How to Return a Lost Phone to Its Rightful Owner

If you ever lost your mobile phone, you would know how stressful it can be. All your life’s moments may be there in your phone, along with your confidential data such as bank accounts, personal messages, images, videos, etc. If you ever lost your phone, you could also imagine how painful it would be when someone else loses their phone. If you find a lost phone, you will most probably want to return it to its rightful owner. However, this can be a bit tough, as people nowadays usually lock their phone. Unless there’s a welcome message that reveals the owner’sidentity, you will find it difficult to return the phone to its owner. Nonetheless, there are some ways in which you can contact the owner of the lost phone. Here are some things you can do to return a lost phone to its owner.

Stay where you found the phone: Unless someone deliberately dropped their phone, they are most likely to come looking for it. They will try to retrace their journey to find the lost phone. So, when you stay in the place where you found the phone, it is possible that the owner may come looking for it.

Leave the phone on and make sure it’s charged: The owner will most likely call to his lost phone number to locate it. If you switch off the phone or if the phone’s battery drains out, you will not be able to communicate withthe owner. If the owner calls, you can fix a meeting and return the cellphone to the owner.

Try dialingthe emergency number: If the owner has emergency numbers, you can access and call them even from a locked screen. The ‘Emergency’ link is there on both Apple and Android phones.

Ask the digital assistant: The digital assistant Siri in iPhones can actually tell you about the owner. You can access Siri from a locked screen and ask “whose phone is this?” However, this feature is not available in Android phones. In case of an android phone, you can try other commands such as ‘call mom’ or ‘call home’.

Take a photo or set a reminder: Both iOS and Android phones allow you to take photos from locked screen. You can write your phone number on a piece of paper or your hand and take a photo of the same. Phone data is often synced with other linked devices, so the owner may be able to access the photo you took. You can also set reminders from the lock screen and input your phone number as the title. This too will be accessible to the owner on connected devices.

If nothing works, you will have to wait for the owner to call the lost phone. Make sure the phone is charged and switched on at all times. If you don’t get any response after a week or more, then it would be safe to deposit the lost phone with the police.