8 Things You Must Do Immediately The Moment You Lose Your Phone

Last Updated on 2022-10-26 , 5:56 pm

In this time of ours when we are all so reliant on our smartphones, it is really difficult for many of us to operate optimally without it. So when we lose our phones, we go into a frenzy and start panicking. Don’t fret! Should you (touch wood), lose your phone, remember these 8 points and get to them immediately.

Note that for points #2-5, you need to be signed in to a Google Account (for Android Users) and have a valid Cloud ID (for iOS users).

1. Try calling your phone

This is probably what most of us will do first. Try and call your phone and see if anyone picks up. The good Samaritan may just be waiting for you to call to claim your phone back. Or you may just realise you merely misplaced it.

2. Put in a lock-screen message

This is the best way to let whoever has your phone know that you are looking for it since they won’t be able to know your password to access your phone. Put in a phone number (not yours!), or other contact information for the person to get in touch with you. You can do this via Android Device Manager.

3. Lock your phone down remotely

Protect your sensitive and important information by locking your phone down remotely. You can do this by logging into your Android Device Manager and Find My iPhone account on another device and manually lock your phone.

4. Log out of your accounts

Your phone may be locked but it’s best to log out of your email and social media accounts until the situation is under control. You don’t want strangers hacking into your personal life and wreaking havoc do you?

5. Get rid of all the data in your phone

Many times, a stolen phone will not be recoverable so the next best thing to do is to erase everything on it. Make sure your phone is always backed up on iCloud or an external drive so when you need to start afresh on a new phone, your information is all still intact.

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6. Suspend your service

You don’t have to do this immediately but if you suspect suspicious activity on your lost or stolen phone, it’s best to suspend your service. This is also to ensure you don’t have to deal with crazy data usage and call bills that will only make matters worse.

7. GPS

If you have activated the device to locate your phone prior, you will be able to try locating it via your phone’s GPS locating service. Just to err on the safe side, why not activate it now on Android Device Manager or Find My iPhone?

8. Make a police report

It may sound like a lost cause but phones have miraculously made it back to its owners before after a police report was made. No harm doing so, especially if, for some reason, your phone gets used for unlawful activities.