How to find DEAD phone

[jlautner]

My phone went missing two days ago. I started looking for it yesterday, when I realized it was missing, but didn't come upon the Plan B app until today. My phone is clearly dead by now and Plan B cannot locate it.

Is there any way to find a lost phone that has run out of juice?

 

[Bubsmash]

Not that I know of but who knows I am learning new things every day so who knows. There is a few things that you should do though if you think you lost your phone away from your place of residence where you live. First thing I would do is phone your provider to tell them that the phone has been lost they will run you through a process where they will place the phone as it being a lost or stolen phone.
I am not sure as to which provider you are with or what there policies may be like when a phone has been lost. You wouldnt want someone to find the phone and end up finding that you have to pay a big bill due to someone being able to crack in to use your phone. Keep your head up though another thing I did was a reported the phone as a lost or stolen phone also with the authorities I know myself due to the phone being a SIM card phone I do not think I will ever see the phone again.

 

[tcat007]

Look around... couch cushions, car, stores you visited... I'm sure you've done all that, but that's your only option (unless it was stolen). Optimus-V only $100 at Best Buy...

 

[UncleMike]

If someone else finds it, they'll probably plug it in, regardless of their intentions with regard to returning it. At that point, maybe Plan B will install and do its thing.

I know this doesn't help with an already dead phone, but on my son's phone I created a Tasker profile that sends me a text message with the phone's location after 24 hours of inactivity. Depending on how frequently you use your phone, you could shorten that time up. The idea is that the message comes through before the battery dies.

 

[Pinmac1]

That sounds like a great idea, unclemike. Any chance you could post the Tasker profile as I still struggle with setting them up.

 

[thatguy188]

If someone else finds it, they'll probably plug it in, regardless of their intentions with regard to returning it. At that point, maybe Plan B will install and do its thing.

I know this doesn't help with an already dead phone, but on my son's phone I created a Tasker profile that sends me a text message with the phone's location after 24 hours of inactivity. Depending on how frequently you use your phone, you could shorten that time up. The idea is that the message comes through before the battery dies.

That would be awesome. I'd love to know that Tasker profile too

 

[UncleMike]

That sounds like a great idea, unclemike. Any chance you could post the Tasker profile as I still struggle with setting them up.

Here's the profile that's actually in use now:

Context: Display Unlocked
Task:
Wait 1 Days
GPS On
Get Location [Source:GPS Timeout:100]
Variable Set %LOCAGE = %TIMES - %LOCTMS [Do Maths]
Send SMS [Number:Me Message:As of %LOCAGE seconds ago my location within %LOCACC meters is http://maps.google.com/maps?q=%LOC]
GPS Off

The link in the SMS brings you to Google Maps.

One thing to note is that the Collision Handling in the Task Properties must be set to "Abort Existing Task". (This setting is specific to each task, and won't affect your other tasks.) This way, each time the screen is unlocked, the existing task is aborted and the 1 day timer starts over. If the phone never goes 1 day without being unlocked, the task never completes and the message never gets sent.

I should probably do something to allow Network locations when GPS is not available (i.e. inside a building), and it would look something like this (but it's untested):

First, change Soure:GPS to Source:Any

Replace the Variable Set action with this:
If %LOCTMS > %LOCNTMS
Variable Set %LOCAGE = %TIMES - %LOCTMS
Variable Set %MYLOC = %LOC
Variabel Set %MYLOCACC = %LOCACC
Else
Variable Set %LOCAGE = %TIMES - %LOCNTMS
Variable Set %MYLOC = %LOCN
Variable Set %MYLOCACC = %LOCNACC
End If

Then, in the Send SMS action, replace %LOC with %MYLOC and replace %LOCACC with %MYLOCACC

 

[Pinmac1]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. I usually get an email but I didn't this time. Thanks so much for the detailed explanation but I'm afraid I got lost even on the existing profile. I was just beginning to get a bit of confidence in Tasker when they went and changed the interface and I can't find anything now. I have found the Display Unlocked but don't know where to find the wait command. I would be grateful for a little more help please.

 

[daveybaby]

One thing i have learnt over the years is that it will always be in the last place you look. So look there first.

 

[Achim]

One thing i have learnt over the years is that it will always be in the last place you look. So look there first.

Save yourself the trouble. It won't be there. As you said: "it will always be in the last place you look". So if you make the last place the first place you look it won't be there, of course. Because as you said: "it will always be in the last place you look"...

 

[UncleMike]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. I usually get an email but I didn't this time. Thanks so much for the detailed explanation but I'm afraid I got lost even on the existing profile. I was just beginning to get a bit of confidence in Tasker when they went and changed the interface and I can't find anything now. I have found the Display Unlocked but don't know where to find the wait command. I would be grateful for a little more help please.

The Wait action is in the Task category (it used to be in the Tasker category).

Each time the display is unlocked, a 1 day timer begins. If the display is unlocked again before the timer expires, the existing task is cancelled and a new 1 day timer begins. If the display is not unlocked again before the timer expires, the task turns on GPS, gets the current location, sends the location in an SMS to a specified number, and then turns GPS off.

As I indicated above, the trick to getting this to work is changing the task properties so that Collision Handling is set to Abort Existing Task. This can be done when you're editing the task, by tapping on the wrench icon. If you don't make this change, the new task will be aborted instead, and the timer will expire regardless of whether the display gets unlocked or not, and the message will be sent when we don't want it to be sent.