What to Do if Your Phone Is Stolen or Lost
2024-10-31
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1Phones hold so much of our digital lives - emails, social media and bank accounts, photos and more.
2As a result, if our phones ever get stolen or lost, we can face major problems.
3In some places, phone thefts have increased.
4Britain, for example, has some 200 phones stolen every day in "snatch thefts" - when a person steals a phone in a public place, sometimes right out of an owner's hand, and escapes quickly.
5The government has promised to take steps against the crime and is meeting with technology companies and device makers to come up with solutions.
6Here are steps you can take before and after your phone goes missing.
7There are things you can do to make it less painful if someone steals your phone.
8Because some of these features are more technical in nature, people often do not think of them.
9Lock down as much as you can.
10At a minimum, require a password or special scan to unlock the device.
11You can also add similar requirements to important individual apps - like your banking account, WhatsApp or Signal - to protect your finances or messaging from thieves.
12You will probably have lots of important photos saved on your camera roll.
13It is a good idea to back the photos up, along with contacts, calendar and other files.
14Google and Apple offer cloud-based backup services, although the free versions have limited storage space.
15You can also back up your files to an external hard drive, memory card or a laptop.
16Some police forces and phone companies advise turning off message previews.
17This prevents thieves trying to break into your accounts from seeing reset or login codes when the phone is locked.
18To do this on an iPhone, for example, go to Notifications in your settings and choose Show Previews.
19You can also go down the app list to turn previews off for individual apps but leave them on for less risky ones like news or weather.
20Recent iOS and Android updates include a number of new elements designed to make thefts less profitable.
21IPhone users can turn on Stolen Device Protection, which makes it a lot harder for phone thieves to change key functions and settings.
22Many thieves will want to wipe the data off and reset so they can resell it, but with this feature on, they will need a face or fingerprint scan to do so.
23Apple also recently updated its "activation lock " feature to make it harder for thieves to sell parts from stolen phones.
24Android phones, meanwhile, can now use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect motion indicating someone took a device out of your hand and is racing away on foot or a bike.
25The program then locks the screen immediately.
26There is also a feature called Private Spaces that lets you hide sensitive files on your phone.
27Take note of your phone's serial number, also known as an IMEI number.
28It can link you to the phone if it does eventually get recovered.
29Call it up by typing (asterisk)#06# on your phone's keypad.
30If you have already lost your phone you can also find it in other places like the box it came in.
31If you are unlucky enough to have your phone stolen, notify police.
32Call your insurance company if you have a policy that covers the device.
33Inform your phone company so they can freeze your number and issue a replacement SIM card or eSIM.
34Notify your bank so they can watch out for unusual activity.
35Try to find your phone with the find my device feature.
36For iPhones, go to iCloud.com/find from a web browser.
37Android users should go to www.google.com/android/find. Samsung also has its own service for Galaxy phones.
38These services will show your phone's current or last known location on a map.
39The service is also handy if you cannot find your phone somewhere in the house.
40Apple says even if a phone cannot connect to the internet or has been turned off, it can use Bluetooth to contact any nearby Apple devices by using the same network behind its AirTags tracking devices.
41Google says newer Pixel phones can be located "for several hours" after they have been turned off using similar technology.
42You can get the phone to play a sound, even if it is on silent.
43You can also put the phone in lost mode, which locks it and displays a message and contact details on the screen for anyone who finds it.
44Lost mode on iOS also suspends any Apple Pay cards and passes.
45If the device shows up in an unfamiliar location on the map, and you suspect it has been stolen, experts say it is better to contact police rather than trying to get it back yourself.
46Cybersecurity company Norton says, "Confronting a thief yourself is not recommended."
47If you cannot find your phone, there are some final steps to take.
48Log yourself out of all your accounts that might be accessible on the phone.
49Then remove your phone from your list of trusted devices that you use to get multifactor authentication codes.
50But make sure you can get those codes somewhere else, such as email.
51Then, as a final step, you can erase the phone remotely so that there is no chance of any data falling into the wrong hands.
52However, take note: Apple says that if the iPhone is offline, the remote erase will only happen the next time the phone comes back online.
53But if you find the phone before it gets erased, you can cancel the request.
54Google warns that SD memory cards plugged into Android phones might not be remotely erased.
55And after the phone has been wiped, it will not show up with find my device.
56I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell.
