What to do if your phone gets stolen

Our mobile phones hold so much of our lives. We use them to organise social events, remind us to go to appointments and even pay for our shopping. But if your phone gets stolen or lost, it'll have a big impact on your life – unless you know what to do.

If your phone is stolen, the thief will probably wipe it to sell it as fast as possible and your data won’t be used. However, there’s a chance they might try to hack into your accounts.

Below, we explain the steps you need to take before and after your phone is stolen, plus we show you ways to toughen up your phone's security.

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Before your phone is stolen

The police and phone providers will likely ask for your phone's IMEI details if you report it stolen. The IMEI will identify your exact phone and the police can use it to check if it ends up on sale anywhere.

• To find your IMEI number on Android, dial *#06#
• To find your IMEI number on iPhone, go to Settings > General > About.

Next, if you haven't already set up a Find My Phone service on your phone, you need to do this right now. Once it's done, you can virtually control your phone and stop your data from falling into the wrong hands. Your future self will thank you for it.

How to track an iPhone – Find My iPhone

To set up Find My iPhone while you have your mobile on you, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap your name, then Find My > Find My iPhone
3. Activate Find My iPhone to locate, lock or erase the device remotely
4. Enable Find My network, which lets you locate the device even when it's offline
5. Select Send Last Location to send the phone’s last location to Apple if its battery is low.

To use Find My iPhone from a computer, visit icloud.com/find or Apple’s Find My app. Log in with your Apple ID. You’ll need your phone to be connected to the internet and turned on to link up to it, so find it quickly as a thief might turn it off.

On Find My iPhone, you can take a number of steps to protect your phone’s data. You can locate it, secure it in Lost Mode, add a recovery message to the screen, make it play sounds (even if it’s on silent mode) and erase all your data. 

Note that if you erase your data, you won’t be able to locate the device any more.

Find out more about which iPhone is best for you

How to track a Samsung phone – SmartThings Find

To set up SmartThings Find while you have your phone on you, follow these steps:

1. Head to Settings > Samsung account
2. Choose Find My Mobile
3. Enable Allow this phone to be found. Note that this is automatically activated when you log in to your Samsung account on your device.

To use Samsung’s SmartThings Find service from a computer, go to smartthingsfind.samsung.com and sign into your Samsung account. Here, you can locate and lock your device – that means anybody who uses the phone will be unable to use Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass.

How to track an Android phone – Find My Device

To set up Find My Device while you have your phone on you, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Security or Security & location or Google > Security. Alternatively, try typing 'Find my' in the Settings search bar
2. Select Find My Device and turn it on
3. Go to Settings > Location and turn it on.

To use Find My Device, visit android.com/find and log in with your Google account.

You can locate your phone, lock it with Secure device, make it play sounds (even if it’s on silent) and erase all your data (although you’ll no longer be able to locate the phone). If you find it later, you’ll need your Google Account password to use it again.

Need a new phone? Our expert lab tests will help you choose the best for your budget – see our pick of the best mobile phones.

Before your phone is stolen: four ways to tighten up your security

1. Use strong passwords

Use a strong passcode to unlock your phone and strong passwords for your accounts – make them long and use a mixture of characters. Setting up face or fingerprint recognition means fewer passwords to remember.

By teaming up with a reliable password manager, you can safely store all your passwords for different accounts, or share data with trusted friends and family.

See our expert guide on password managers and how to create secure passwords.

2. Password-lock notes

If you’re keeping notes on your phone with personal information in them, you can lock them with a password.

3. Set up automatic backups

This prevents you losing your data if your phone goes missing. Most mobile phone manufacturers have free automatic backups, such as iCloud or Samsung Cloud, but you might have to pay if you need more space. You could also back up to another device such as a laptop, an SD card or an external hard drive.

If you want to store your important files online, explore our guide on how to choose the best cloud storage service.

4. Register your mobile phone on immobilise.com

This is a register that the police can use to return your phone to you if it’s found, but they can't do that unless your phone is logged on Immobilise.com.

What to do if your phone is stolen 

As soon as you realise your phone has gone,  you need to follow these steps to help prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands:

1. Find My Phone Use the appropriate service to locate and control your phone.
2. Report your stolen phone to the police Contact your local police station in person or dial 101. Ring Citizens Advice if you need support from a trained adviser. If you locate your phone using Find My Phone, don’t confront the thief yourself, as it puts your safety at risk. Give the information to the police instead.
3. Tell your network provider Cancel your phone Sim so no one can use your mobile to make calls, send texts or go online. You might be responsible for any bills that are racked up by a thief if you have a contract – negotiate with your network to try to reduce the bill. Some networks will cap the charges at £100 if you report your phone lost within 24 hours, and most can send a replacement Sim. If you have a fixed-term contract, you won’t be able to cancel it without consequences.
4. Protect your bank accounts If you use mobile banking, tell your bank that your phone is missing. It might suspend your mobile banking app and recommend you change your passwords. Don’t forget about any bank cards you have saved for mobile payments.
5. Change critical passwords At a minimum, change the passwords for your emails and your Apple, Google or Samsung account. You can use a password manager such as LastPass or Dashlane to help you manage all your account details.
6. Remove your phone as a trusted device You’ll need to do this if it was previously enabled for two-factor authentication (2FA).

Keep reading to find out whether you should consider taking out phone insurance, plus our expert tips on how you can tighten up your phone's security to protect your data.

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Is phone insurance worth it?

If you have an expensive phone, it could be worth taking out an insurance policy to cover the cost should the worst happen. But double-check it’s not already covered – for instance, under a warranty from the retailer, as part of your home contents insurance, or even as a perk from your credit card.

You can cover your phone at a reasonable price through personal possessions insurance. The downside is that your premium might go up if you claim, but we recommend renegotiating with your provider if this happens. 

Alternatively, you can take out theft and loss insurance from your phone provider, manufacturer or a third-party insurer registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (find one on register.fca.org.uk).

These policies might require you to insure it within a certain time period, and some claims won’t be valid unless you have Find My Phone services enabled.

For expert advice on phone insurance, consult our guide – mobile phone insurance: how to get the best cover.

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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan.