Part 1: the first hour after the theft

The order matters. If you get the first step wrong, you may lose control of your device, your accounts and your money. Here’s the plan – step by step.

Step 1: lock your phone remotely

This is the most important step – and it must come first. As long as the stolen device is still online (via cellular or Wi-Fi), remote commands can reach it. If you call your carrier to suspend the SIM card first, you cut off that very connection – and lose your ability to control the device remotely.

iPhone: Open icloud.com/find in any browser – even on a friend’s laptop or a library computer. Sign in with your Apple ID and choose “Mark As Lost.” The device locks immediately, Apple Pay is deactivated, and a message with your contact number appears on the screen.

Android: Open android.com/find and sign in with your Google account. Choose “Secure device.” The phone locks with a PIN, Google Pay is deactivated, and you can display a message on the lock screen.

Both features also show you the device’s last known location. But be careful: do not go there yourself to confront the thief. That’s a job for the police.

Step 2: suspend your SIM card

Only now – after the device is locked remotely – should you call your carrier. If you’re with a major US carrier, use their dedicated lines: T-Mobile at 1-800-937-8997, AT&T at 1-800-331-0500, or Verizon at 1-800-922-0204. Have your phone number and account PIN ready.

Suspending the SIM prevents the thief from making calls, receiving texts or using mobile payment services on your dime.

Practical tip: if your wallet was stolen along with your phone, call your bank and credit card companies immediately afterward to freeze those cards as well.

Step 3: change your critical passwords

Your smartphone probably has dozens of accounts logged in – email, banking, Amazon, PayPal, social media. In the worst case, the thief only needs access to one of them to cause serious damage.

Change your email password first. Anyone with access to your email can take over virtually any other account through the “Forgot password” function. After that, move on to online banking, shopping accounts and social media.

If you use a password manager, you can breathe a little easier: the stored passwords have an extra layer of protection. But change the manager’s master password anyway, in case it was saved on the device.

Step 4: file a police report

The police won’t actively track down your phone – let’s be honest about that. But filing a report still matters, for three reasons:

• You may need it for insurance claims (homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, or a dedicated phone protection plan).
• It serves as proof for your carrier if the thief racked up charges on your account.
• If the device turns up later, the report proves it’s yours.

Bring your IMEI number to the report – you’ll find out how to locate it in part two of this article. Many police departments also let you file a report online.

Step 5: remote wipe – only as a last resort

Both iCloud (iPhone) and Google Find My (Android) offer the option to “Erase device.” This deletes all personal data on the phone – emails, photos, contacts, everything.

But be careful: after a remote wipe, the device can no longer be located. Only use this option if you’re certain the phone isn’t coming back.

There is a silver lining, though: on iPhones, the device remains tied to your Apple ID even after a wipe (Activation Lock). The thief can’t set it up without your password – making it essentially a paperweight. Android has a comparable feature called Factory Reset Protection (FRP), which prevents a fresh setup without the Google account password.

Part 2: before it happens – what to do right now

Everything you read in part one only works if you’ve set a few things up beforehand. Five minutes of preparation today can save you hours of stress if the worst happens.

Write down your IMEI number

The IMEI is your device’s unique serial number – a 15-digit code that identifies your smartphone worldwide. The police need it for the report.

Here’s how to find it: open the Phone app and dial *#06#. The IMEI appears instantly – this works on every smartphone, iPhone or Android. Alternatively, you can find it in Settings under “About Phone” or “General → About,” or on the original packaging.

Important: write the IMEI down now and store it somewhere separate from the device. The easiest way is to take a screenshot and save it in a cloud note or email it to yourself.

Set up a screen lock – with biometrics

It sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people use their phone without any screen lock at all. If you lose your device without a PIN or password, you’re basically out of luck: all your data is exposed, all your apps are accessible, all your accounts are compromised.

A PIN or password is a must. Even better is combining it with biometrics – fingerprint or face recognition. It’s the best balance of security and convenience: you don’t have to type a PIN every time you unlock, and a thief can’t fake your face or fingerprint.

Turn on location services

The remote lock and tracking from step 1 only work if location services were enabled before the theft. Check this now:

iPhone: Settings → [Your Name] → Find My → Find My iPhone → turn it on. Also enable “Send Last Location” – this makes the iPhone report its position one last time before the battery dies.

Android: Settings → Security → Find My Device (or “Find Hub” on newer devices). Make sure tracking is enabled.

Enable theft protection features

Both Apple and Google have introduced new protection features in recent years that are specifically designed to combat phone theft. The catch: they’re often not turned on by default.

iPhone (iOS 17.3 and later): “Stolen Device Protection” ensures that at unfamiliar locations – anywhere other than your home or workplace – critical actions like changing passwords require Face ID or Touch ID. Even if a thief knows your passcode, they can’t change important settings with the passcode alone.

Android (2024 onwards, for Android 10+): “Theft Detection Lock” uses AI and motion sensors to recognize when a device is grabbed out of someone’s hand – and automatically locks the screen. On top of that, “Identity Check” requires biometric verification for critical settings when the device is at an unfamiliar location.

Check and turn these on now. They’re free and they make a real difference.

Set up cloud backup

If the device is gone, your data is only safe if a current backup exists. Without one, you may lose years of photos, contacts, messages and app data.

iPhone: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → turn it on.

Android: Settings → System → Backup → Back up to Google.

For photos, it’s also worth enabling automatic backup through Google Photos or iCloud Photos. That way your pictures survive even if everything else is lost.

Know your payment services

If you use Apple Pay, Google Pay or other mobile payment services, there’s some good news: these are automatically deactivated when you remotely lock the device (step 1). Still, it’s a good idea to notify your bank as well if card details were stored on the phone.

Five minutes well spent

Phone theft is one of the most common crimes out there – especially in summer, while traveling and at festivals or concerts. If you’re prepared, you lose a device. If you’re not, you could lose much more: access to your email, your bank accounts, your personal photos and memories.

The preparation takes less than five minutes: write down your IMEI, check your screen lock, turn on location services, enable theft protection and verify your backup. That’s it. And if it ever happens, you’ll know exactly what to do – and in what order.

Has your phone ever been stolen? What did you do first – and what would you do differently in hindsight? Feel free to share your experience in the comments.