Losing your phone—or worse, having it stolen—is stressful. But it's a real risk and can happen to anyone. In fact, according to A Research data, 7.6 million phones were lost or stolen in 2020—that's nearly 21,000 phones a day.
If your mobile phone suddenly disappears, use these tips to help protect your data and hopefully recover your device quickly.
7 steps to follow if your phone is lost or stolen
STEP 1: CALL YOUR PHONE OR USE YOUR CARRIER'S MOBILE APP TO SEND AN ALERT
Start simple: use another device to call your mobile phone. This step is trickier if you had your phone on silent, but sometimes it's on a hard surface and you can hear it vibrate, so it's worth a try. You can also use your carrier's mobile app to override your ringer settings and sound an alert.
STEP 2: TEXT YOUR CELL PHONE
If you have text messages set to display on the lock or home screen, this easy trick can help a good Samaritan get your phone back to you quickly. Text your mobile phone to provide instructions on how to reach you, just in case someone finds it.
STEP 3: USE YOUR PHONE'S BUILT-IN FIND MY PHONE FEATURE
Your phone has built-in security measures that allow you to track, ring, lock, or erase it remotely, if you have the feature enabled. On a Samsung device, the feature is called Find My Mobile; on Google Pixel, Find My Device; and on an iPhone, you'll use the Find My app.
STEP 4: REMOTELY ERASE THE DATA FROM YOUR PHONE
If you're fairly certain your smartphone was stolen, you should remotely delete the data from your device to keep your information safe, and you should do it as soon as possible. Sophisticated thieves may remove SIM cards or use special boxes that shield mobile phones from cellular networks, making it impossible for you to wipe the device if you delay.
On an Android device: Go to android.com/find and sign into your Google account for the option to remotely erase your device.
On an iPhone: Go to icloud.com/find and use the Find My iPhone feature to erase the data on your phone.
STEP 5: LOCK YOUR PHONE & CHANGE PASSWORDS
If your cell phone can't be located quickly, use your phone's find my phone feature to remotely lock your phone from any location. Also, be sure to take this opportunity to change the passwords on any accounts you regularly accessed or had an app for on your—especially financial accounts, email, and social media, just in case.
STEP 6: CONTACT YOUR MOBILE CARRIER
If you've had no luck locating your device, after erasing and locking it remotely, reach out to the carrier for your consumer cellular plan. They can disable service to your phone, and can typically mark the phone itself as unusable even with a new SIM card or new carrier. This not only helps protect you, but someone who may unknowingly purchase a used phone that's been stolen.
STEP 7: ALERT THE POLICE
You may or may not get your phone back, but you could potentially need a police report if you have to protest fraudulent charges made with your device.