LPT: Find a lost but locked phone? Keep it charged! The owner or friends may call it or use device locating apps, but a dead phone is no good.

My mom lost her phone the other day while doing a full day of errands, came home, and didn't realize it was missing until a few hours later. Calls me asking for help, so I jump on and use the device locating app, and luckily, there was still 7% left. The GPS was able to narrow it down to a few stores on google maps, called them up and lo and behold, they had it! Turns out a good samaritan had found it and turned it into the closest open store.

I can imagine a situation where someone is babysitting a lost but locked phone, the batteries run out and never recharged, and all searching calls or relocating attempts go unanswered, leading to the assumption that it is long gone.

Fortunately for me, the battery was hanging on by a thread!

Thank you kind stranger in Orange County! It was an early Christmas gift for my mom.

Cheers!