iOS 8 'Send Last Location' a life saver right before iPhone battery dies

iOS lost iphone mode
Find My iPhone to get an upgrade in iOS 8

We're really hoping that the rumored larger screen of the iPhone 6 boosts to its battery size, but for now we're taking solace in a feature to help recover our drained phones.

iOS 8 beta 1 has a new "Send Last Location" setting that's part of Apple's already invaluable Find My iPhone app, according to AppleInsider.

Once your iPhone reaches a critical level, it'll forward the wayward device's location to Apple's servers and presumably store the GPS information in your iCloud.

Right now, figuring out if your iPhone 5S or iPad Air is between the couch cushions or still in the car isn't practical through Apple's app if the battery is dead and hasn't broadcast a signal in a while.

iPhone thieves beware

"Send Last Location" is not only great for figuring out where you left your drained iPhone that clearly isn't in the charger, it's ideal for combating phone thieves.

It's one extra protection added to a long list of Find My iPhone capabilities: tracking, beeping, sending a message to, locking and completely wiping your precious iPhone.

Combined with the iPhone 5S Touch ID fingerprint sensor and forthcoming iOS 8 Family Sharing ability to recover each others' iDevices, there's really no excuse for losing your phone.

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Matt Swider