How to Find a Phone Without a Google Account [Tested Methods, 2025]

Although a Google account allows you to use the Find My Device app and Google Maps, there are other location tools that you can use without an account. These include mobile brand and carrier locators and phone trackers, among others.

I spent the last month trying to find the best possible options to help people locate their lost phones. As it turned out, 70 million smartphones are lost each year, with only 7% recovered.

When the same situation happened to me, I wanted to use Google’s “Find My Device” feature. However, I couldn’t access my account, and I thought this could be the case for many others.

So, the question arose: can you find a phone without a Google account for free? That means without Google Find My Device and Google Maps as they all are connected. And what if you can’t access them?

The good news is that there are several options, although they are all tied to specific “ifs.”

In this article, I’ll explain the most efficient ways to find a lost or stolen phone and protect your personal information after testing everything myself. Read on.

Comparison Table of Methods

Just for your convenience, I broke down every single method to display their effectiveness and ease of use:

Use Your Phone Brand’s Find My Phone App

Effectiveness: high, but the features should be enabled beforehand.

What I find universal is one feature that makes a Google account not that important. Major smartphone brand manufacturers created their own “find my device” feature. You can use such a locator on Samsung, Huawei, or Xiaomi.

Let’s start with Samsung and its SmartThings Find. In fact, with this service, you can locate any of the company’s gadgets.

To track your Samsung Galaxy without a Google account:

• go to SmartThings Find website, sign in, and select Track location on the right side;
• when you choose Start, SmartThings Find will begin sending you GPS updates;
• if the device is off, you’ll see the last known location and can turn on the “Notify me when found” feature.

If the data on a lost Android phone is too sensitive or essential, you can make the tough decision to erase it all. Personally, I suggest just limiting access to it by locking your device screen and keep looking for it.

Another widely used brand, Xiaomi, offers their Find My Phone feature. You can use it to track your Mi phone without a Google account.

• Go to https://i.mi.com/, sign in, press “Find device” to see the location, and turn on Lost mode to prevent unlocking by a stranger;
  
• If your device is off, change your password on https://id.mi.com/;
• Can’t sign in? Reset your security data.
  

Huawei also has its methods for finding lost phones. The course of action would be similar:

• Go to https://cloud.huawei.com/;
• Log in with the HUAWEI ID that you logged in with on your lost device;
• Then tap “Find my Device”.

The steps described work for any lost or stolen device connected to your Samsung, Xiaomi, or Huawei account.

Important: Always enable tracking features beforehand to spot the phone’s real-time location.

Send a Message to a Lost Phone

Effectiveness: moderate; it depends on the person who found your phone.

If a kind stranger finds your gadget, make it easy for them to return it. You can text your own number from a friend’s phone, but a service like Scannero helps you do this more professionally.

Choose the Find Lost Phone (Message to lost phone) feature on Scannero.io and fill out the form: write a message, suggest a reward, and add your name, alternative phone number, and contact email.

Try Scannero.io

This method depends on the finder’s honesty, so… fingers crossed. Hopefully, the finder will answer your friends’ messages, and you’ll have your property back.

This is an easy thing to do. But you should always file a police report first — this is a security measure. They will limit access to your Android device and save your essential information.

How to Find a Lost Phone with a Smartwatch

Effectiveness: high if the phone is turned on and nearby.

I know that people “lose” their phones quite often, even in the environment they know well. It happened to me as well, and I usually used my smartwatch to track my phone. Of course, it has to be connected via Bluetooth before it is lost to be able to monitor it.

Many smartwatches have a “Find Phone” feature that triggers a ringing sound. The point is that it should not be a Google Find My Device feature that works only with a Google account.

However, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Huawei smartwatches connected to the brand’s account do help. You might be able to find your device nearby — 30 feet max. To do that, tap the Find My Phone icon on the smartwatch screen.

On the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, it looks like a search icon.

Some smartwatches even allow you to erase information on your Android device. But I would rather use it to locate my phone since it should be in proximity.

Phone Carrier Locators

Effectiveness: high.

When I tried to find my device without a Google account for free, I remembered about my phone carrier’s services. My AT&T has the Secure Family app, Verizon offers Smart Family, and T-Mobile — the Family Where app.

So, check this feature in your online account through the carrier’s website to see whether it can locate your phone.

Anyway, you can contact your mobile service provider and ask to suspend your service. Besides, carriers can provide your device’s last known spot based on network data even without your account, which may be helpful to your further search.

There are several ways to contact your service provider:

• customer service hotline;
• carrier’s website, where you can leave a message;
• an in-person visit to a carrier store.

Can I Track a Lost Phone by the IMEI Number?

You can’t find your device all by yourself with an IMEI. You need to contact authorized entities like law enforcement, which can track a mobile with the IMEI number. Why? Because IMEI tracking requires access to cellular network data, which is controlled by mobile carriers and law enforcement agencies.

So, the first thing you need to do is check your IMEI number on the phone’s box and file a report to protect your data. The phone carrier or the police will block your phone from using any network or even help you to recover it (best-case scenario).

It is also known as blacklisting — even if someone uses a new SIM card, it won’t work on your device.

Use Parental Control Apps to Track a Kid’s Lost Phone

Effectiveness: high, but needs to be previously installed.

Kids lose things all the time, including smartphones, even expensive ones. That’s one of the reasons to use parental control apps. But it should be installed and work on their phone permanently to find it when it’s lost or stolen.

So, to find a kid’s device without a Google account, you can use one of these, like mSpy. The app shows the accurate position of your kid’s phone, be it lost or stolen.

Besides, mSpy lets you set up safe zones. You will receive alerts when the Android leaves safe areas — for example, too away from school or home. Thus, you may know that someone stole your kid’s phone.

Try mSpy

Moreover, with mSpy you can monitor the app usage, calls, and messages, which can help find stolen property.

Conclusion

As you can see, to find a phone without a Google account, Google Find My Device and Google Maps is possible: with mobile brand or phone carrier locators, smartwatch, or third-party apps like Scannero and mSpy.

In any case, always take preventive measures: enable the necessary features on your devices, use parental control app for kids, have your IMEI written outside the phone.

At the end of the day, be safe and keep your phone with you. And if something happens, HeyLocate is always ready to advise you.