Unlock Phone and Lost Could Be Reused Again

iPhones are lost and stolen every day, just luckily Apple has robust tools built into iOS that volition keep your data safe and your device unusable if it'south misplaced or snatched past a thief.

With Find My iPhone, you tin can locate lost devices, disable them, and even fully erase them, but unless you've been in a situation where y'all've needed these services, y'all may not know exactly how they work, what they practise, or what information someone can access when they have your device.

This guide covers the ins and outs of losing your ‌iPhone‌ (or iPad), including settings that should be enabled beforehand for security purposes, how to utilise Apple's tools to look for your device, and what happens when it's in someone else's easily.

Earlier You Lose Your iPhone

To cut downward on ‌iPhone‌ theft, Apple implemented a tool style back in iOS 7 called Activation Lock that renders an ‌iPhone‌ unusable without the owner'south Apple ID or countersign. What that means is even when a thief or a third-party has your ‌iPhone‌, it's still tied to your ‌Apple ID‌ and tin't be used with whatever other account. Your ‌iPhone‌ tin can fifty-fifty exist wiped completely and information technology will still be locked down, making information technology almost useless to anyone but you.

Activation Lock, available on devices running iOS 7 or later, is tied to ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌. When ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ is turned on, Activation Lock is on. When setting up a new device, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ is automatically enabled, merely yous can check to make certain it's turned on by following the below steps.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap on your profile picture show.
3. Tap on "iCloud."
   
4. Tap on ‌Find My‌.
5. Make certain ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ is toggled to the on position (in greenish).
6. At this screen, enable "Transport Terminal Location" for extra security. If your bombardment is critically low, it'll send its last known location to Apple. If your ‌iPhone‌ is lost and your battery dies, this is a characteristic you'll want to accept. It'southward too useful to plow on the ‌Find My‌ network, which allows your ‌iPhone‌ to be located even if it's offline or powered off by leveraging the devices of other people.

In add-on to inextricably linking your ‌Apple ID‌ to your ‌iPhone‌, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ as well lets you locate your devices at any time, remotely erase them, and remotely put them into a "Lost Style" to lock down your data.

‌Find My‌ is the most important feature to have turned on in the upshot a device is lost, but there are other cardinal security options -- a passcode and ii-cistron authentication. With a passcode, no 1 tin can access personal data stored on your ‌iPhone‌, and with two-factor hallmark, your ‌Apple ID‌ will be safer from hacking attempts, something a thief or person with malicious intent might try to get access to a stolen device.

2-gene authentication will require an extra verification code to exist entered before your ‌Apple ID‌ and ‌iCloud‌ account tin exist accessed.

Fix Separation Alerts

If you have a newer ‌iPhone‌ running iOS 15 and an Apple tree Watch running watchOS 8, you tin set upwardly separation alerts that will let you know if yous leave your ‌iPhone‌ behind, preventing information technology from getting lost in the starting time place.

Here'due south how to enable it:

1. Open up the ‌Find My‌ app.
2. Tap on the Devices tab.
3. Tap on your ‌iPhone‌ in the list.
4. Tap on "Notify When Left Backside."
5. Tap to toggle on the "Notify When Left Behind" feature.

With this feature enabled, yous can go an alert if your ‌iPhone‌ is left somewhere when you exit. This also works for all of other ‌Find My‌ devices and AirTags.

Steps to Have When Your iPhone is Lost or Stolen

Logging into ‌Find My‌ through iCloud.com on any smartphone, computer, or tablet is the first pace to take when you can't detect your ‌iPhone‌. Whether it's been lost or stolen, if it has power and is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, the estimate location of the ‌iPhone‌ will evidence upwardly on a map.

With the latest versions of iOS, ‌Find My‌ can even find your ‌iPhone‌ when it'south powered off, has no WiFi connection, or after it'due south been erased, but if it runs out of battery, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ will evidence the final known location for 24 hours. After that, it tin can't be located over again until functionality is restored.

Activate Lost Manner
Along with establishing a location for a lost device, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ tin be used to lock that device downward through Lost Mode. Lost Fashion displays a phone number and a message on the ‌iPhone‌'s screen, leaving everything else inaccessible. If you didn't have a passcode set up, Lost Mode will forestall your ‌iPhone‌ from existence used. Lost Way can be turned on by post-obit the steps beneath.

1. Go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your ‌Apple ID‌. Alternatively, utilise some other one of your devices and access the ‌Find My‌ app.
2. On the web, click on "All Devices" and notice the missing device in the list. On iOS, tap on the "Devices" tab and select the missing device and tap it.
3. On the web, a menu will popular up with the option to play a sound, erase the phone, or enable Lost Manner. On the ‌iPhone‌, tap "Mark as Lost."
4. If activating Lost Mode on a device without a passcode, you will exist prompted to create ane.
5. Yous'll be asked to enter a phone number or electronic mail address where yous can be contacted. Enter the number or cull "Next" to skip the option.
6. At the adjacent screen, y'all can write a message that will be displayed on the ‌iPhone‌, such as an e-mail address or a reward offering.
7. Choose "Done" to actuate Lost Manner and so check "Notify if Found." The ‌iPhone‌ is at present locked and can but exist accessed using the passcode you designated when turning on Lost Fashion or the passcode that was already on the device. If information technology'south offline and later located, you will get an email when information technology connects to the Internet and can convey its location.

