Technology That Can Help You Track and Find Your Lost Items

Now, here’s where AirTags, which debuted in 2021, really get interesting: If you left your backpack, say, at a friend’s house and out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network could help track it down. By leveraging the roughly 1.8 billion Apple devices around the globe, it can detect Bluetooth signals from an AirTag and relay the location back to you.

Plus, you can enter an AirTag into Lost Mode in the Find My app and be notified when it has been located. If someone finds your stuff, they can tap it using their iPhone or any near field communication (NFC) capable device and be taken to a website that will display how to reach you, if you set it up. NFC-capable devices include most newer smartphones, smartwatches and tablets.

Other AirTag advantages include a user-replaceable battery that lasts about a year and simple setup. Just place an AirTag close to your iPhone to be recognized, and then give it a name, such as “Ed’s Backpack.”

You may need to buy an AirTag key ring or loop accessory to attach the AirTag to something. In the box, you only get the Junior Mint-sized tracker.

Low-tech solutions can be helpful, too, such as the My Property ID Registry (from $39 for 10 ID tags), an inexpensive, police-accepted security system that works worldwide. Once you get the ID tags in the mail, register your stuff online — including the serial number of any smartphone, laptop, etc., which is what the police will need if you file a police report.

If someone finds what you lost, they simply go to the website listed on the tag, type in the Tag ID number, and you’ll be notified via email. Then you can arrange to get it back. Yes, it relies on Good Samaritans, but such people do exist.

A few options are specifically for pets, such as SmartTag microchips (from $225 for a box of 25), Halo Wireless Dog Collar & Fence ($699, plus subscription fees) and Tractive’s GPS Tracker for Cats ($50, plus subscription fees). Be sure to read how each one works, and note whether you'll pay a one-time cost or an ongoing service fee.

Find phones out of your grasp

Smartphones aren't cheap. Plus, you likely have sensitive data on them. Thankfully, locating a device can be easy.

Free apps and services such as Find My for Apple products and Find My Device for Android phones and tablets can help in a pinch.

Should your phone become lost or stolen, you can remotely lock it if you don’t have a passcode on it already; display a message, such as “Please call me for a reward”; wipe its data clean; or track it on an online map. But you need to set this up ahead of time.

When you realize your phone is missing, you’ll need to log in on another device or a web browser on a computer with the same account name and password as your phone.

For tracking to work, the device will need to be turned on; connected to the internet, either through a cellular carrier or Wi-Fi; and operating with at least some charge remaining in the battery. If all is set up correctly, you should see your phone’s last known location.

If your phone was stolen, never try to retrieve it on your own. Instead, contact police with any tracking information, such as the address where your device was located.

Stride confidently through parking lots

If you’ve ever had trouble remembering where you parked your gray SUV in a shopping center lot, outside a concert or at an amusement park, there’s a solution for that, too. Free apps can help you retrace the steps back to your vehicle.

iPhones allow you to use the built-in Maps app to do the job, but you’ll need to set up the feature ahead of time.

Apple, Inc

You’ll have to enable Location Services and Significant Locations: Go to Settings | Privacy & Security | Location Services | System Services | Significant Locations. Next, you’ll want to enable Show Parked Location by going to Settings | Maps | Show Parked Location.

Make sure that your iPhone is paired to your vehicle's CarPlay or Bluetooth. If you can't find your car, open Maps, tap the Search field and type Parked Car in the field or choose Parked Car from the suggestions list. Tap Directions and choose Drive, Ride, Transit or Walk.

For Android or iPhone users, Google Maps can do the trick by letting you save your parking location.

Open the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet, and tap the blue dot that shows your location. Tap Set as parking location.

Your parking location will be saved in Google Maps until you remove it. You also can add notes about your car’s location, such as the spot number, and share your parking location with others.

When you need to find your vehicle, open the Google Maps app, tap the search bar and select Parking location. On the bottom left tap Directions.

If you choose, you also can get notifications for parking information, such as where you parked and for how long, which can be useful if you’ve been feeding a conventional meter for downtown street parking.

Let smart speakers take on brain overflow

You might already use your smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo (from $40 though frequently discounted) or a Google Nest (from $49 though again often discounted), for playing music, setting kitchen timers or reading the news. But it also will remember where you’ve squirreled away things — if you tell it while the location is fresh in your mind.

Amazon's 4th Generation Echo Dot with a clock debuted in late 2020.

Sipa via AP Images

Say something like “OK, Google” or “Alexa,” and then “Remember my passport is in the small drawer in the kitchen.” In the future, ask “Where’s my passport?” and your smarty-pants speaker will tell you where it is and on what date you mentioned the reminder.

Even if you didn’t put away your smartphone on purpose — perhaps it slipped out of your pocket as you wrestled with the dog — you can ask your personal digital assistant to find it. When you set up your smart speaker via the proper app, it became linked to your phone.

If you're the only one set up to talk to Google Assistant, you're ready to roll.

Say, “OK, Google, find my phone,” and listen for that sweet sound. Your phone will ring even if it’s set to Do Not Disturb.

Pat yourself on the back. You’ve just saved yourself 15 minutes.

This story, originally published Feb. 18, 2020, has been updated to include new information.