The 5 Best Methods to Track a Lost or Stolen iPhone

Summary: Lost your iPhone? Don’t worry, here we tell you how to track lost or stolen iPhone using various techniques. Also, learn how to erase your iPhone data permanently to prevent it from reaching in wrong hands or misuse, using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

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Q. I cannot live without my iPhone. It was stolen yesterday and can’t recall where I lost it. It has been switched off. Can I track the location of my iPhone? Is there any way to track lost iPhones?

A. Don’t panic. Log in to ‘Find My iPhone’ via iCloud.com and set it to ‘Lost Mode’. To know what else you can do now to track the iPhone location, read this post.

Losing an iPhone (and for that matter any smartphone) is tormenting. Besides the upfront costs, there’s an incredible amount of personal data at stake. Today, smartphones not only store personal photos, videos, and music libraries but might also contain an incredible amount of sensitive information in the form of browsing history, social data, app traces, etc. So the apprehension of exploitation and misuse of the data stored in a stolen or lost iPhone is but real.

So, as soon as you discover that your iPhone has been stolen or lost, first, try to track the location of your missing device and lock it.

How to track a lost or stolen iPhone?

Try out the following methods

1. Use Find My iPhone
2. Track through Apple’s Family Sharing
3. Use Google Timeline
4. Try Google Photos
5. Use location-tracking apps

Method 1: Use Find My iPhone

If Find My iPhone is enabled on your stolen iPhone, you can do the following:

• Locate your mobile phone
• Protect your iPhone data by choosing Lost Mode or erasing the data remotely

How to use Find My iPhone when the phone is missing

• Sign in to icloud.com on your computer.
• Click on the Find My iPhone link at the bottom.
• On the Find My iPhone’s map interface, select your lost iPhone via the All Devices drop-down menu. The app starts tracking your iPhone location on the map.

As you see the location of your device you can choose to do the following

• Play sound (if your iPhone is nearby, you can trace it with sound)
• Activate ‘Lost Mode’ (this locks your device and still tracks it)

What does Lost Mode do to your device?

• Remotely locks your device
• Displays a message with your phone number on the missing iPhone’s Lock Screen
• Keeps track of your device location.
• Erase iPhone remotely (with this action you won’t be able to track your iPhone but data is prevented from slipping into the wrong hands)

How to erase iPhone data remotely?

Choosing to erase the iPhone remotely deletes the complete data from it.

Note: Always remember to copy important photos, videos, music, and other data on iCloud backup before remotely erasing the iPhone.

Use a trusted and safe data recovery solution such as Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to restore lost files from iCloud. The software allows the recovery of specific data rather than recovering the entire data.

Method 2: Track iPhone through Family Sharing

If you have set up Family Sharing, use it to track your iPhone. Family Sharing helps the members to know each one’s device location. Ask another member in the Family Sharing group to trace your iPhone via the Find My iPhone app. The member can also sign into iCloud.com to locate the missing iPhone.

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Is your missing iPhone switched off or offline?

If the missing iPhone is switched off or showing offline in Family Sharing, you can still activate Lost Mode or remotely erase its data via Find My iPhone.
Note: The iPhone’s last known location remains only for one day. In case your device is offline for over 24 hours, you cannot trace its last location.

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What to do when ‘Find My iPhone’ is NOT enabled or the missing iPhone is offline for more than one day?

• Change your Apple ID passwords to prevent anyone from accessing your data.
• Change your social media and other Internet account passwords like Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
• Report the device as missing to the authorities.
• Report your network carrier to disable the services like calls, messages, or data use.

Method 3: Use Google Timeline to find lost iPhone

If you have turned on Location Services and Location History on your iPhone, Google’s Timeline will record all the locations of your device.

When an iPhone goes missing, access the location information on a map and find the last location. Remember, Google Timeline records the location only when the iPhone is switched on with an internet connection.

