Daily BrewWhat's the right way to find a stolen cellphone? Always call the cops
Just a few days ago, Brampton, Ontario native Jeremy Cook did something we can all relate to - he misplaced his smartphone. Unfortunately, that mistake ultimately cost him his life.
According to reports, Cook, 18, left his phone in a taxi over the weekend and traced it electronically to an address on Highbury Avenue in London, Ontario. When Cook and a relative showed up to the address, an altercation ensued over the device and the three men started to drive off. Cook jumped on the hood of the car and was shot multiple times.
While this case of lost property is on the extreme end of the spectrum, Sgt. Peter Leon of the Ontario Provincial Police mentioned situations like this do not have to be faced alone, "I cannot stress enough that no one should go about this by themselves. The police are there and are always willing to do what can be done to help out all members of the public, no matter what the matter may be."
Sgt. Leon also added that even users who have proactively taken steps to locate their device should get the police involved.
"When someone has the ability to electronically track an electronic device, the police should always be part of the process," he said. "Whether it is stolen or misplaced, the safety of the public is a priority and paramount and the police will work with the rightful owner who is attempting to re-acquire their property."
"If the property cannot be located, the police can always take a report, enter the item onto CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) and offer suggestions as to what the person can do next such as contacting their provider and having the device shut down so that they do not incur any unnecessary costs or bills," he said.
If you do happen to misplace your smartphone we've provided a couple of tips Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone users you can use to try and locate it. Take note, these tips are only for locating and securing your device. If someone made off with it, take Sgt. Leon's advice and get the police involved.
The latest Android OS has some built in features that'll make finding your device a whole lot easier. If your smartphone is connected to the internet and logged into a Google+ account, you can easily track its whereabouts by simply typing in "where is my phone" into Google.
Google will then pinpoint your phone's location and give you a couple options such as ring, lock and erase. A big plus of Google's security system is that it also deters theft by associating hardware with a registered Google+ account. In doing so, thieves can't simply wipe your phone and start fresh. This extra layer of protection is fantastic and, best of all, it's enabled by default.
If you accidentally misplaced your iPhone or iPad, Apple also included a few built in measures you can use to aid in its recovery. The 'Find My iPhone' feature (must be enabled manually) allows you to track, lock or erase your device remotely once you sign in through icloud.com/find.
One of the neat features here is the 'Lost Mode' option which can be enabled remotely on a PC, Mac or from another Apple device using the Find My iPhone app. Enabling this setting will locks the device with a four digit passcode, displays a custom message on the lock screen and keep tabs on its whereabouts. In addition, the ability to make purchases using Apple Pay is suspended until 'Lost Mode' is disabled.
BlackBerry users also have some security measures available should their device go missing. Devices running the BlackBerry 10 operating system should already have the BlackBerry Protect app installed which lets users ring, track, lock and erase the smartphone from the Protect website.
Much like the iOS features, locking the device remotely displays a message right on the home screen so contact information is easily visible. Worst case scenario, you can wipe the device entirely to protect sensitive information.
Windows Phone owners have similar features should their device fall into the wrong or unsuspecting hands. Signing into the account.microsoft.com/devices page will give you the tools to track, ring, lock or erase your smartphone.
Unlike the competitors above, Windows smartphones have a couple of extra features that you'll want to enable. First, you'll want to make sure the option to allow push notifications (not SMS) to send commands to your device is turned on. Doing this lets you send unlimited messages to your smartphone and can conserve text messages for those who don't have an unlimited plan. Second, you'll want to enable the setting that allows the phone to save its location periodically and before the battery runs out.
