Sprint Ahead

Top Questions

  • How do I sign up for Sprint Family Locator?

    • Signing up for Sprint Family Locator is easy. Simply visit http://www.sprint.com/familylocator and click the link that says Sign Up Now. Enter your mobile phone number and you will receive a text message with a temporary password.

    Note: If you have a My Sprint account and know your password, you can enter that instead of your temporary password.

    For a step-by-step signup guide, please consult the Quick Start Guide.

  • Do my family members know when I locate them?

    • For security reasons, phones receive a text message from Sprint Family Locator when they become locatable. Additionally, locatable phones receive a periodic notification via text message that they can be located. These messages are received about once a month.

    As an added measure of security, if you sign up for Sprint Family Locator using a temporary password, everyone on your Sprint account will receive a one-time text message that you have signed up for the service.

    Note: If you are locating any phones that are not on your same Sprint account, these phones will receive notifications every time you locate them.

  • Can Sprint Family Locator find a lost or stolen phone?

    • If you are the account holder for the lost or stolen phone, you can sign up for Sprint Family Locator.

    Note: The phone must be turned on and in Sprint network coverage to be located. The location will be approximate and will not be accurate enough to find a lost phone in a specific room in a house. When a handset becomes locatable, it receives a text message saying that it can be located.

  • Why don't I always get a location?

    • Sprint Family Locator uses the GPS technology built-in to your family's mobile phones to get their locations. GPS location can be very accurate (within a few yards) if the phone can "see" the GPS satellites. If the phone is indoors or in a place where it cannot directly see the GPS satellites, the system automatically uses alternative location technologies. In these cases, you may receive a location with an accuracy of a few hundred yards or more. When you request a location you will be given the best possible location fix given the conditions.

    In some situations, Sprint Family Locator will not be able to locate a phone. The most common reasons are:

    • The phone is powered off.
    • The phone's battery has run out.
    • The phone is not in Sprint network coverage.

    In these cases, Sprint Family Locator will tell you that the phone was not able to be located.

    Note: If you have received a location from a phone before, but are experiencing difficulty getting a location, try power cycling the phone:

    1. If Location/GPS is Off, select On.
    2. If Location/GPS is On, select Off.
    3. Power the phone off.
    4. Remove the phone battery. Wait 30 seconds.
    5. Reinsert the battery and power the phone back on.
    6. Make an outbound call.
    7. Switch Location back On if you had turned it Off.

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