Click here

How to see the last location of a lost iPhone in Google Timeline

• Visit <com/maps/timeline> on your computer.
• Sign in to your Google account.
• Click Today or select Date.
• Scroll down to see the last reported location of your iPhone.

Along with the location, note the time when your phone was last connected to Google. Taking clues from the location and time information, you can find your lost iPhone. If needed, take the help of cops.

Method 4: Take location clue from Google Photos

If anyone has captured a photo from your lost iPhone and you have the Google Photos location-sharing option enabled, then luck is on your side.

Visit <photos.google.com/>. Check, if any new photos were uploaded and view their upload location.

Method 5: Location tracking apps

If you have installed any location-tracking app such as GPS Location Tracker, CocoSpy Cell Phone Tracker, or iTrack on your missing device, use it to track the lost or stolen iPhone. These apps share the real-time location of your device on your computer or other connected devices.

Conclusion

Apple’s Find My iPhone feature is the best way to track the location of a stolen or missing device. If Find My iPhone is not enabled you can try Google Timeline or Google Photos. Other than these methods, third-party apps can also help track a lost iPhone, but only if you have installed them before the phone was lost.

Nevertheless, ensure that you copy the iCloud backup of the stolen iPhone before taking any of the above steps.

A smarter way is to filter out the data that you want to keep, with the help of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

Is this post helpful? Share your experience in the comments below, how you managed to track and get back your stolen iPhone.

Forgot iPhone Password? – Here are the Best Solutions

Summary: Can’t remember your iPhone password? This post brings the best solutions to fix forgotten password issue and restore your data from the locked iPhone.

Setting up a password on your iPhone is a great way to keep unauthorized access at bay but what if you forget the password? On a positive note, you can still access or restore your iPhone Data and this blog highlights some best solutions for forgotten iPhone password.

Password enabled iPhone ensures that no one can access it without your permission and is a great way to stop prying eyes from accessing your personal data. But what if you itself forget the password? Isn’t that a problematic situation? Obviously, as you cannot unlock your iPhone and access the data. Further, if you enter the wrong password six times, then a message is displayed stating that the iPhone has been disabled.

Figure 1. If you enter the wrong password six times in a row, then a message will be displayed stating that your iPhone has been disabled.

If you’re lucky then you might be able to unlock your iPhone and access the data stored on it else there is a probability that you may end up losing your data in the process of unlocking it.

Forgot iPhone passcode? What to do next?

Alright, I know it’s next to impossible that you will ever forget your passcode but we cannot overlook the fact that, yes there is a chance that you may forget it. The majority of us will say that we use fingerprint identity sensor (Touch ID) and hardly use a numeric passcode. Well, suppose your Touch ID stops working properly and to fix it you need to go to Settings < Touch ID & Passcode < Enter the Passcode.

Wait! What! You need to enter the passcode to get the Touch ID working again and you thought that you’d never need to remember the passcode. If you have a backup of your data, then all you have to do is simply reset your iPhone and restore your data from the backup. Unfortunately, you’ll only restore data that has been backed up and any new data added after that won’t be there. That said, let’s delve into some of the best solutions for forgotten iPhone password.
If you’ve forgotten the password, these options will help you out:

• Erase your iOS device with iTunes to remove the password
• Erase the passcode with iCloud
• Use Recovery mode if you’re unable to connect to either iCloud or iTunes
• Leverage an iPhone data recovery to recover deleted/lost data

Erase your iPhone with iTunes, restore files from it and remove the passcode

If you’ve synced your iPhone with iTunes, you can restore your files from it. Further, this will erase all the data and the passcode. To restore your data and remove the passcode, follow these steps:

i. Connect your iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes
ii. If you’re asked for the passcode, try another computer with which you’ve synced your iPhone, else proceed with either iCloud or Recovery mode
iii. Sync your iPhone with iTunes and make a backup of it
iv. On your iPhone set up the screen, choose Restore from iTunes backup
v. In iTunes select your iPhone and select the relevant backup

This process will restore all your data on iPhone. Now, configure a new passcode and never forget it.

