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 Asurion data, 4.1 million phones were lost or stolen in 2022—that's more than 11,000 phones each day.
If your mobile phone suddenly disappears, use these tips to help protect your data and hopefully recover your device quickly.
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.
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.
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 Android™ devices, the feature is called Find My Device™; on an iPhone®, it's called Find My™.
To check to see if the feature is enabled on your device and to learn how to use it, read more in our guides to how to find your lost Android phone and how to find your lost or stolen iPhone.
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.
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