How to Find a Lost Samsung Phone [All Methods Tested, 2025]

Samsung has a dedicated Find My Mobile feature that allows you to locate your lost or stolen device. Otherwise, you can use the Google Find My Device service.

However, if you did not activate these features beforehand, you need other methods for finding your phone.

One of these methods is to use a phone number tracker or find the device’s last location on Google Maps Timeline. Since I’m a Samsung user myself, I’ll show you firsthand how different tools work when locating a Galaxy phone.

Comparison of Lost Samsung Tracking Methods

To understand which tool is better for locating a lost Galaxy phone, compare them in the table below.

Use Samsung Find My Mobile

Samsung Find My Mobile is a service that helps you find and lock Samsung devices remotely for free. The feature was integrated into the SmartThings Find network in February 2023.

Samsung Find My Mobile and Smartthings Find are already installed on your Samsung device. If you have a Samsung account, this feature has already been activated on your device. You can then locate a lost or stolen Galaxy phone on the SmartThings Find website.

If you don’t have a Samsung account and thus can’t use the Find My Mobile feature, scroll down to other methods to find your lost Samsung phone.

Second, you can put your phone in lost mode or use the Extend battery life option to keep your lost phone turned on for as long as possible when you are tracking it. Lastly, you can see the SIM card change history if your SIM card is removed.

To use Find My Mobile to find a Samsung phone:

1. Go to the SmartThings Find website and log in to your Samsung account. SmartThings Find will show you the connected devices on the left panel.
2. Click on the lost Samsung to see its location on a map. SmartThings Samsung showed me the general location of my phone, and it did not have directions to the missing phone.
   
3. To track live location, click on Track location > Start. SmartThings Find will start tracking your phone and update the map every 15 minutes.
   This feature is essential if the device is on the move. However, it can drain the phone’s battery faster. Thus, It’s not necessary to use it to see a stationary device.
   SmartThings Find will store your location tracking history for 7 days.
   
4. To protect your phone’s data, click Lost Mode > Turn On. This feature will lock your phone and display emergency contact information on the lock screen.
   It will also lock power off to prevent others from switching off your phone. The lost mode also locks the Samsung Pass. As such, Autofill passwords won’t be available when the device is locked.
   
5. If the device is nearby, click Ring. This will sound the lost device at the highest volume for one minute, even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
   When I used this feature, my Samsung rang, but I could quickly turn the sound off by clicking X. Thus, it may not be reliable if the phone is stolen since the person can easily stop it from ringing.
   
6. SmartThings Find will display the last known location if your phone is dead. This function works if you’ve enabled Send last location on Find My Mobile. Samsung SmartThings will send the device’s location to Samsung servers when the battery reaches 20%.
7. To extend the phone’s battery life, click the Extend battery life option > Extend. The phone will not back up data to the Samsung Cloud while being in maximum power-saving mode.
   
8. You can check if the SIM card has been changed by clicking on the three dots beside the device name. Then choose SIM card history. You will see the last time a SIM card was inserted. If the time is recent, it indicates that the SIM card was changed.
   
9. When you cannot find the missing Samsung device, use the Erase data option to factory reset your device. This feature erases all the data, but it may require two-factor authentication.

I found getting locked out of your phone easy, since two-factor authentication sends a code to the missing device. That is why it’s best to store your backup codes apart from your phone. You can input these codes to erase your data when it asks for two-factor authentication.

To get your backup codes before losing your phone, go to your Samsung account > Security and privacy > Two-step verification > Backup codes. Copy the codes so you can always have them when you need them.

Can Samsung Find My Phone Offline?

Samsung Find My Mobile can locate your phone if mobile data is disconnected using the find offline feature introduced in the February 2023 update. This function is available in Samsung phones running Android 8 or later.

When Find Offline is enabled, the phone will broadcast a signal that can be picked up by other Galaxy devices using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The devices create a mesh network to transmit the lost device’s location to SmartThings Find.

“Offline finding depends on your and other Samsung Galaxy devices having their Bluetooth turned on. It’s still possible, as many use Bluetooth constantly for connected devices like earbuds. You have a bigger chance of finding your phone offline in crowded locations, airports, or cafes.”

Why Does Samsung Find Not Show My Lost Galaxy?