Figure 2 illustrates to erase the data & passcode and to restore your iPhone

Erase the passcode with iCloud

Follow these steps to erase the passcode of your iPhone with iCloud:

i. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your valid Apple credentials to view the iCloud dashboard.
ii. At the top of the dashboard, select ‘All Devices’ and select your iPhone from the given list
iii. Click on ‘Erase’ to erase the passcode
iv. On the setup screen on your iPhone, choose the restore from a backup option to restore files from the iCloud backup

Important: You can erase your iPhone with Find My iPhone as long as it is connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

Use Recovery mode to erase the passcode

If you’ve never synced your iPhone with iTunes or iCloud, then you need to erase the passcode in the Recovery mode. Follow these steps to erase the passcode:
i. Connect your iPhone to your system and force restart it. Different versions of iPhone have different settings; therefore, follow these settings depending on your iPhone

1. iPhone 8/8 Plus: Press and release the Volume up button and then quickly press and release the Volume down button. Press and hold the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears
2. iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and keep holding both the Side and Volume down buttons until you see the recovery mode screen
3. iPhone 6S and earlier: Press and keep holding the Home and the Side buttons until the recovery mode screen appears

ii. Finally, after restarting the iPhone, select Restore from the given options

Figure 3 illustrates to restore iPhone via recovery mode

iii. Wait for the process to finish and then restore your files to your iPhone and set up a new passcode

Get more help

If due to any reason you lose your data stored on iPhone during the whole process, then you can utilize an iPhone data recovery software and recover all your lost data. Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone is a robust iPhone data recovery software which efficiently brings back all your lost data. Moreover, the software facilitates three recovery option namely:

 

• Recover from iPhone
• Recover from iTunes Backup
• Recover from iCloud backup

Figure 3 illustrates the home screen of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone software

At Last

After restoring your iPhone , make sure that you never ever forget the passcode. The key is to create a strong passcode which is easy to remember. Further, if your iPhone gets stuck in recovery mode or due to any reason you’re unable to unlock your device, contact Apple support or visit the nearest service centre.

Top 8 iPhone SMS/Message/Text Recovery Software

Summary: Sometimes, we accidentally delete important text messages from our iPhone. An iPhone SMS/message recovery software helps you in such situations by recovering your messages in an instant. In this post, we will see what factors to consider while looking for an iPhone text messages’ recovery software and reviewing some iPhone data recovery available on the market, which can help the users to recover deleted iPhone texts.

Is it possible to recover deleted iPhone text messages? Can I restore text messages deleted from my iPhone?

These are some questions that are quite common among iPhone users. Smartphones, especially iPhones, have become an inseparable part of our lives. We use them to stay connected with our friends and family, stay up to date with the latest trends, stream media, and store a huge amount of photos and videos. While the newer iPhones come preloaded with a host of intelligent features to keep our data safe and backed up in a difficult situation, they are still vulnerable to data loss. We have curated a list of the 8 best iPhone data recovery software, which anyone can use to restore and recover iPhone text messages and data deleted from an iPhone or another iOS device.

Factors to Consider While Choosing a Deleted iPhone Texts Recovery Software

Before looking at the list of the best iPhone data recovery software to recover deleted text messages, let’s take a look at various factors that one should keep in mind while choosing the right data recovery software.

