iPhone gone and battery dead? No problem (anymore) thanks to iOS 15!

The “Where is?” Function from Apple is practical, but so far it had a crucial weak point. Owners have already been able to set their iPhone in the past in such a way that it transmitted the last position in the event of a critically low battery level, but after that it was no longer possible to locate it. That has changed thanks to iOS 15. Now Apple smartphones should be discoverable even when the battery is actually empty – for example, when the muted iPhone is in a café a bank has fallen. But even thieves who have switched off or reset the phone, the update should thwart the bill. (Read also: What innovations are now coming to the iPhone thanks to iOS 15 – and which are not (yet) )

If the iPhone has disappeared, you have to be quick!

However, you shouldn’t take any time to track down the lost or stolen iPhone lose. Because there is a time window with the feature. Apple promises with the update to iOS 15: “Look with the ‘Where is?’ Network where your devices are for up to 24 hours , even when they are turned off. This is a great way to find a lost device that might have been stolen and then turned off. ” According to “Heise Online”, Apple relies on the technology that is also used with AirTags: “A switched off or deleted iPhone, like every AirTag, sends a public key ID via Bluetooth that changes regularly. It should consume so little power that it will work for a long time even with an empty battery. ” (Speaking of which: Apple AirTag in the test – This is how the tracking of objects works! )

If there is another Apple device in the vicinity, it can locate the iPhone and forwards the location to the iCloud. The rightful owner can then see where their iPhone is via the app. The detection of a lost phone works in this way even if the device itself has no internet connection . “To protect privacy, everything happens anonymously and encrypted,” assures Apple. The whole thing has one catch: According to “The Verge” , the new technology only works for newer smartphones from the iPhone 11 . (Also interesting: iPhone 14 and Co. – What we think we already know about future generations )

Find a stolen iPhone

The location features for the iPhone can be found in the settings under the menu item “Where is?”. If you want friends and family members to be able to track down your smartphone, you can activate “Share location”. To display an offline device, the “Where is network?” Switch must be set to green. If you want to see the lost device on a map, you need to have the location services activated. You can find them under “Settings” and “Privacy”.