Ranking updated
Apps to find a lost phone
The best way to find a lost phone is the service its maker already built in, and it is worth setting up before you need it. Find My from Apple shows your iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and AirTags on a map, plays a sound and can lock or erase a lost device. Find Hub from Google does the same for Android phones, tablets and headphones, even when they are offline. Tile works the other way round: press the button on a Tile tracker and your phone rings, even on silent.
How we picked: the find-device apps from Apple and Google themselves and a tracker app from a seller shown as a trader in the App Store, with features from each app’s own description. We skipped lookalike phone finder apps from unrelated sellers.
Find My: iPhone, AirPods and AirTag
Find My shows your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods, your Family Sharing devices and AirTags on a map with directions in Apple Maps. Nearby, it plays a sound, and Precision Finding gives distance and direction to an AirTag. Far away, the anonymous and encrypted Find My network helps track the device down. You can put a device in lost mode to lock it and show a message, erase it remotely, or share an item’s location with others, including airlines.
Find Hub: Google’s finder for Android
Find Hub shows your phone, tablet, headphones and other accessories on a map, even if they are offline. It plays a sound to find a device nearby, lets you remotely secure or erase a lost one and add a message to its lock screen, and works on supported Wear OS watches. Google says location data in the Find Hub network is encrypted and not visible even to Google.
Tile: ring your phone from your keys
Tile pairs with Tile trackers on keys, bags or wallets. Double press the button on a Tile and your phone rings, even on silent. Out of Bluetooth range, the app shows the Tile’s most recent location on a map, and the Tile Network can notify you when someone passes your lost item. To share live location with family, see family locator apps.
| App | Finds | If it is lost | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find MyApp Store | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirTag | play a sound, lost mode, remote erase, share item location | iOS |
| Find HubGoogle Play | Android phone, tablet, headphones, accessories, even offline | play a sound, secure or erase, lock screen message | Android |
| TileApp StoreGoogle Play | items with a Tile tracker, and your phone from the Tile | ring the phone even on silent, last location on a map | iOS, Android |
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a lost iPhone?
Use Find My on another Apple device: it shows the iPhone on a map, plays a sound and can lock or erase it.
How do I find a lost Android phone?
Use Google Find Hub: it shows the phone on a map even if it is offline and can secure or erase it remotely.
Can I make my phone ring when it is on silent?
Yes. With Find My or Find Hub you can play a sound, and with Tile you double press the tracker button to ring the phone even on silent.