• Reliability –It is best to choose an iPhone data recovery software from a reliable brand as they have the expertise to back their claim.
• Features – Various iPhone recovery software can recover various types of deleted data like photos, videos, messages, etc. They can also be used to perform deleted SMS recovery for recovering deleted text messages. As iPhone data is precious and important, selecting a brand that could help us recover deleted iPhone data from other sources like external storage media is wise.
• User Reviews – User reviews help new users and potential buyers in making their choice. Reviews are also helpful as they add to the legitimacy of software and its claims. Therefore, one should always read the reviews and select the right iPhone data recovery software.
• Data Recovery Performance – This is an important factor that everyone should consider before choosing the right iPhone data recovery software. Great performance always makes the software stand out from the rest. Key factors to look for are speed of data recovery, available modes of data recovery, supported file types, etc. A user should check these before choosing a data recovery software.
• User Interface – In this minimalistic age, a dated and complicated interface with complicated commands and menus is sure to put the users off due to a bad user experience. A simple UI enhances your user experience and enables you to use the software with ease. Hence, this is also an important factor to consider.
• Pricing – While most of the ‘free’ iPhone data recovery software claims to offer the best experience, the best deals offering value for the money spent are usually found amidst the list of paid software. This software not only helps the user recover deleted iPhone texts but also provides an interface to save the recovered data safely and securely post-data recovery.

List of the Best iPhone Data & Texts Recovery Software

Now that we have come to know about various factors to consider while choosing an iPhone data recovery software to recover and restore SMS/text messages, let’s take a look at some of the best iPhone data recovery software available on the market.

1. Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone (Writer’s Choice)

After trying and comparing a long list of iPhone data recovery software available, we have selected Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone as the best software for performing deleted text recovery along with data recovery from an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. This software supports a wide range of iPhone files like photos, videos, text, etc. It can easily recover and restore iPhone text messages and other data.

It is compatible with all the latest iPhones running on the latest iOS 16 and below, like the iPhone 14, 13, and more. It can even recover data from any iPad or iPod Touch. This software also gives the users support for recovering data from encrypted iTunes backups. Finally, it even offers 24×5 support from the Professional Team. We recommend this to every iOS user to use it in case of accidental data deletion as it is a reliable software with great features and an easy-to-use UI.

There is also a Toolkit version available for Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone that offers a complete suite of 4 advanced tools – iPhone Data Recovery, iOS System Repair, iPhone Data Erasure, and Remove Apple ID from iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. The Stellar Toolkit for iPhone is available in 2 variants – Toolkit for $49.99/Year and Toolkit Plus for $149.99/Year.

Pros –

• Fast data recovery speed*
• Recover a wide range of deleted/lost files like photos, texts, contacts, etc.
• Easily recovers deleted texts from an iPhone.
• Specifically recover videos from WhatsApp, Viber, Tango, etc.
• Simple and clean user interface
• Preview the files before recovery
• Allows selective file recovery
• Offers 2 modes of scanning, Quick Scan and Deep Scan
• Data recovery via iTunes and iCloud backup is possible
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac OS
• 24×5 availability of professional support team
• Value for Money

Cons –

• The free version allows software walkthroughs along with file scan and preview functionalities. The paid version adds data recovery functionality to the list.

Pricing –

• $39.99/Year for Standard
• $49.99/Year for Toolkit

Note – *Data recovery speed is dependent on various factors like the size of the data to be recovered, system configuration, and many more.

2. PhoneRescue for iOS

PhoneRescue for iOS is another great software that can recover iPhone text messages accidentally deleted from an iPhone. In addition, it can recover & restore iPhone data in various circumstances like system crashes, water damage, etc. It also offers some additional features like data preview before final data recovery.

Pros –

• Preview option
• Option to select specific data to be recovered
• Round-the-clock tech support

Cons –

• Limited usability in the trial version

Pricing –

• $45.99 + VAT for 3 Months License or $49.99 + VAT for 1 Year License

3. Dr. Fone for iOS

Dr. Fone for iOS is an iPhone data recovery software that allows its users to recover lost or deleted data like iMessages, call logs, contacts, etc., from an iPhone. In addition, it can recover deleted text messages, photos, videos, and other type of data from an iOS device.

