Many iPhone users may be familiar with that heart-stopping feeling when you pat your pocket and the familiar outline of your phone isn't there.

Usually, you're able to find it lying nearby, but a tech expert has revealed fail-proof ways to locate a lost iPhone if it's taking longer than usual to find it.

Kurt Knutsson, also known as Kurt the Cyberguy, is the founder of The Cyberguy Report which warns viewers about possible cybersecurity scams and whether you could be a target.

He has now explained that the tools users already have access to like Siri and the Apple smartwatch are effective ways to locate your missing phone.

Although iPhone users can use most Apple devices to locate their phones, there are three other options you may not have considered, according to Knutsson.

He has worked as a tech correspondent for more than two decades, giving advice on cybersecurity issues and safeguarding your devices. 

1. Apple Watch

Starting with the most obvious option - the Apple watch can be used to ping your iPhone if they’re within 330 feet of each other.

IPhone owners can utilize this tool by pressing the watch’s side button to open the control center and tap the ‘Find iPhone’ button which will cause your device to give off a pinging sound to help you locate it.

Depending on how your watch is set up, the Find iPhone feature can also be found by going to your watch face and either swiping up or to the left.

This will reveal four tools including the option to ping your phone.

2. iCloud

ICloud accounts are equipped with a Find My iPhone feature, similar to the Apple watch but it requires forward thinking and a few extra steps.

Users would have had to turn on their location services and add their iPhone to ‘Find My’ before they misplaced it if they wanted to use this feature.

If you did think ahead, you can log in to your iCloud account on a laptop or tablet and put in the email address you use for your Apple ID along with your password.

Once logged in, you’ll notice the ‘Find My’ icon located on the bottom left of the screen with all linked Apple devices listed on the left-hand side of the app.

After locating and clicking on the iPhone device you want to find, iCloud will display a map showing the approximate place your device is located and will allow the user to select ‘Play Sound’ if it shows you’re close enough to hear a noise coming from your phone.

3. Siri

Siri can be used as more than just a digital assistant to tell you the weather - the high-tech feature can be used to help locate your phone.

If the Siri app has been activated on your iPhone and you think it might be nearby, you can call out ‘Hey Siri’ and it will light up and give you a verbal response, providing you with a quick and easy way to find it.

4. Google Maps Timeline

A potentially lesser-known option is using Google Maps Timeline which keeps tabs on your iPhone’s location services and history if it’s enabled on the device.

To access the feature, users can go to Google Maps Timeline in a web browser and log in to the Google account they use on their phone.

This will then show the user the iPhone’s location history to quickly get it back in your possession.