Error messages when using Find My Phone on My Windows Phone

Article ID: 2446873 - View products that this article applies to.
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The services or features discussed in this article may not be available in your region. Please review the Windows Phone Feature and service availability (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/basics/feature-and-service-availability.aspx)
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/basics/feature-and-service-availability.aspx)
website for details on the services and features available in your region.
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Symptoms

When you try to use the Find My Phone service on My Windows Phone, you receive one of the error messages that are listed here:
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Map ItRing ItLock ItErase It
Sorry, we couldn't find your phone. Try again later.

Sorry, we couldn't ring your phone. Try again later.
Sorry, we couldn't lock your phone. Try again later.
Sorry, we couldn't erase your phone. Try again later.
We're sorry, but we can't locate your phone right now. If you'd like, we can keep trying and send you an email if we find it.
We're sorry, but we can't ring your phone right now.
We're sorry, but we can't lock your phone right now. If you'd like, we can keep trying and send you an email if we lock it."
We're sorry, but we can't erase your phone right now. If you'd like, we can keep trying and send you an email if we erase it.

Note For errors that state "We'll keep trying", the Find My Phone service will try for a 72-hour period. This is the typical length of time many mobile operators queue SMS messages in their system.

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Things to Try

For the Find My Phone service to work, your phone needs a battery charge, a cellular data connection, and must be turned on. If you receive an error that occurs with the Find My Phone service, it might be caused by one or more of the reasons listed here. Check the following table to find the problem you're experiencing and then try one of the accompanying solutions.
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Possible reasons

Your first try with Find My Phone fails
Try again. The Find My Phone service may fail when you first try to use it.

Your phone can't send or receive short code messages
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Contact your
mobile operator to make sure that your phone number can send and receive short code messages, and then try again.

Note This differs from SMS. Short codes messages (also known as short numbers) are special telephone numbers. They're usually shorter than full telephone numbers and can be used to address messages from phones. There are two kinds of short codes: dialing and messaging. 

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Your Find My Phone setting is using the wrong phone number, or you disabled text messages on Find My Phone
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Check your phone number and enable text messages to find your phone on the My Windows Phone site:
  1. Go to My Windows Phone.
  2. In the upper-right corner, point to Explore My Phone, and then click Sign In.

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  3. Sign in using the phone's primary Windows Live account.
  4. In the upper-right corner, point to Explore My Phone, and then click Account settings.
  5. Click Update.

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    Click Update

  6. If the phone number listed is incorrect, select your correct country or region from the drop-down menu, and then enter your correct phone number.
  7. Select the authorization check box that begins with "I authorize ...", and then click Change.
  8. Click Save.
  9. Try the Find My Phone functions again.
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To learn more about how to set up your Windows Phone with Find My Phone, and see the service requirements, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

2781516
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2781516/ )
: Setting up your Windows Phone with Find My Phone
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Properties

Article ID: 2446873 - Last Review: April 30, 2013 - Revision: 12.1
Applies to
  • Windows Phone Consumer
  • Windows Phone Services
  • Windows Phone 7 Consumer
  • Windows Phone 8 for Consumers
Keywords: 
kbwp7liveservices kbwp7webbrowsing kbwp7 kbwp8 KB2446873
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