Find My Mobile may not find your lost Samsung for several reasons. I asked our HeyLocate Android expert, Alex Dushyn, to comment on the most common problems.

“I lost my Galaxy phone, but when I went to SmartThings website, I couldn’t see it in the list of my devices. Why?”

Expert comment: Obviously, you turned off the Find My Mobile feature. While Find My Mobile is activated by default when you create a Samsung account, you may have accidentally turned it off, which will prevent it from finding your lost Samsung.

“I recently lost my phone and have been trying to find its location. But whenever I try to do so using smartfind, it doesn’t let me”.

Source: Samsung Community

Expert Comment: Samsung locate my phone services cannot find a phone if it’s turned off. You will see the last location the phone was before it turned off.

“I’m trying to find my lost Samsung, but it’s written ‘Offline’ near my device on the Samsung Find website. Why can’t I see at least the last location?”

Expert comment: Find My Mobile works as long as the phone is connected to the internet. If not, the offline finding feature must be on to continue transmitting the phone’s location. When internet connectivity and offline finding are disabled, you cannot locate the missing phone.

Try Google Find My Device

You can use Google Find My Device if you cannot find your lost or stolen Samsung on Samsung SmartThings. You need a Google account connected to the missing phone.

Honestly, there is a higher chance that you have a Google account than a Samsung account.

To use Find My Device to find a Samsung device for free:

1. Open https://www.google.com/android/find/ on a web browser, or use the Find My Device mobile app on the other phone.
2. Sign in to the same Google account (Gmail) as on the missing device.
3. Select your phone on the left pane. Find My Device will display its location on Google Maps.
   
   When I clicked on the pinned location, it opened a new Google Maps tab with the directions option. I found this feature to be great since it lets you navigate to the phone’s precise location.
   
4. Use the Play Sound feature to ring the device if it’s nearby. This feature can also be turned off by someone with your phone. Thus, it’s useful only if the phone is misplaced and not stolen.
   
5. Click Secure Device to lock the phone remotely using its PIN, pattern, or password. This will log you out of Google on the device, but you can still locate it. In addition, Find My Device will remove all your payment cards from Google Wallet.
   
6. If the device is offline, Google Find My Device will display its last known location. However, if you cannot track the phone, you can use the factory reset option to erase all data on it.

When you factory reset the phone, you will no longer be able to track it, so use it as a last resort to protect your data from falling into the wrong hands.

Can Google Find My Phone Offline?

Google Find My Device can find your phone offline if the Find your offline devices feature in Find My Device is turned on. This method works best in high-network areas like cafes, airports, and busy centers as it depends on the Bluetooth of other people’s devices if they use the Find My Device Network.

Why Does Google Not Show My Lost Samsung?

Google Find My Device may not work for several reasons. Here’s what our expert Alex Dushyn explains.

“Why does Google say that it can’t reach my device when I try to locate my phone? I lost my phone while I was home! I know the sound was off.”

Source: Quora

Expert comment: Like Find My Mobile, Google’s Find My Device only works with turned on devices. As long as your phone is switched on, Google can communicate with the device and tell you its status, such as whether it is offline. The phone must be turned off if you can’t see any status.

“I constantly have problems locating my daughter during her travels. She is on the list of my devices on Find My Device, but her location always interrupts.”

Expert comment: Find My Device depends on internet connectivity and cellular data to locate a device. If a person actively moves, especially internationally, uses the underground, or flies by airplane, your Find My Device report will be disrupted.

Send Message to Your Lost Phone

You can try finding a Samsung phone by sending a message to the lost device. This method works using a mobile number locator. Such a service can allow the person who finds the device to return it to you. Thus, it may work if the phone is missing but not stolen, and let’s be honest if it’s in good hands.

After researching the best online tools, I found Scannero to be the most reliable Samsung phone finder through a message.

To use Scannero mobile number tracker:

1. Go to the Scannero.io website and choose the Find Lost Phone feature in the menu. You will be asked to create an account. Use HeyLocate cheap trial for Scannero.
   
2. After you’ve created an account, click the Send Message to Lost Phone from the features on the left pane.
3. Enter the phone number to which you want to send a message and click Continue.
4. You will be asked to submit your name, email address, alternative phone number, and a reward for finding the phone.
   