1Phones hold so much of our digital lives - emails, social media and bank accounts, photos and more. 2As a result, if our phones ever get stolen or lost, we can face major problems. 3In some places, phone thefts have increased. Britain, for example, has some 200 phones stolen every day in "snatch thefts" - when a person steals a phone in a public place, sometimes right out of an owner's hand, and escapes quickly. 4The government has promised to take steps against the crime and is meeting with technology companies and device makers to come up with solutions. 5Here are steps you can take before and after your phone goes missing. 6Basic steps 7There are things you can do to make it less painful if someone steals your phone. Because some of these features are more technical in nature, people often do not think of them. 8Lock down as much as you can. At a minimum, require a password or special scan to unlock the device. 9You can also add similar requirements to important individual apps - like your banking account, WhatsApp or Signal - to protect your finances or messaging from thieves. 10You will probably have lots of important photos saved on your camera roll. 11It is a good idea to back the photos up, along with contacts, calendar and other files. Google and Apple offer cloud-based backup services, although the free versions have limited storage space. You can also back up your files to an external hard drive, memory card or a laptop. 12Some police forces and phone companies advise turning off message previews. This prevents thieves trying to break into your accounts from seeing reset or login codes when the phone is locked. 13To do this on an iPhone, for example, go to Notifications in your settings and choose Show Previews. You can also go down the app list to turn previews off for individual apps but leave them on for less risky ones like news or weather. 14Turn on newer features 15Recent iOS and Android updates include a number of new elements designed to make thefts less profitable. 16IPhone users can turn on Stolen Device Protection, which makes it a lot harder for phone thieves to change key functions and settings. Many thieves will want to wipe the data off and reset so they can resell it, but with this feature on, they will need a face or fingerprint scan to do so. Apple also recently updated its "activation lock " feature to make it harder for thieves to sell parts from stolen phones. 17Android phones, meanwhile, can now use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect motion indicating someone took a device out of your hand and is racing away on foot or a bike. The program then locks the screen immediately. There is also a feature called Private Spaces that lets you hide sensitive files on your phone. 18Write down your device number 19Take note of your phone's serial number, also known as an IMEI number. It can link you to the phone if it does eventually get recovered. Call it up by typing (asterisk)#06# on your phone's keypad. If you have already lost your phone you can also find it in other places like the box it came in. 20If the device is stolen 21If you are unlucky enough to have your phone stolen, notify police. Call your insurance company if you have a policy that covers the device. Inform your phone company so they can freeze your number and issue a replacement SIM card or eSIM. Notify your bank so they can watch out for unusual activity. 22Tracking your device 23Try to find your phone with the find my device feature. For iPhones, go to iCloud.com/find from a web browser. Android users should go to www.google.com/android/find. Samsung also has its own service for Galaxy phones. 24These services will show your phone's current or last known location on a map. The service is also handy if you cannot find your phone somewhere in the house. Apple says even if a phone cannot connect to the internet or has been turned off, it can use Bluetooth to contact any nearby Apple devices by using the same network behind its AirTags tracking devices. Google says newer Pixel phones can be located "for several hours" after they have been turned off using similar technology. 25You can get the phone to play a sound, even if it is on silent. You can also put the phone in lost mode, which locks it and displays a message and contact details on the screen for anyone who finds it. Lost mode on iOS also suspends any Apple Pay cards and passes. 26If the device shows up in an unfamiliar location on the map, and you suspect it has been stolen, experts say it is better to contact police rather than trying to get it back yourself. 27Cybersecurity company Norton says, "Confronting a thief yourself is not recommended." 28Final steps 29If you cannot find your phone, there are some final steps to take. 30Log yourself out of all your accounts that might be accessible on the phone. Then remove your phone from your list of trusted devices that you use to get multifactor authentication codes. But make sure you can get those codes somewhere else, such as email. 31Then, as a final step, you can erase the phone remotely so that there is no chance of any data falling into the wrong hands. However, take note: Apple says that if the iPhone is offline, the remote erase will only happen the next time the phone comes back online. But if you find the phone before it gets erased, you can cancel the request. 32Google warns that SD memory cards plugged into Android phones might not be remotely erased. And after the phone has been wiped, it will not show up with find my device. 33I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell. 34Kelvin Chan reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 35_____________________________________________ 36Words in This Story 37function -- n. a computer subroutine; the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists 38feature --n. a prominent part or characteristic 39technical -- adj. marked by or characteristic of specialization 40storage -- n. space or a place for keeping things (such as data, objects, etc.) 41external -- adj. of, relating to, or connected with the outside or an outer part 42multifactor authentication -- n. a multi-step login process that requires more than just a password (for example: a password plus a special code sent by text message)