Any way to track stolen iPhone 4 without having previously installed an app

No.

If a serious crime has been committed by someone with your iPhone or you were seriously injured or ill and dialed an emergency number but were unable to speak, if your carrier is contacted by the appropriate authorities, the iPhone's location could be tracked via the cellular tower or towers the iPhone is connected to, which is not as accurate as GPS. A lost or stolen iPhone does not fall under the category of a police or serious health emergency.

I understand in Europe that when an phone is reported as lost or stolen, the phone's IMEI number is blacklisted by the carrier to prevent it being used by someone else.

You can use Mobileme to find the general area your phone is in. You can also send a message or sound to your phone in addition you can either lock it or wipe it clean of any information.

As an FYI, this was copied from the OP's post.

I've not got a mobile me subscription, (but I'd buy one if it meant I could track the phone?) and haven't installed any third party tracking app either.

A little too late for using a MobileMe account for this.

i-CONICA, not only can the phone be tracked, it can be remotely turned on so that you can hear the conversation. Governments have been doing this for years to spy on bad people. Only problem is I suspect they won't do it for you, unless a really really bad person has your phone, in which case they will likely be assassinated any second now using the remotely controlled explosive device hidden in everyones phones..

Hope this helps.

I remember reading somewhere that they recommend that you don't immediately report it to AT&T so you can avoid having your phone turn into a brick. If the thief is not smart and uses the phone, you may be able to track the numbers the individual is calling and then report those to the police as evidence.

If the person turns off the phone and pulls the sim card out, it could be harder to trace even with tracking software installed.

For those interested in tracking software, here are some apps that might help.

http://techpp.com/2009/09/18/6-ways-to-find-track-lost-stolen-iphone-free/

Unfortunately MobileMe can be turned off by a thief or anyone who has access to your phone. Therefore it does not offer the protection you need.

You don't need to pay for a mobile me account to enable the free find-my-iPhone feature - you can do that entirely for free (you use your Apple ID to create a mobileme account that allows the find-my-iPhone feature only).

As mentioned though, if you do not have a passcode lock on the iPhone, the thief can just disable the feature. Even if you have a passcode on it, they can just turn the phone off, which also disables it.

The find-my-iPhone service is useful, but it is hardly a foolproof security feature, and should not be counted on as any sort of primary security.

iHound solves this issue, as it will send you a message when your phone connects to a computer that has Internet.

Also, most of these services do not need to have the SIM in. Find iPhone and all those other services are attached to the iPhone, not the SIM.

But they would have to installed prior to the phone being stolen, correct?

This does not work either unless you have previously signed up and registered your device, correct?

This is correct. And with iHound, you DO have to have the app installed.

This is why I prefer the Find iPhone service. Free, and you don't need anything installed, just setup. And you can block access from it being removed.

@EBSkater - That seems to be the key to all of the solutions. Whatever a person may choose, it has to be installed,set up etc. BEFORE the phone goes missing.

I would hope that people would realize that this is the case in almost all situations. Too many times do people sit idly by and not secure their stuff, and then when they go missing, they get angry at those who made the devices for not providing a security system to go along with the device FOR FREE.

Hi Allan,

I just lost my Iphone4 on Monday, got stolen from hotel room. Tried callin the phone but I think the SIM card has been removed. Lodged a police report and they requested for IMEI number. I've passed to them.

Can I confirm that the phone will be blacklisted once I passed the IMEI number to the police? And the thief can't use the phone?

Thanks to reply.