What to Do Before and After Your Phone Gets Stolen

In a world where smartphones are vaults for our digital identities — housing everything from private chats and banking apps to treasured family photos — losing one can mean far more than just parting with a pricey gadget. In some cities, phone theft has turned into a daily hazard, with criminals using electric bikes to snatch devices right out of people’s hands or from café tables.

The UK, for instance, sees an estimated 200 phones stolen every day in what authorities describe as “snatch thefts.” In response, the government has pledged to work with tech firms and device manufacturers to toughen defenses and make stolen phones harder to resell or exploit.

Until those initiatives arrive, though, here’s what you can do right now to protect yourself — both before and after your phone disappears.

Basic Digital Defenses You Should Enable Today

Start with simple but often overlooked steps:

• Lock your device with a strong password, Face ID, or fingerprint.
• Enable lock-screen protections for individual apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and banking apps.
• Turn on your phone’s “Find My Device” feature — available for both iPhone and Android — and on Samsung Galaxy devices, activate SmartThings Find.
• Back up your photos, contacts, and files either to a cloud service or an external device, so you don’t lose valuable data with the phone.

One smart tip from cybersecurity experts: disable message previews on your lock screen. This prevents thieves from seeing two-factor authentication codes or sensitive messages while the phone is locked.

New Anti-Theft Features You Should Know About

Recent software updates have added powerful anti-theft tools:

• iPhone’s “Stolen Device Protection” makes it nearly impossible for thieves to reset or sell a stolen device without your biometric authentication.
• Android phones can now detect sudden snatch motions — like someone grabbing the phone from your hand while biking away — and instantly lock the screen.
• Android’s “Private Spaces” feature lets you hide sensitive files in a secure folder, adding an extra layer of privacy even if the device is taken.

Track and React If Your Phone Is Stolen

If the worst happens:

• Report the theft to police and your mobile carrier, and disable your SIM or eSIM.
• Contact your bank to monitor for unusual activity.
• Use “Find My Device” tools via iCloud.com or Google’s Android Find to locate your phone’s last known position.

Some modern phones can still be located for several hours after being powered off, thanks to Bluetooth pings to nearby devices — the same technology behind Apple’s AirTags and Google’s latest Pixel tracking features.

You can also trigger the phone to play a sound, even if it’s on silent, or place it into Lost Mode, which locks it and displays a custom message and contact info on the screen.

Important advice: If the phone’s location appears somewhere suspicious, authorities recommend not trying to retrieve it yourself.

Final Steps if You Can’t Recover It

If all else fails:

• Remotely log out of all your accounts.
• Remove the device from your list of trusted devices used for multifactor authentication.
• Erase the phone remotely to wipe your personal data. Note: This works only when the phone is back online, and SD cards in Android phones may not be wiped remotely.

Bonus Insight: Why Phone Theft Is So Profitable

Industry experts note that stolen smartphones, especially high-end models, remain highly valuable on black markets. Even stripped for parts, devices can fetch hundreds of dollars. Recent updates to iPhone’s Activation Lock and Android’s anti-snatch features aim to reduce that resale appeal by making stolen devices nearly useless without proper credentials.

Still, as long as demand for untraceable devices exists, phone theft will remain a challenge — but one you can stay ahead of with the right digital hygiene and security features switched on.