Protect your phone: Steps to take if your device is lost, stolen, or broken

Simple changes spell a agelong measurement to boost your smartphone’s security. Leave Bluetooth connected 24/7? You should alteration that.

While taking a person look astatine your phone, delete these apps to support it moving smoothly and safely.

Losing a telephone is simply a nightmare. Are matter messages nan only point you person near to retrieve personification by? Do you cognize your family and friends' numbers by heart? How galore magical moments person you captured pinch your phone's camera?

It gets worse. Consider each nan apps connected your telephone from your societal media, banking, rideshare, streaming, networking, security, health, travel, delivery, and nan database goes on. Your telephone is simply a immense liability for your information and information successful nan incorrect hands. That's why you must return steps now should your telephone spell missing, stolen, aliases surgery beyond repair. 

An attendee holds a caller Apple iPhone 14 Pro during an Apple typical arena connected September 07, 2022 successful Cupertino, California.  ((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))

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A boring but important measurement everyone needs to take

This first conception is astir being prepared. Here's really to group up your phone, truthful you don't get tense whenever it's retired of sight. In nan worst-case script that a criminally-minded alien gets ahold of your phone, you will beryllium gladsome you took these steps beforehand. 

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It’s simple: When your telephone goes missing, nary 1 should beryllium capable to unlock it. Let’s commencement by making judge this happens automatically. There are preset clip options to take from. The shorter nan time, nan amended disconnected you are.

Set your iPhone to fastener automatically

• Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and take a magnitude of time.

Set your Android telephone to fastener automatically

Note: Exact steps whitethorn alteration depending connected your Android phone.

• Go to Settings > Display and look for a Timeout, Screen Timeout aliases Sleep option.

In this photograph illustration an Android logo seen displayed connected a smartphone.  (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Turn connected find-it mode

Your telephone has built-in devices to thief you find it utilizing different telephone aliases computer. Here’s nan caveat: You person to make judge nan characteristic is turned connected up of clip for it to work.

Turn connected Find My for your iPhone

• Go to Settings > [your name] > Find My.
• Consider whether you want friends and family to cognize wherever you are. If so, move connected Share My Location.
• Tap Find My iPhone, past move connected Find My iPhone.
• To spot your instrumentality moreover erstwhile it’s offline, move connected Find My network.
• To person nan location of your instrumentality sent to Apple erstwhile nan artillery is low, move connected Send Last Location.

Turn connected Find My Device for your Android phone

• Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device. Or effort Security & location or Google > Security.
• Make judge Find My Device is turned on.

Know your phone’s fingerprints

Like immoderate product, your telephone has a serial number to place it. It besides has an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). While nan serial number comes from nan manufacturer, IMEI numbers are modular crossed nan industry.

Keep a grounds of these numbers successful lawsuit you person to study your telephone is stolen aliases missing. When you find your phone's IMEI number, return a screenshot of it. Then, prevention that screenshot someplace you tin entree it erstwhile needed. I support excavation successful my photograph unreality retention account. You tin besides people and shop it successful nan phone's original container aliases different useful offline place.

Find your iPhone’s serial and IMEI numbers

• Go to Settings > General > About.

Find your Android phone’s serial and IMEI numbers

• Go to Settings > About phone.

Back it up

Your telephone is replaceable — overmuch of what it contains isn't. Set your telephone to backmost up automatically, truthful you don't person to interest astir losing anything. 

This important measurement is captious moreover if you don’t suffer your phone. You’ll beryllium happy you backed it up if it ever gets damaged to nan constituent wherever you can’t move it connected aliases retrieve thing from it.

I urge utilizing nan built-in retention that useful pinch your phone: iCloud for iPhones and Google retention for Androids. They're some affordable and straightforward to group up and use.

DON'T BE A VICTIM: LEAVING YOUR PHONE'S BLUETOOTH ON IS A MAJOR SECURITY RISK

Back up your iPhone

• Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup 
• Toggle on Back Up This iPhone. 
• Come backmost to this surface immoderate clip to backmost up your phone.

You get 5GB of free retention pinch iCloud. Need much space? You’ll person to salary 99 cents for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB.

Money tip: My family and I share a plan that cuts nan cost. 

Back up your Android phone

• Open nan Google One app.
• Tap Storage and scroll down to Backup.
• Tap View > Set up information backup > Manage backup.
• From there, take your backup settings.

You get 15GB of free unreality retention pinch your Google account. A Basic Google One scheme costs $1.99 monthly and has 100GB of storage. A Standard scheme costs $2.99 monthly for 200GB, and a Premium scheme costs $9.99 and comes pinch 2TB of storage.

RELATED: 4 information backup mistakes that could costs you your photos, videos and different files

An Apple subordinate holds 1 of nan caller iPhone Pros during a motorboat arena for caller products astatine Apple Park successful Cupertino, California, connected September 7, 2022. (BRITTANY HOSEA-SMALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Do this if your telephone is lost 

You've searched each sofa cushion, and your telephone is obscurity to beryllium found. Or possibly you near it astatine a restaurant. The process is nan same. Start by trying to find it earlier assuming nan worst. 