Pros –

• Fast processing speed
• Recover data from iTunes, iCloud, and iPhone
• Compatible with almost all iPhones

Cons –

• Recovery functionality is not available in the trial version
• Pricier upgrade options

Pricing –

• $59.95 for 1-Year License
• $69.95 for a Perpetual license

4. EaseUS Mobisaver

EaseUS Mobisaver is an iOS data recovery software that allows users to restore iPhone text messages and recover common data like photos, videos, etc. It is supported by both Mac and Windows OS and can be used to recover data in case of jailbreak damage.

Pros –

• Common data like contacts, SMS, photos, etc. can be recovered
• Can recover data from a jailbroken iPhone
• Clean interface with simple steps for recovering data

Cons –

• Data recovery functionality is limited in the free version
• Occasional connectivity issues between the iOS device and the system

Pricing –

• Free (with limited data recovery)
• Pro Edition for $59.95/month
• $79.95/Year or $99.95 for Lifetime Upgrades

5. Joyoshare iPhone Data Recovery

Joyoshare iPhone Data Recovery can recover a lot of file types from an iPhone like iPhone text messages. This software allows the user to select different types of files to recover along with an option to preview the files to be recovered. It offers a clean UI, which is simple to understand and is easy-to-use

Pros –

• Fast data recovery process speed using recovery image creation.
• Compatible with all the latest iPhones running on iOS 16.
• Free users can scan, analyze, and preview the files that need to be recovered.

Cons –

• Need to buy the full version to recover the lost data.

Pricing –

• $49.95 for a Lifetime Single License
• $69.95 for a Lifetime Family license
• Lifetime multi-user license starting at $79.95

6. iSkysoft Toolbox – Dr.Fone Data Recovery (iOS)

iSkysoft Toolbox allows its users to recover lost data from an iOS device like deleted iPhone texts, iMessage, call logs, etc. from any iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. It can easily recover any data from a damaged or stolen iPhone.

Pros –

• Fast
• Simple to use
• Safe and Secure

Cons –

• Unable to recover overwritten data
• Stands on the pricier side

Pricing –

• $59.95/Year
• $69.95 for a Perpetual License

7. Primo iPhone Data Recovery

Primo iPhone Data Recovery is another quality addition to this list. This software allows its users to recover deleted messages from an iPhone due to any reason like device crash, forgotten password, etc.

Pros –

• Three recovery modes increase the rate of data recovery
• Simple and easy-to-use
• Compatible with iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone

Cons –

• Takes a bit of time to launch.

Pricing –

• $39.99 for a Personal License
• $59.99 for Family License

8. Disk Drill

Disk Drill is a simple software that offers the easiest way to deal with lost iPhone data. It does the job of recovering almost every type of deleted data like deleted iPhone texts, photos, contacts, etc. Users simply have to launch the software and click the Recover button to recover lost data from the connected iOS device. It offers a long list of features. However, they come at a hefty cost.

Pros –

• Simple to use
• Supports a wide range of file formats
• Extra tools come bundled with the paid version

Cons –

• Data recovery functionality is not available in the trial version.
• Hefty price tag

Pricing –

• Basic – Free
• Pro – $89
• Enterprise – $499

Verdict

Like all other smartphones, iPhones have become an important part of our lives. We use them to store important data like SMS, contacts, photos, etc. In this guide, we listed the 8 best software you can use for recovering deleted text messages from an iPhone. We know how important your data and especially text messages are to you. But before moving on to choosing an iPhone data recovery software, it is important to understand the reasons behind this issue and the factors that one should consider before choosing the right software.

While there are numerous iPhone data recovery software available in the market, we would recommend going for Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. The software boasts of a long list of advanced features and a pocket-friendly price, making it highly versatile and easy to use. We hope that our guide will help you choose the right iPhone data recovery software and restore your deleted text messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover deleted messages from my iPhone?

You can use Stellar iPhone Recovery software to recover deleted messages.

I accidentally deleted some important text messages from my iPhone. Can Stellar iPhone Recovery help me to recover them back?

