Phone stolen

[Bicpug]

Isn't the phone still trackable through its IMEI if reported lost or stolen?

 

[leonkehoe]

You can submit your IMEI number to IMEIDetective. It's unlikely but if someone buys your phone and suspects it's stolen, they can use IMEIDetective to check and, if their suspicions are confirmed, contact you with a view to return it.

 

[Skynetz]

I know the info will be in the phone if he/she didn't reset it, but I don't think it's trackable via wifi, else whydo I have to enter my phone number in find my phone every time I want to refresh the location ?

The phone isn't tied to your sim... Your Microsoft account details would still be in the phone without the SIM, so if they connected it to WiFi, you would be able to remotely wipe it, map it, lock it, ring it, etc. The caveat is that if you enter the lockscreen code incorrectly enough times, it will wipe the phone, and then no, the Find My Phone system wouldn't work. Here's to hoping that it was stolen by an idiot that doesn't know this.

 

[hopmedic]

I know the info will be in the phone if he/she didn't reset it, but I don't think it's trackable via wifi, else whydo I have to enter my phone number in find my phone every time I want to refresh the location ?

I don't enter my phone number to track my phone. I just go to my.windowsphone.com and there are the options, and I can click the map. Yes, the phone can be tracked on WiFi, as long as they haven't hard reset it, which would wipe all data, including your MS account. It isn't the sim that the phone is being tracked with on my.windowsphone.com. It is your Microsoft account.

 

[gpstrucker]

Windowsphone.com find my phone is pretty darned accurate. Keep trying, it should turn up sooner or later.

 

[Skynetz]

Turn up yes, but with no SIM, no location :S

And no, the phone is tracked with your phone number, pretty dumb, yes, unless you don't change the settings to use data connection, but than if you go abroad you will get a nice bill to pay.

 

[hopmedic]

I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but location awareness is not SIM dependent, and with or without one, with or without a different one, unless the phone has been wiped, you can still send it messages through my.windowsphone.com. Your information is dead wrong. If it connects to a WiFi, you can send it a signal to lock, ring, message on lock screen, or get location, unless it has been wiped, because my.windowsphone.com doesn't use the SIM to track it. It uses the Microsoft account on the phone, which can't be changed without a wipe.

Listen to what you're being told instead of jumping to conclusions.

 

[xWisp]

It should work via the phones IMEI number. . . so you should be able to find it with the sim missing. *shrug* if it works anything like find my iphone that is, I have found my friends iPod touch before using it and that doesn't have a sim card at all. I assume it just needs to be connected to wifi anywhere at any point.

 

[hopmedic]

Repeating myself... Again.... IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE A SIM CARD IN IT FOR MY.WINDOWSPHONE.COM TO WORK. It has to be connected - either by WiFi or cellular. NO SIM REQUIRED. If it is wiped, though, and the Microsoft account is gone, THEN it won't work. The Microsoft account on the phone is the key to my.windowsphone.com working. NOT a SIM.

 

[andrewspha]

ive just lost my phone

 

[andrewspha]

and i cant see the map on Windowsphone

 

[Ali Assaedi]

for ppl insisting that location works without sim:
actually the answer depends on what OS version he got ..

-if he got GDR1, then he can only find the location via sim number(microsoft uses SMS to contact the phone). pretty dumb yes

-if he GDR2, then he can "set" the "find my location" to use mircosoft ID instead of sim number... but he HAS to set it himself, because by default its sit to SIM..

in short, i dont think u can reach ur mobile via the windowsphone website... blame microsoft for their really weird decision, very lame rrly

 

[Bart Gomerovich]

You can find your Iphone using IMEI on this website https://www.facebook.com/Iphonetrace or iPhonetrace.com: Track iphone by imei

 

[MrWhiteman]

Can't you set the phone to use Push notifications instead of SMS, wouldn't that help even if the sim was removed?

Also, if you don't have a pin on the phone all they need to do is reset the phone to factory settings and you're totally screwed.

EDIT: I have just tried swapping the SIMs of a 925 and a 920 and neither could be found on windowsphone.com. Conclusion, if you want to steal a Windows Phone, take out the sim.

 

[sternd]

My wife's phone has been stolen. I blocked it and also blocked the imei-number with my operator here in Brazil. Is there a possibility to block the imei also at Microsoft? Because I want to render it useless for them to open a new microsoft account…… Or is this phone automatically blocked when it's registered under my wife's account….

 

[Pete]

Kill switch for phones is apparently coming next year.

First smartphone 'kill switch' bill in the US passed by… Minnesota | Windows Phone Central

The phone in question is gone. All you can do is get a new handset and move on.

I'm assuming that you've already taken steps to make sure your wife's information/data is secure and mitigated any identify fraud.

 

[TechFreak1]

@ the OP - Best thing to do is call your carrier, (if you have no joy with "Find My Phone") tell them your phone has been stolen and they will bar the phone's IMEI so it will be rendered into a fancy paperweight with apps as even flashing the rom won't remove this.

I don't think your carrier would be able to remote wipe for you, however there is no harm in asking.

My wife's phone has been stolen. I blocked it and also blocked the imei-number with my operator here in Brazil. Is there a possibility to block the imei also at Microsoft? Because I want to render it useless for them to open a new microsoft account…… Or is this phone automatically blocked when it's registered under my wife's account….

Also make sure you or your wife changes the passwords for the accounts associated with the phone, and try to initiate a remote wipe via find a my phone.