5. Click Confirm and Send. Scannero will deliver a message saying “Please return my lost phone for the award you’ve listed.”
6. Scannero will confirm it has sent the message and notify you when the phone is located.

Try Scannero.io

Find Your Phone with Samsung Smartwatch

If you’ve misplaced your Galaxy phone somewhere nearby, using a Samsung smartwatch is a great way to find it. The watch will ring your device, allowing you to locate it using sound.

If paired to your phone, it works with any Samsung Galaxy watch, such as Galaxy Watch4, Watch5, Watch6, Watch7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra. Then, you can use the Find My Phone app as a Samsung phone locator.

We tested it with Samsung S24 Ultra (UI version 6.1, Android version 14) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 SM-R910 (One UI version 6.0, system version 14, OS version 5.0).

To use a Samsung smartwatch to find a Samsung phone:

1. Open the Apps tray by swiping down and click the Find My Phone app icon on the smartwatch. Note that it should be enabled beforehand.
2. Tap on Start to ring your connected phone. The device will start ringing at the highest volume until you hit X on the Galaxy watch to stop locating the smartphone.

“If your smartwatch can’t find your Samsung phone, it’s either turned off or out of Bluetooth range (usually, more than 10 meters away).”

Check Google Maps for the Last Known Location of a Lost Samsung

Google Maps has a timeline feature that can give you a phone’s location history. It can track where you’ve been over a long time, which means you can see past locations if you lose your phone.

Still, the Google Maps timeline feature should be enabled to collect your phone’s location history.

To check Google Maps for your phone’s last location:

1. Open the Google Maps website and tap your profile’s icon in the top-right corner.
2. Tap on Your Timeline > Today. It will open the calendar.
3. Click on the date you lost your Samsung to see the last known location.

Why Does Google Maps Timeline Not Show My Lost Samsung?

Google Maps may not show your lost Samsung for various reasons. I asked our Android guru to provide his expert comment on this topic too.

“Why can’t I see my phone’s location on Google Maps? I believe I left it somewhere, but I don’t know where. Is there a way to see where I dropped it?”

Expert Comment: Google Maps Timeline relies on your phone’s GPS to track your location. If the location services are turned off, you won’t see the phone’s position on Google Maps.

“Why is Google Maps not pulling my timeline? It’s becoming very frustrating because my phone is missing, and I think it’s off. It does not show any past locations, and I want to where my phone was stolen.”

Expert Comment: Google’s location history must be turned on so that Google can track and store your phone’s location data. If location history is turned off, Google will not store it during that period.

“I’ve just checked my phone’s past locations on Google Maps and can’t see any data. I’ve looked, and location history is on, but I can’t see my timeline.”

Expert Comment: Cached files on Google Maps could be preventing the timeline from working. You can purge these files by going to Settings > Apps > Maps > Storage and clicking clear cache.

Can I Find Samsung by IMEI Number?

You can find your Galaxy phone by IMEI but only with the help of the police. Online IMEI number trackers do not work. This is because IMEI tracking requires cellular tower triangulation and GPS services to find a lost Samsung phone.

When you report your Samsung phone as stolen, the police will work with your network operator to find it. But note that they will ask for your phone’s IMEI number. Thus, you need to have it before your phone is stolen.

To know your phone’s IMEI number, dial *#06# and copy it somewhere other than your phone. You can also check the phone’s box to see the IMEI number. Give the IMEI number to law enforcement.

This method can generally take a long time since it depends on the police busting criminals with stolen phones and checking the IMEI against a database of lost phones. Otherwise, real-time IMEI tracking can only happen with a court warrant.

You can also ask your mobile network provider to block the SIM so no one else can use it.

Conclusion

Indeed, Samsung has a great branded feature — Find My Mobile inside the SmartThings Find — for finding a lost Samsung phone. It allows you to locate the device, preserve its battery life, and even protect your data. With offline finding turned on, you may find the missing Samsung in busy locations.

Still, Google’s Find My Device can triangulate a phone’s location when you have a connected Google account.

If that didn’t help, a mobile number tracker can send a message to the lost phone, while Google Maps Timeline can go back in time and show you the last known location of your lost device.

If these methods don’t work, visit law enforcement for IMEI tracking or call your network provider to block the SIM card.