“We will use information received from complainants. James Cadigan, RNC media relations officer, is a daily user of cellphone apps, and Find My Phone, in particular, has made its way into policing. The apps are only as accurate as you set your GPS location services, which can still be stunted by being around tall buildings, heavily wooded areas and parking garages.įind-my-phone apps may be able to find your phone, but they can’t ensure you get it back. It can be accurate up to 20 metres for Find My Android, and Find My iPhone has a range of accuracy settings. The location of your phone through GPS is also not completely accurate. And it’s because of the apps’ limitations, which some may not know about.įind-my-phone apps use GPS, cellphone towers and nearby Wi-Fi networks to pinpoint your phone’s location, but to be able to use those services a user must have their location services turned on beforehand. Police were unable to act without proof of the phone on the property, even though the location was showing on the app. I had to rely on the kindness of a friend, who gave me their old phone, and I had to pay off a contract on a month-old phone. I didn’t get my phone back, and the next day the phone died, so the police could no longer track it. That’s where the story ends and the struggle begins. With the car in the driveway and the house lights on, all signs pointed to someone being home. John’s, an RNC officer and I knocked on the door. When the phone was showing on Find My Android at a house in the Goulds area of St. I was out for the evening and my phone went missing from my jacket pocket.

It’s a frustrating situation I experienced recently.

But what happens once you get to the doorstep of who allegedly stole it? If the phone is showing it’s at a certain location, you can try to retrieve it yourself or contact the police. Imagine you’re watching your phone on a map heading down beside your local pizza place and stopping at a house - somebody may have stolen your phone and you’re watching them get away with it. While those find-a-phone apps are handy, they aren’t guaranteed to reunite you and your phone, as I found out. Lots of people get lucky and have an honest person return a lost cellphone to the rightful owner.īut I’m not alone among those who’ve had their phones stolen or lost, with the finder not turning out to be a Good Samaritan. Your phone has been stolen and a find-my-phone app located it.

Find my samsung phone lost