you have to enable pairing mode on yours.
If the Bluetooth is on you could probably find it by scanning with another phone. If your Garmin syncs then will it buzz when it gets in range of your phone?
If its a Samsung then the Smart Things app can highlight where your devices are on another phone/tablet, etc.
Can you go back with another phone and try calling it?
If its a Samsung then the Smart Things app can highlight where your devices are on another phone/tablet, etc.
Can you go back with another phone and try calling it?
I will go back with another (work) phone to use the 'find my phone' noise feature, but reception isn't good in that part of the forest, so fingers crossed.
It's an old phone but I feel uncomfortable polluting the forest by leaving it there.
If the Bluetooth is on you could probably find it by scanning with another phone. If your Garmin syncs then will it buzz when it gets in range of your phone?
I think the Bluetooth was turned off.
Had exactly this two weeks ago when my youngest lost his phone after a night out. The Google find my phone gave an approximation of his timeline & threw a circle up half a mile across. The search area was impossible to navigate as he'd been off piste. His battery was at 9% and the phone was definitely still alive but in the time we had we couldn't find it & the co-ords didn't tighten up any prior to the battery dying.
I would say the one take-away for me was that using the ring function on the "find my phone" looked like it was working. Anyone with your number could ring the phone provided it wasn't set to silent whilst you looked. Using this method you're under time pressure to find it before the battery gives up.
Other than that you'll have to walk the route or rely on someone handing it back. You can remotely log out of your Google account & leave a message on the lock screen. If anyone finds the phone; charges it up & switches it back on the message will appear once it locks onto the network.
Good luck.
My Garmin popped off the bike in a tumble. Lost it.
Walked slowly back up the trail listening for its beep as it reconnected to the phone. Took a while but found it.
Thanks for the suggestions, I found it on the fourth pass !
There wasn't any internet reception in that part of the forest and I had turned the ringer volume off 🤫.
Should have added that almost all riders that passed me walking my bike asked if I was OK. Great hobby this.
Glad you found it OP.
Wouldn't it be great if the phone could automatically send a what3words location just before the battery died.
The Google "Find my device" already beats that by placing your device on google maps and giving you the lats and longs and directions, etc.
That aside, great news the OP's found their phone! 🙂
The Google “Find my device” already beats that by placing your device on google maps and giving you the lats and longs and directions, etc.
Yeah I haven’t used android for a few years but I’m sure it always used to give an accurate location?
The Apple version works within a few metres, thought it was the same.
Anyway, glad you found it 🙂
I think that 'find my device' only works with data reception.
I could ring my phone (being on silent didn't make this useful) but couldn't trigger the 'find my device' noise, which I had assumed was due to the lack of data reception. Would be good if it could be triggered by text.
Ah, I see the problem now!
binman
Full Member
I think that ‘find my device’ only works with data reception.
I might be imagining this but I think there are third party apps that can use just a text message to trigger the phone to ring or send a GPS location, if switched on.
I seem to remember installing such an app on my son's Android when he was younger.
I used the android Find My Phone thing to successfully (ish) find my lost phone
The GPS signal showed it to be near my house. The exact spot was actually about 50m away in the road, but showing it was off or no signal.
I thought "that's pretty accurate considering it's indoors" and continued to search the house high and low for it.
I checked all the obvious places. Then all the silly places like the fridge etc. Then went back through them again.
After an hour or two turning the house upside down I had a lightbulb moment, I should go and check in the road.
Sure enough, in the exact spot, was my phone, smashed and flattened by several hours of traffic.
I'd left it on the roof my my car as I drove off earlier!
Anyway it works, and in my case, is very accurate.
My mate lost his on rollercoaster. We 'found it' br riding all the bloody way back up, then coasting down the trail - at least it was on one section of track.