What to do when your iPhone is lost?

In most cases of lost phones, the first thing people do will be to call the phone. However, what do you do when your phone is on silent mode, or the person who picked it up doesn’t want to return it, or worse still, the phone is stolen while it contains a lot of important personal data? Safety features built into iPhone and help from your carrier will help you with these issues.

Things to do to avoid the risk of losing your iPhone

Apple provides many safety features for iPhone users to ensure that they have a good chance of getting their lost device back, or at least can secure the personal information on that device if it can’t be retrieved. The most recommended method is to set up a lock screen password. This passcode can prevent your iPhone holder from accessing data on iPhone. To set up a password, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings on iPhone.

2. Select Face ID & Password or Touch ID & Password.

3. Tap Set Password or Change Password.

4. You will have options for your password, such as Alphanumeric Code or Code.

Newer iPhones can also be secured via Face ID or Touch ID. However, setting a password also provides additional encryption and data protection. Alternatively, you can also enable automatic deletion of all data on your device after 10 failed password attempts by turning on “Clear data” at the bottom of the Face ID & Password screen.

If you own other Apple devices, you can also use them to gain access to your iPhone’s location services in the event of a loss. Enable two-factor authentication to prevent strangers from accessing your Apple ID account and allow you to use another trusted device to make changes to your account without need your phone number.

Activate Apple’s Find My service

Keeping the Find My iPhone setting on increases your chances of finding your device when it’s lost or stolen. Make sure you’ve turned on all three switches in the Find My iPhone menu to allow related Apple services to access and verify your iPhone’s last location even in low battery, device is offline, goes into power saving mode, or is turned off.

If you have other Apple devices like the Apple Watch, open the Find My app and go to Devices, then select your iPhone. Next, turn on the Notify When Left Behind feature. When this feature is enabled, your second Apple device will send an alert when you leave your iPhone in an unknown location.

Mark your iPhone as lost

Through maps, Find My tells you where your lost iPhone was last. Alternatively, you can go to iCloud’s Find My Device portal and sign in with your Apple ID. Once done, select your iPhone from the list to check its last recorded location. If the location cannot be located, the display will show “Location not found.” However, tick the “Notify me when found” option if it is available.

Find My can also play a sound on your lost device to help you locate it in the vicinity. If your lost iPhone is farther away and is likely to be picked up by a stranger, you can turn on Lost Mode:

1. Open Find My on the Apple device you own and select the lost iPhone from the list of devices. You can also sign in to Find My Device and select your lost iPhone from the drop-down list.

2. Select Lost Mode or activate Mark as Lost.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to send the person who picked up the iPhone your contact information or a thank you for returning the iPhone. For safety’s sake, do not put a home or work address.

With Lost Mode enabled you can remotely secure your lost iPhone with a password and disable Apple Pay. Basically, you can also contact anyone who found your lost device and encourage them to return it to you. Furthermore, when Find My is enabled, your iPhone is automatically Activation Locked, helping to securely link the device to your account. If someone tries to erase data or perform other actions on your iPhone, they won’t be able to reactivate the device without your Apple ID password.

Contact and report to relevant parties about lost iPhone

If you are concerned that your iPhone may have been stolen or may have fallen into the hands of someone who may have malicious intentions with your data, you can file a lost phone report at police headquarters. locally. They may ask you for your iPhone’s serial number or IMEI number. To obtain these two pieces of information, perform the following steps:

1. On a web browser, go to appleid.apple.com and sign in with the Apple ID associated with your iPhone.

2. Go to Devices and select iPhone.

3. Both your iPhone’s serial number and IMEI number will be listed here. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, the Apple ID portal will offer other ways to recover your account, which you will need to do if you want to know what your iPhone’s serial number and IMEI number is. In case you still have your iPhone’s original packaging, these numbers will also be on it.

Besides that, you should also contact your mobile service provider and notify them of your lost and possibly stolen iPhone so that they disable your cellular service plan, and make sure that the person holding your phone can’t make calls, send text messages, or use mobile data on the device. In some cases, if your cellular service plan covers the IMEI, you can file a claim and get a replacement new iPhone device.

Similarly, if you signed up for AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss coverage, you can also log in through Apple’s claims portal and request a replacement iPhone.

Erase all data on iPhone remotely and secure your Apple account

When you’ve tried everything in your power to locate your lost iPhone with no success, consider remotely wiping your iPhone to prevent others from accessing and stealing your personal information. your multiplication. However, this will delete your data permanently.

Additionally, if you’ve updated to iOS 15 or later on your iPhone, remote wiping won’t affect your option to use Find My to locate your lost iPhone on a map or play audio on it. there. However, if your iPhone is still using an older operating system version, then you won’t be able to locate it after completely erasing the data on it.

You also won’t be able to file a claim with Apple about your lost or stolen device. So make sure you do this only as a last resort, such as in case your claim is not approved or the device is not returned. To erase data on iPhone remotely, follow these instructions:

1. Launch Find My on an Apple device that you own and have access to, then select your lost iPhone from the list of devices. You can also sign in to Find My Device and select your lost iPhone from the drop-down list.

2. Tap Erase this device or Erase iPhone.

3. Confirm action when required.

When a remote wipe operation is initiated on an offline iPhone, it will begin once the iPhone has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. This will erase everything stored on your device, including credit card information and other bank accounts. Once done, sign back in to appleid.apple.com and remove the device from the list of trusted devices associated with your Apple account.

According to SlashGear