Find your iPhone

• It’s easy pinch different Apple instrumentality for illustration a Mac, Apple Watch, aliases iPad. Open nan Find My app and prime your telephone to spot its location connected a map. Play a sound to thief you find it.Phone offline? You’ll spot its location from nan past clip it went online aliases connected to nan Find My network.
• Phone offline? You’ll spot its location from nan past clip it went online aliases connected to nan Find My network.
• Another option: Sign into iCloud.com/find and usage nan Find iPhone feature to find it connected a representation and play a sound to thief you find it.
• Use a family member’s instrumentality to find your telephone if Family Sharing is enabled. You’ll spot it listed successful their Find My app.

Did you cognize that Find My useful moreover erstwhile your telephone is disconnected aliases nan artillery is dead? It’s 1 of 3 things your iPhone does aft it shuts down.

Find your Android phone

• Have different Android device? Open Find My Device app and pat Continue arsenic [your name]. Select your mislaid phone, and you’ll get accusation connected its location. Play a sound to thief you find nan telephone if request be. You whitethorn spot its past known location if Google can’t find your phone.
• Play a sound to thief you find nan telephone if request be.
• You whitethorn spot its past known location if Google can’t find your phone.
• Or spell to android.com/find and motion successful to your Google account. Select your mislaid phone; you’ll get accusation connected its location and nan action to play a sound.

Found it? Congratulations! If not, publication on.

Remotely fastener your phone 

This measurement is basal erstwhile you don't cognize wherever your telephone is located— aliases if you've spotted it but don't person it. The bully news is it's elemental to do remotely from different device. 

Mark your iPhone arsenic lost

• From different Apple device, unfastened nan Find My app and pat Devices, past pat your phone. Tap Activate under Mark As Lost. This will fastener your telephone and fto you create a connection showing really to interaction you if it’s found.
• Tap Activate under Mark As Lost.
• This will fastener your telephone and fto you create a connection showing really to interaction you if it’s found.
• Or motion successful to iCloud.com/find and spell to nan Find iPhone feature. Select your mislaid phone, past prime Lost Mode.
• If you group up Family Sharing, usage a family member’s instrumentality to people your telephone arsenic lost. You’ll spot it listed successful their Find My app.

Mark your Android telephone arsenic lost

• On different Android device, unfastened Find My Device app and pat Continue arsenic [your name]. Select your mislaid phone, and you’ll get accusation connected its location. When nan punctual pops up, prime Enable fastener & erase. Select Secure device to fastener your telephone pinch your PIN aliases password. Optionally, adhd a connection aliases instrumentality number to nan fastener screen.
• When nan punctual pops up, prime Enable fastener & erase.
• Select Secure device to fastener your telephone pinch your PIN aliases password. Optionally, adhd a connection aliases instrumentality number to nan fastener screen.
• Go to android.com/find and motion successful to your Google account. Select your mislaid phone, and you’ll get accusation connected its location. When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase. Select Secure device to fastener your telephone pinch your PIN aliases password. Add a connection aliases instrumentality number to nan fastener surface if you want.
• When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase.
• Select Secure device to fastener your telephone pinch your PIN aliases password. Add a connection aliases instrumentality number to nan fastener surface if you want.

Photo of a tutorial connected really to alteration nan fastener surface connected an Android. (Fox News)

Here’s what to do erstwhile each other fails

You tried everything, and your smartphone is good and genuinely lost. You should remotely swipe nan information stored connected it to make judge nary 1 other has entree to it. 

This measurement is simply a past resort, but if you backmost up your phone, arsenic I showed you earlier, you won't person to interest astir losing anything. 

Remotely erase your iPhone

• From different Apple device, unfastened nan Find My app and pat Devices, past pat your phone.Tap Erase This Device to remotely swipe its data.
• Tap Erase This Device to remotely swipe its data.
• Or motion successful to iCloud.com/find and spell to nan Find iPhone feature.Select your mislaid phone, past prime Erase iPhone.
• Select your mislaid phone, past prime Erase iPhone.
• Use a family member’s instrumentality to erase your telephone if Family Sharing is enabled. You’ll spot it listed successful their Find My app.

Remotely erase your Android phone

• From different Android device, unfastened Find My Device app and pat Continue arsenic [your name]. Select your mislaid phone, and you’ll get accusation connected its location. When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase. Select Erase device to swipe its data.
• When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase.
• Select Erase device to swipe its data.
• Or spell to android.com/find and motion successful to your Google account. Select your mislaid phone, and you’ll get accusation connected its location. When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase. Select Erase device to swipe its data.
• When prompted, prime Enable fastener & erase.
• Select Erase device to swipe its data.

Report your stolen phone

Remember erstwhile I told you to grounds your serial and IMEI numbers? Here’s why that’s truthful important erstwhile reporting your telephone arsenic stolen.

The constabulary tin usage these numbers to place your telephone if they find it, and your bearer whitethorn artifact nan IMEI codification to fastener your telephone retired of nan network. The past point you request is personification taking complete your number.

By nan way, earlier buying a utilized phone, beryllium judge it's not stolen goods. You tin hunt a database of stolen phones to check.

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