If you can’t find anyone to text your phone you can use a free website service. You can also try texting a reward offer to your phone. This may convince someone who finds your cell phone to contact you and arrange a meeting.

Whatever you do, don’t panic. Panicking will only worsen your situation, and might make it difficult to concentrate or think clearly. [1] X Research source Sit down for a moment and think about where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Consider when and where you last remember having or using your phone, and work your way forward from there. If you frequented any restaurants or stores before you lost your phone, try asking an employee if anyone found/returned a lost phone. If the phone was left with an employee, you should be able to simply give a description of your phone, or tell the employee your phone number so he can call it and verify that it’s your phone.

Find your provider’s customer service number online, or look up your provider’s local offices in a phone book.

To use Device Manager, sign into your Google account from a computer or another device. Google’s Device Manager should instantly show you your phone’s location on a Google Maps screen. Device Manager has additional options to lock your phone, make the phone ring, or remotely wipe its contents and data clear. Check your phone’s last recorded location by going to google. com/settings/accounthistory. Then click on “Places You Go,” and “Manage History. " However, this option relies on wi-fi and mobile signals instead of GPS, so it will not be as accurate at locating your phone as the Device Manager.

Using a computer or another mobile device, log into your iCloud and open Find My iPhone. Your phone’s location should appear on a map, which you can use to track your phone’s movement. Find My iPhone gives you the option of remotely making your iPhone make sounds (to alert you or others nearby of your phone’s location and its status as being lost/stolen), send a message with contact information to your iPhone, or wipe the contents and data clear off your device.

Once you’re logged into the Microsoft lost phone service, you can remotely lock your cell phone or wipe the contents and data off your device.

If you’re worried that the phone is in someone else’s hands, the sooner you do this the better, as identity theft is a serious and widespread issue. It’s better to take the time to reset your passwords and logins before physically hunting further for your phone. This will minimize the potential damage someone could do with access to your information, and if you do find your phone then using new passwords is only a minor inconvenience. Start with your most important passwords. This typically includes email, bank accounts, Facebook, and online storage. Deal with financial and personal information first. After you have changed your major passwords, you can reset passwords for less important services.

If you have a phone that is paid by usage rather than prepaid, and you cannot find it within 2 hours, it usually is a better idea to call your phone company immediately and tell them to deactivate your phone.

Lost phones are often turned in and left unclaimed because people assume that nobody would have been kind enough to have handed them in.

Find your cell phone’s serial/identification number when you first purchase it. Write the number down and keep it in a safe place at home. If you ever lose your phone, you can report your serial/identification number to the police and to your wireless provider.

In order to register your phone, you’ll need the serial number from your device.

If you tend to lose your phone at home, try to keep it on a nightstand or coffee table whenever it’s not on your person. When your phone is on your person, give it a designated pocket and always check that you have everything when you get up to leave. For example, you might tap your pockets to confirm in a particular order that you’ve got your keys, wallet, and cell phone.