Absolutely. Stellar iPhone Recovery can easily recover and restore deleted text messages from your iPhone. It can also recover other iPhone data and restore it.

How To Recover Whatsapp Chat History From iPhone

Summary: Losing the WhatsApp chat history from iPhone can be annoying. It may contain important details, photos, videos, and audio recordings. This post brings easy and quick methods to recover lost or deleted WhatsApp chat on iPhone using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

With social media engulfing our lives, it becomes all the more important to keep track of people close to us through various social media apps, not only personally but professionally as well.

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp gives you total access to chat and share data with your family, friends, and even with your business or work colleagues 24*7. Each day, billions of people all over the globe, chat and share videos, audio, photos, etc. over this one messaging app. Therefore, it contains information that is of great value.
But it is important to know that this app is not fail-safe. Sometimes due to some technical issues, WhatsApp chats and other valuable information gets erased from the phone and chances of recovery are slim. If you are an iPhone user, it is a common scenario that due to tech issues such as jail breaking or when you upgrade your iPhone, your data as well as your WhatsApp chats may get erased from the iPhone.

Losing the chat history which also contains your priceless photos, videos, and audio can be quite frustrating! Hence, recovery becomes imperative! So in order to help you recover the data lost from your iPhone including your WhatsApp chats, we suggest the following steps that can help restore your chat history.

Recover Deleted Messages from WhatsApp Chat iCloud Backup

1- First of all, make sure that you have created a backup of all your WhatsApp chats and data on iCloud. In order to check that, go to the WhatsApp settings and check it on the Chat Backup present in the Chats.
2- Next, uninstall the existing WhatsApp and then reinstall it again from the app store and log in with your number. When you log in, a dialogue box will appear asking you to backup the chats: click on the confirm button to proceed.

Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages Without Backup

1- Download and install iPhone Data Recovery Software  by Stellar on your computer and then register the product using the product key.

2- Now after connecting the iPhone, click on Recover from iPhone option. Select the file type you want to recover and click “Next”. The scan will initiate thereafter.

3- Select Only Show Deleted option on the top to focus only on the deleted data. Then select the conversations you want to save. Then click Save.

4- Choose the desired location on your computer where you want to save the files or you can save it directly to your iPhone. Then click OK.

After a wait of 5-10 minutes, the lost data will be saved within form of a HTML page which can be opened using any browser.

Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages from iTunes Backup

If you have backed up your WhatsApp chats and files in the iTunes app of the iPhone, then you can easily get back all your chats and files easily from it by following the below steps—

1- Open the iTunes app on your computer and then connect your iPhone into it. Next, click on the iPhone icon and then select restore backup. Then select the backup file that contains the WhatsApp messages and then select the recover option.

If you face any difficulty to recover your data from iTunes backup then use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to recover lost or deleted Contacts, Call history, Voice Memo, Messages, Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Safari Bookmarks from iOS device iTunes backup file.

Restore Deleted WhatsApp Messages from iCloud Backup

Just like iTunes, you can even back up your files and WhatsApp chats on iCloud present in your iPhone. However, before getting started, make sure that the data and chats are securely backed up in the app from which you have to recover.
1- The first step contains erasing of all the content and settings present in the iPhone. This can be done by going to the general setting present in the iPhone.
2- A setup screen will be displayed. Follow the steps to get to the apps and data, then select on restore from iCloud backup from it.
3- Select the files and data that you wish to backup and then click on the restore button and let the system restore all the backed up data into your phone.

If you face any difficulty to recover your data from iCloud backup then use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to recover lost or deleted Contacts, Call history, Voice Memo, Messages, Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Safari Bookmarks from iOS device iCloud backup file.

Conclusion

Losing chats and other data from WhatsApp may lead to a situation of despair. Therefore, to ease you off your worries, the above simple steps will help restore all your chats as well as your lost photos, audio, and videos from your iPhone.