What to do if your iPhone gets stolen
Someone recently told my mum a story of how their niece got their phone stolen in London. The thief also managed to steal money from their bank account. I don’t know enough of the incident’s details, but the incident warranted an article for myself (props to Anu for suggesting it), which can serve as a guide when such an incident does happen.
Steps
Try to involve another person to prevent missing crucial steps and to reduce your panic.
If you know your iPhone is stolen 100%, then skip Step 1.
1. Locate your iPhone (using the “Find My” app)
You can do on another Apple device or visit iCloud.com.
If the location is still in your house, it’s probably just slipped between the sofa. If it’s traveling away from you or magically in a far away country like Poland, then it’s probably stolen (unless you’re moving to Poland and you’ve shipped your sofa there along with the phone inside).
2. Switch your iPhone to the Lost Mode (using the “Find My” app)
You can do on another Apple device or visit iCloud.com. This will do a couple of things for you, shown below:
3. Log off Google on your phone
Steps taken from the Google Help Page:
- Open your Google Account
(or go to Gmail -> Click on your photo -> ‘Manage Your Google Account’) - ‘Security’ tab -> ‘Your devices’ section -> Select ‘Manage devices’
- Select the lost iPhone. Select ‘Sign out’. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove access to your Google Account and connected apps on your device.
4. Change your Passwords
- Change your Apple password immediately to prevent unauthorized access to your Apple/iCloud account.
- Change your Google password immediately to prevent unauthorized access to your gmail account (or to prevent resetting other passwords using your mail shared email)
- Change any other email passwords immediately.
5. Notify Banks
- Credit/Debit Cards: Call up your bank to tell them that your phone has been stolen. They can either suspend your cards (and reissue new ones) or take some other measures.
- Venmo: Log off the app on your phone. Steps: Log in to your Venmo account from a remembered device (reset password if needed). Settings from the sidebar -> Security -> Click Forget to log off all other sessions. Read this article to report the issue to Venmo
- Also remember to monitor your bank accounts to spot any suspicious activity.
6. If needed, erase your iPhone (using the “Find My” app)
You can do on another Apple device or visit iCloud.com.
Note that once you do so, you can no longer track the location of the iPhone.
7. Cancel sim & tell the cops
- Carrier: Call up your mobile carrier to suspend your cell phone service or take other measures (e.g. if your sim is locked).
- Police: File a police report to notify the theft/loss.
8. Deal with Apps
- Uber/Lyft/Ola: Log off using website
- Amazon/Target: Log off using website
- Uber/Lyft/Ola: Log off using website
- Instagram/Facebook/Discord/LinkedIn: Log off using website
- Airbnb: Log off using website
- Spotify: Log off remotely (Log in to your account page -> Security and Privacy -> select ‘Sign out everywhere’)
- Netflix: Log off using website
- WhatsApp: Cannot remotely deactivate. Only way is to get sim with the same number and re-register it on WhatApp on a new device.
Remember to stay calm. Mitigate the impact of a stolen device. And until you your replacement phone arrives, remember to enjoy a few moments of a screen-free life.
