# Is there an app for this? \[Finding lost phone using laptop\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673 "2024-09-24T17:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/1 "2024-09-24T17:24:54Z")
Sometimes I put my phone down somewhere and then forget where it is. If somebody else is around, I can ask them to call my number and then locate my phone by the ringing. This doesn’t work when I’m by myself. I have to resort to finding my phone by the old-fashioned process of looking for it. It occurred to me that there might be a technological substitute. Is there an app I can install on my phone that will let me use my laptop to send a signal that will make my phone ring? Don’t need answer fast. My phone is right next to me. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/2 "2024-09-24T17:29:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It occurred to me that there might be a technological substitute. Is there an app I can install on my phone that will let me use my laptop to send a signal that will make my phone ring? I use the “Find My Device” app on my iPad Pro to find my phone and the same app on my iPhone to find my iPad Pro. It’s a great app, I use it almost daily. I have added things to it, like my keys (with AirTag). ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/3 "2024-09-24T17:30:43Z")
Yes this. Go to settings find it there. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/4 "2024-09-24T17:31:07Z")
Well, in Apple’s ecosystem, the ‘Find My’ iOS and desktop app along with a corresponding web interface allow you to locate your phone and force it to make pinging noises regardless of how the ringer volume is set. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/5 "2024-09-24T17:31:24Z")
My Apple Watch does this. I can also have my Google assistant call my phone. You could also set up a Google Voice phone number, and call your cell via your computer. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/6 "2024-09-24T17:33:08Z")
Lots of smart watches have find my phone functionality, so if you have a smart watch, use that. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/7 "2024-09-24T17:36:00Z")
There are “Find My Device” apps for both iOS and Android~search in your corresponding App Store. Google even offers a “Find My Device” for Androids. I have absolutely no experience with googles nor am I aware of friends’ experiences with it. > **[Find My Device](https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/identifier?opparams=%253Fkdi%253DCAMiCgoGZmluZGVyEAE&dsh=S1946609793%3A1727199361691980&access_type=online&client_id=289722593072-1tp4g48pf1nr2er5njssr3bdu24v0mi0.apps.googleusercontent.com&ddm=0&kdi=CAMiCgoGZmluZGVyEAE&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fandroid%2Ffind%2F&response_type=code&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fandroid_device_manager_limited%2Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fclient_channel%2Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fuserinfo.email%2Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fkeychain%2Fweb&service=lso&flowName=GeneralOAuthCookieLessFlow)** > > Find My Device makes it easy to locate, ring, or wipe your device from the web. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/8 "2024-09-24T18:27:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Is there an app I can install on my phone that will let me use my laptop to send a signal that will make my phone ring? As long as you have access to another device, why not just send it an email? Either send an email to an account that you know will have an audible alert or send text it via email.\* You could even set up a free google voice account and call it. \*From your phone (when it’s not lost), send a text to your email address. The reply-to address should allow you to send emails to your phone that will act like text messages. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/9 "2024-09-24T18:41:34Z")
**Moderating** Title changed to more accurately indicate the topic. Please use descriptive titles. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/10 "2024-09-24T18:50:51Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Google even offers a “Find My Device” for Androids. I have absolutely no experience with googles nor am I aware of friends’ experiences with it. Mrs. Geek lost my phone once. We weren’t sure where she lost it but thought it was probably at Walmart. I used the app and found that the phone was actually inside our house. Calling the phone didn’t help as the battery had died and the phone had shut itself off. The app showed the phone on a map of the area. You could tell that it was in our house but I don’t think it was accurate enough to show what room it was in. There are apps that you can use to send texts from a laptop. I have never used one so I don’t know how well they work. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/11 "2024-09-24T19:04:50Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > There are apps that you can use to send texts from a laptop. I have never used one so I don’t know how well they work. You don’t need an app to do that. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > From your phone (when it’s not lost), send a text to your email address. The reply-to address should allow you to send emails to your phone that will act like text messages. I can “text” my (verizon) phone by sending an email to [my phone number]@vtext.com ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/12 "2024-09-24T19:14:32Z")
You might consider getting a backup phone (less than $100 for the phone and $5 or less for a prepaid plan on a different carrier than your main one). This will be useful for more than just finding a phone; it will be useful if your phone quits working or there is a temporary carrier outage. > **[Compare Prepaid Phone Plans](https://prepaidcompare.net/)** > > Find the Best Prepaid Plan for Any Budget. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/13 "2024-09-24T20:02:56Z")
Another option would be to use something like Skype to call your phone from your laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/14 "2024-09-24T20:03:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderating** > > Title changed to more accurately indicate the topic. Please use descriptive titles. My bad. I didn’t notice how generic my thread title was until you revised it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/15 "2024-09-25T06:28:00Z")
I used to use Lookout Mobile phone finder. It’s an app for your phone, and when you lose it you log into their website and see your phone on a GPS map (or the last location it was in before the battery died). You can also make it sound a loud alarm, even if the phone is on silent. The app looks more involved now, with different security features, but maybe there’s still a free version you can use. About a dozen years ago, I was able to locate my daughter’s cell phone left in a diner in Idaho, and a waitress heard the alarm and saved it for her to retrieve. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/16 "2024-09-25T17:09:15Z")
I regularly use the Finder on my Apple watch. Even if the phone is muted (with the switch) it will give off the sonar pinging sound quite loudly, which saves running around. I have a problem with iPhones that when I pull it in or out of my pocket, I occasionally switch it to mute. (How, I don’t know… I just notice it is off from time to time). So phoning or texting may not work. A relative recounted once how many years ago they left their iphone on a store counter by accident, and presumably someone took it. They later retrieved it from a dumpster a few blocks away using the “find my” app. Presumably the light fingers person could not unlock it and threw it away. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/17 "2024-09-25T17:48:15Z")
Minor sidetrack… My hearing aid app has a “find my hearing aids” function. I laughed about this at my last audiologist visit. I said “My hearing aids are either in the charger, or in my ears. Where else would they be?” My audiologist explained that that function is not for people like me, it’s for people who only wear them occasionally. I guess you could forget where you left them, like some people forget where they put their keys, if you don’t wear them regularly. But still, they’d have to be on and the batteries not drained for that function to work, so I’m still not sure how it’s useful. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/18 "2024-09-25T19:25:57Z")
Or how well could you hear the finder alarm going off without your hearing aids in! ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/19 "2024-09-25T19:34:41Z")
Actually, it just shows you on a map. Which makes me think that maybe it just remembers the last location where they were connected to your phone. That way it wouldn’t matter if the batteries were dead or not. (And makes a lot more sense than my hearing aids having GPS.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673/20 "2024-09-25T19:50:00Z")
Could you let us know what kind of phone you are using? That would be immensely helpful. I’m in the Apple ecosystem, so I typically use the Find My app on my laptop, but if you have a smart speaker like Alexa, you can get that to ring your device, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-app-for-this-finding-lost-phone-using-laptop/1007673.md?page=2)