Quick answer for each phone
| Phone | Can it be found while off? |
|---|---|
| iPhone 11 or later (not SE), iOS 15+ | Yes: about 24 hours after being switched off, about 5 hours after the battery dies. Then the last location for up to 7 days. |
| Google Pixel 8 and later | Yes, for several hours, if "Find your offline devices" was set up with Bluetooth and location on. |
| Samsung Galaxy | You see the last location (with "Send last location" on). "Offline finding" helps when it's on but has no internet. |
| Other Android | Usually the last location it saved before going offline. |
| Xiaomi, Huawei | Their own tools need the phone online. Try Google Find Hub for the last location. |
What to do right now
- Open the official tool anyway. Even if the phone is off, you'll usually see where it was last. That's often enough to find it. Find your tool.
- Check the time next to the location. It tells you when the phone was last seen there.
- Lock it now. Lost Mode or Secure device takes effect the moment the phone comes back online.
- Turn on notifications. iPhone's "Notify When Found" and Samsung's "Notify me when it's found" alert you when it reappears.
Why a phone that's off can still be found
Newer phones keep a tiny Bluetooth signal running after they shut down. Other phones nearby that belong to the same network (Apple's Find My network or Google's Find Hub network) pick up that signal and report the location in encrypted form. Neither the people nearby nor the company can see it. Only you can.
This only works if it was turned on before the phone went missing. That's why setting it up now matters.
Airplane mode
A phone in airplane mode can't send its location over the internet. Newer iPhones and Pixels may still be findable through Bluetooth. On iPhone, you can stop thieves from switching on airplane mode from the lock screen: Settings › Face ID & Passcode, then turn off Control Center under "Allow Access When Locked".
Next time, it takes ten seconds
Turn on your phone's finding features today, and put a small Bluetooth tracker on the things you lose most, like keys, wallet and bag.
Last checked October 2026. Menu names can differ slightly by phone model and software version.