TL;DR
Tracing a Windows phone without a SIM card and battery is extremely difficult, bordering on impossible for most people. Without power, the phone cannot transmit its location. However, if the phone was previously linked to a Microsoft account and had Location services enabled, recovery attempts *might* be possible through Microsoft’s Find My Phone service. Without prior setup, tracing is unlikely.
Detailed Solution
- Understand the Limitations: A phone without a battery has no power source to run its GPS or cellular radio. This means it cannot actively send location data. Tracing relies on the phone being powered and connected to a network (cellular, Wi-Fi) or having previously stored location information.
- Check Microsoft’s Find My Phone: This is your best bet if Location services were enabled *before* the battery died/SIM was removed.
- Go to Microsoft Account Devices and sign in with the account associated with the phone.
- Locate the missing Windows Phone. If it’s online (unlikely without a battery), you may see its last known location on a map.
- You can also attempt to ‘Find my device’, which will try to locate it if it comes back online.
- If the phone is locked, you might be able to lock it remotely and display a message with contact information.
- Consider Previous Backups: If the user regularly backed up their Windows Phone (to OneDrive or another service), there’s a small chance location data was included in those backups.
- Check OneDrive for any backup files related to the phone. Look for folders named ‘Phone Backup’ or similar.
- Examine these backups for location history, if available. This is unlikely but worth checking.
- Wi-Fi Logging (If Previously Connected): If the phone previously connected to Wi-Fi networks, some routers may log device MAC addresses.
- Access your router’s administration interface (usually via a web browser – check your router’s manual for the address).
- Look for a list of connected devices or a DHCP client list. You might find the phone’s MAC address if it was recently connected to your Wi-Fi network.
- Important: This only tells you when the phone last connected to *that specific* Wi-Fi network, not its current location. It’s useful for narrowing down a timeframe but doesn’t provide real-time tracking.
- Law Enforcement Assistance (If Applicable): If the phone was stolen or involved in criminal activity, contact your local law enforcement agency.
- They may have access to resources and technologies that are not available to the general public. However, even they will face significant challenges without a powered-on device.
What Won’t Work
- IMEI Tracking: While you can block an IMEI number (preventing it from connecting to cellular networks), this doesn’t *locate* the phone. It just stops it from being used on mobile networks.
- Third-Party Apps: Most third-party tracking apps require the phone to be powered and running in order to function. They won’t work without a battery or SIM card.