Does somebody steal your phone? Are you wondering whether Android phones can be tracked after a factory reset or not?
Do not worry, in this article I will clear your doubts, and I will also let you know how you can get your lost or stolen Android phone back even if it has been factory reset.
So without wasting much time let’s start!
Quick Navigation
- Can Android Phone Be Tracked After Factory Reset?
- Can A Phone Be Tracked Without A SIM Card & Factory Reset?
- How To Avoid Getting Your Phone Stolen?
- What To Do When Your Cell Phone Is Lost?
- FAQs
Can Android Phone Be Tracked After Factory Reset?
Thieves have become smarter these days, they know what to do the moment they steal your cell phone. They know that doing a factory reset will limit the options for finding the phone. As a result, they try to reset it as soon as possible. But for you, it is not good news, and if your Android cell phone has got stolen then you must be wondering: Can Android phone be tracked after factory reset?
Well, you do not have to give up yet. Yes, an Android phone can be tracked even after it has been factory reset, however, there is a condition to it. The stolen phone can only be tracked if the phone has a SIM card inserted in it.
You will not be able to get the exact location of your Android cell phone but will be able to narrow down its location to an area.
Let me tell you how it works and how you can get your cell phone back. If your Android phone has a SIM card then the SIM card will connect to the nearby cellular tower in order to make and receive calls. When it does, then it will transmit your cell phone information like IMEI number with the signals, which you can use to find your lost Android phone.
This way, you will be able to locate your lost cell phone even if it has been factory reset.
Moreover, if your cell phone still has a SIM card then you can also use the following two methods as well.
1) You can use GEOfinder.mobi to hack the cell phone location by link. You simply have to send a text message containing the link to your cell phone number. Once the thief clicks on the link, you will be able to get the exact location of your cell phone.
2) You can hack the phone location by sending a text message. However, you will not get the precise location and only get a general idea of the whereabouts of your phone.
Can A Phone Be Tracked Without A SIM Card & Factory Reset?
Now the question that you must be wondering is: Can a phone be tracked without a SIM card & factory reset?
As discussed, if your stolen phone does not have a SIM card then it will not be able to transmit signals to the network tower. As a result, you will not be able to track your stolen Android cell phone if it does not have a SIM card and has been factory reset.
How To Avoid Getting Your Phone Stolen?
Now that you know it is nearly impossible to track the lost or stolen phone after a factory reset and no SIM card. So let me now tell you how you can avoid getting your phone stolen in the first place and what you should do to get it back even if it gets stolen in the future.
1) Turn On Find My Device
The first thing that you should do is turn on the Find My Device option on your Android cell phone. This feature is provided by Google and you can use it to know your cell phone’s location once it gets stolen. Not only this, but you can also lock your cell phone remotely and delete its data if you want.
However, the only drawback of this method is that it will not work if your phone gets factory reset.
2) Install A Cell Phone Tracker App
You can install a cell phone tracker app if you think your cell phone can get stolen. With a cell phone tracker app, you will be able to locate it, delete its data, make it ring, etc. remotely once it gets stolen.
The best part of using this is that you can prevent it from getting uninstalled even if someone tries to factory reset your Android phone. This can be done by giving the cell phone tracker app system permissions.
What To Do When Your Cell Phone Is Lost?
At last, let me tell you what you should do if your cell phone gets stolen.
1) Change Your Passwords
The first and foremost thing that you should do is change all your important passwords. This includes banks, different accounts, social media, etc. We generally do not log out of apps and accounts on our cell phones, which can be misused by thieves if they get access to your cell phone.
Immediately change all your important passwords once you get to know that your cell phone is stolen.
2) Report It To The Police
The next thing that you should do is report the theft to the Police. If your cell phone gets stolen then you need to report it to the Police. By doing this, you will get two benefits:
- Firstly, the Police might find your stolen Android cell phone.
- Secondly, sometimes thieves make use of stolen cell phones to do crimes. And if they try to do the same with your cell phone then you might get arrested if you have not reported it being stolen. Therefore in order to not go to jail for a crime that you do not commit, you should report that your cell phone has been stolen to the Police.
3) Delete Its Data
Our cell phones contain a lot of important data, right? So the next thing that you should do is delete all the data from your cell phone that you think is important. If you have turned on the Find My Device feature on your Android cell phone then you can do this easily. Or you can also do it if you have installed a cell phone tracker app.
Delete your data when you can because if your cell phone gets factory reset then doing it will be nearly impossible.
FAQs
Can Someone Track A Factory Reset Phone?
Yes, a factory reset cell phone can be tracked if it has a SIM card.
Does Factory Reset Remove Tracker?
No, a factory reset will not remove the tracker if it has system permissions.
Can You Track An Android Phone Remotely If It Gets Stolen?
Yes, you can track an Android cell phone if it gets stolen but has not been factory reset.
