Of all the things that make us cringe, the prospect of losing our Smartphone is most jitter-worthy. They sure as hell cost a fortune but that’s not the only reason we fear them getting misplaced or stolen.

Our Smartphones are our daily diary of to-do tasks, our only way of rekindling the old connections, our time-killers while sitting idle in a bus/restaurant, and most essentially, they are the proof we are alive (Exaggerated? No, wait for some dear one not answering your call thrice in a row and then observe the kind thoughts that keep bouncing of the walls inside of you!)

Losing our phones can lead to a lot of disorientation and mess, not to mention the invasion of privacy as some really personal messages, images, documents are left at the mercy of someone we don’t know, can’t trust. Simply buying a new phone doesn’t suffice, even if you can afford a dozen. The lost documents and files are not coming back.

All is Not Lost. Not Yet.

For what they are worth, there is a multitude of Smartphone apps that are tailor-made to recover the lost or missing phones ,giving us a peace of mind we so long for. These are mindfully made and make use of the GPS features on the Smartphones to locate them. While of the tools come free of cost, there are others that will need you to shell out a reasonably high amount from your pocket. But, be rest assured, it is a wise investment. The anti-theft applications can go a long way in giving you an assurance that if some untoward incident leads you to losing your phone, it can be easily tracked and recovered.

Now, let’s put it without masking – iOS and Android are the two most sold platforms when it comes to Smartphones. They do occupy the largest chunk of market, and thus, we cite few examples of the apps of the respective platforms that should find a place in your phone urgently:

For iOS

Let’s take a look at some of the de facto best apps for location iOS-based phones:

Find My iPhone

For the folks who are novices to the world of location tracking apps, Find My iPhone is a beast! You might argue why didn’t I start with the most identifiable name, but that’s the point! Find My iPhone hardly needs an introduction.

Find My iPhone happens to be extremely user friendly and hardly takes few seconds for you to successfully locate your app. The app can be used to locate any device with iOS inside it, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Again, you have to get yourself registered with an account on iCloud. Log in to your account and as soon as you do that, the app will locate your phone for you. As the app progresses, you will see a number of messages flashed on your screen. Yes, there is always a catch with stolen phones – what if they are switched off? Well, Find My iPhone branches out and pinpoints the location of the phone the last time it was on. Upon locating the phone, the app pops a green dot on the map on the exact location. The remotely locating ability again makes this a must have app.

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iHound

To begin with, there is a difference if around 80 dollars between the price of Find My iPhone (which we will touch upon next) and iHound. Is that the only reason that should convince you to go with iHound? Most definitely, not. iHound is a pricelessly important application that has had its share of market over the past few years.

All you need to do is once your phone is stolen is to sign in to your iHound account and you will be able to see the transmitted location of the phone by the means of a map. What makes it even more useful is the siren alerts you can play remotely, getting the thief all panicked, or for that matter, the push notification you can send along with a custom message. While the app is freely downloadable, you will need to sign up for a three month subscription that costs $3.99.

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Device Locator

Another app with some amazing feedback from the iOS users, Device Locator makes locating iPhones and other iOS based devices a breeze. Apart from using the usual GPS technology, Device Locator also leverages cell tower triangulation to pinpoint the location of your phone. And it’s not just one device it can find at one instant, rather, this app can help you track more than one devices.

You can remotely send a message on your phone so that in case you have simply lost it somewhere and it’s with someone who has intentions to returning it to you can read the message. The app also enables you to sound an alarm, and this feature can also prove to be useful if you have simply misplaced it in your home.

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For Android

Android is undeniably among the most popular platforms in the realm of mobile devices, and due to an abundance of reasons. Therefore, the android community keeps coming up with tools that not only enrich the user experience, but also assure them that their Android sets can be recovered in the event of theft or misplace:

SeekDroid

One of the cheapest tool for securing your Android phone, SeekDroid keeps things pretty straightforward. There is not a lot of complex tapestry to the way it goes about its usual work. What it essentially does is that it helps you locate your phone through Google Map. Once that is done, you have the wherewithal to lock it remotely and even blank it if you want to.

The standout feature of this tool is that you can use it to check whether anyone has made any call from your phone or now. Like the other tools mentioned earlier, SeekDroid also helps you raise alarm or send a message to the person who picks the phone. The message can be custom made. As for its installation on the phone, you can easily hide it from the list of installed app. You need to register yourself on the website of Seek Droid and you can then use their services.

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Where’s My Droid

For the sorry souls who lose their Android phones, they don’t have to be sorry anymore. Where’s My Droid is a fabulously reliable app that makes finding your lost phone a much more realistic endeavor. Whether you lose your phone under the couch or it gets stolen by someone who now is at far off a distance, it is easy to locate it with Where’s My Droid. If you can’t find it but you know it is somewhere around you, you can use the ringer mode that will, as the name sounds, ring the phone so that you can hear it and find the phone. The other mode is there for the scenario when your phone gets stolen. You will be able to locate the phone on a map, using the GPS feature. Accordingly, you are also provided with the feature to send an SMS to the lost phone and in it, you can mention your contact details, etc.

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Prey

Prey is a dynamic recovery tool that not only supports Android, but it also supports a host of other devices based on iOS, Windows, etc. all you have to do is to install the agent, which can be done in the background. And in the event you lose your device, you will be able to send a text message to your phone, which will also contain an activation phrase, Go Prey.

Once the report of it gone missing is registered, Prey will keep receiving regular updates that will contain the location of the device. It will also try to connect to the nearest wifi connection for performing its function. Also, like other apps, it sends alerts on the phone and you can remotely lock the phone using the app.

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Giving you a considerable cause for pause, phone theft is not something you hope for, but it surely is something you have to be prepared for. And as the age old adage goes like, it’s better to prevent and prepare than repent and repair.