Did someone steal or lose your phone? Panic doesn’t help; it helps to do things in the right order. Here are the steps, from the most important to the least. Works for iPhone and Android.
In this article
Act first on these four:
- Locate and lock the device remotely
- Suspend the SIM card with your carrier
- Change the phone account password (Apple ID or Google)
- Report the theft to the PSP or GNR with the IMEI
Before you start: you’ll need another internet‑connected device, such as a computer, tablet or someone’s phone.
1. Locate and lock remotely
This is the time‑sensitive part. As long as the device has battery and network, you can act.
- iPhone: go to icloud.com/find with your Apple ID (or use the app Find on another Apple device). Locate it on the map and enable the Lost Mode: lock the screen, suspend Apple Pay and display a message with your contact details.
- Android: go to android.com/find with your Google account. If it’s a Samsung, you also have the SmartThings Find. Locate, lock the device and mark it as lost with a message.
Don’t wipe the phone yet. Wiping stops tracking; leave that for the end, only if you give up on retrieving it.
2. Suspend the SIM with your carrier
Call your carrier and ask to suspend the SIM card. This prevents calls, spending your credit or receiving verification codes sent by SMS on your number. Have your number and customer details handy.
3. Protect your accounts: the phone one first
The account that controls the phone is the key to everything else. Change the password now:
- iPhone: your Apple ID.
- Android: your Google.
After that, change those for email, banking and social media. If you use payment or banking apps on the phone, notify the bank. Whenever possible, enable the two‑factor authentication (2FA).
4. Report to the authorities
Make the report to the PSP or GNR. Bring the IMEI of the device, the number that uniquely identifies the phone. If you still have access to the phone, you mark *#06# and it appears; otherwise, it’s on the box or purchase invoice. The report is the official record that the device was stolen.
If you bought the phone from us and need the IMEI or invoice for the report, get in touch. We reply by email within 48 hours.
5. If there’s no way back: wipe everything
When you realise you won’t recover the device, use the Find (iPhone) or the Find My Device (Android) to wipe the data remotely. You lose tracking, but ensure no one can access your photos, messages and accounts.
For next time: two minutes of prevention
None of this works if it isn’t turned on first. It’s worth checking now, calmly:
- Enable the Find (iPhone) or the Find My Device (Android).
- Set a decent unlock code (not 1234).
- Write down the IMEI (
*#06#) in a safe place, apart from the phone.
When you report the theft with the IMEI, the device is registered as stolen. On the other side, anyone buying a second‑hand phone can check the IMEI before paying. It’s worth confirming the provenance of a used phone.
An honest note: iOutlet does not locate phones; Apple and Google do that with the tools above. This guide is our way of helping anyone going through this. We are 100% online and our support is by email, with a response within 48 hours.
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