The six places, in order
- Between the seat and the centre console. The default destination for phones, wallets and cards.
- Under the seat, against the rails. Where earbuds and keys stop rolling.
- The seat crease, where the back meets the base. Cards and coins.
- Door bins, under whatever else is in them.
- The footwell behind the front seats, under a mat.
- The boot, in or under whatever was carried in it.
Use signal strength inside a car
A car is small enough that Bluetooth signal is strong throughout, which sounds helpful and is not, everything reads strong. What does work is comparison: hold the phone low at each of the six locations for a few seconds and compare readings between them rather than trying to read absolute distance.
Metal reflects, and a car is a metal box. Expect noisier readings than in a room, and trust the comparison between positions rather than any single value.
Move the seats
Slide both front seats fully forward, then fully back. This is the single highest-yield action in a car search and most people never do it.
Related methods
If this was not the situation you are in, one of these probably is.
- How to find something you left at the gym, Method
- How to find something in a hotel room before you check out, Method
- Bluetooth scan is not finding a device, Troubleshooting
- What to do in the first hour after losing your phone, Checklist
- How to find something in the dark, Method
- Last-seen map for your devices, Map tab
- How to find something you lost at the beach
- All how-to guides, the complete list
Common questions
Where do things fall in a car?
Overwhelmingly between the seat and the centre console, and under the seat against the rails. Sliding the seats fully forward and back exposes both.
In the app: This is what the app is built for. Read about Proximity Radar.