With Lost Mode activated, the ‌iPhone‌'s screen volition brandish the telephone number and the message y'all set up. On a device with a cellular connectedness, there volition also be a "Telephone call" option to call the specified number. Emergency phone numbers are still able to be called as well.

Activating Lost Mode immediately disables credit or debit cards associated with Apple tree Pay, activates Low Power fashion for maximum battery life, and renders all features on the ‌iPhone‌, such as Siri, inaccessible.

The 2 other options in the ‌Find My‌ app are "Play Sound" and "Erase This Device," both of which are straightforward. "Play Audio" causes a loud beeping to occur, which can be turned off by hit the power button on the ‌iPhone‌. It's useful for an ‌iPhone‌ that'due south been misplaced nearby.

Erase This Device will delete all of the data on the ‌iPhone‌ remotely. Information technology should be used as a terminal resort because if there's a chance of finding your ‌iPhone‌, y'all don't desire to lose all your data. With Activation Lock, a passcode, and Lost Mode, an ‌iPhone‌ is essentially locked down, but erasing data can give peace of mind if you lose a device y'all don't await to get back. If you practise take to erase your ‌iPhone‌, it may still be locatable through ‌Find My‌ even after it'due south wiped because of Activation Lock.

Lost Mode and Erase ‌iPhone‌ only piece of work when the ‌iPhone‌ is turned on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connectedness. If it is off or unable to connect to the Internet, these actions volition exist queued and activated as presently as a connexion is bachelor. Lost Mode combined with "Notify if Found" will send you an e-mail when a misplaced ‌iPhone‌ that is offline tin can connect to the Internet. Note that while initiating Lost Manner or erasing a device requires an net connection, your lost ‌iPhone‌ tin can be constitute fifty-fifty without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection through the ‌Find My‌ network, so long equally the ‌Find My‌ network is enabled as described above.

If Lost, Utilize the ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ Map
If your ‌iPhone‌ has been left backside in a restaurant or store and you lot're non sure where it was misplaced, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ gives a close approximation of its location. If information technology's in an apartment edifice or other dumbo urban area, it might non be able to pinpoint the exact spot where it is, just it can get shut. Equally long every bit your ‌iPhone‌ is on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connectedness, its location will be continually updated in the ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ app so it'southward easy to rails downwardly.

With a telephone number and other contact information available through Lost Way, someone who finds it tin easily contact you.

If Stolen, Contact the Police
If your ‌iPhone‌ has been stolen, ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ can help police enforcement define its location. Information technology tin be tempting to become to the location of a stolen ‌iPhone‌ on your own, but doing so can exist dangerous. When dealing with an unknown criminal chemical element, getting the police force involved is the safest motility.

Study Lost ‌iPhone‌ to Carrier
The three major carriers in the United States, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, have tools for reporting a smartphone equally stolen to suspend service and in some cases, cake the device from beingness used on the carrier'due south network.

Suspending cellular service will prevent your ‌iPhone‌ from connecting to a cellular network. Information technology ensures a thief cannot use the device to make phone calls or rack up service charges, only in many cases, those features volition exist unavailable anyhow.

What's Attainable on a Lost iPhone?

Virtually people probably don't call up most the extent of the information stored on an ‌iPhone‌ until it falls into the incorrect hands, but there's a lot of data that's potentially attainable. In the event your ‌iPhone‌ is stolen, there's probable enough detail almost you lot to make you vulnerable to phishing attempts and malicious social engineering.

Below is a list of what someone can find out about y'all and what remains subconscious backside a passcode. If you don't have a passcode, your ‌iPhone‌ is an open book.

Before Turning on Lost Fashion
With a passcode on, whatsoever is available through the lock screen can be used. If you lot have Notification Center, Command Center, and ‌Siri‌ access enabled, all of those features are available to a stranger. Anything you tin access from the lock screen, a stranger can admission.

‌Siri‌ can reply personal questions almost who the ‌iPhone‌ belongs to and offer up contact information. Request "Whose ‌iPhone‌ is this?" or "Who am I?" gives a name and a phone number. Apple Music can be turned on, and ‌Siri‌ can be used to make phone calls to contacts based on commands similar "Call mom."

‌Siri‌ won't requite more than detailed contact information similar your email address without a fingerprint, apps tin can't be opened, and settings tin't exist changed.

In Command Eye, all features are accessible. The flashlight can be turned on, the estimator tin can be opened, alarms can be set, and the photographic camera can be used. Pictures tin can be taken, but the Camera Roll can't be opened to display existing images.

Some of the information a stranger tin can learn nigh you before Lost Mode is enabled on a lost device

Notification Center has the virtually potential to divulge personal information. Depending on what's enabled, previews of emails and messages might exist displayed, agenda events are visible, recent ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions are listed, and many tertiary-party apps, similar Evernote, will show previews of content in the Today view. On an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID, some of these previews are disabled by default so you may non need to worry quite as much.

If y'all accept the Medical ID characteristic fix through the Health app, all of that information is available, including emergency contacts, height, weight, blood blazon, allergies and wellness weather condition.

All of these lock screen features are optional and tin can be disabled through the Settings app if desired.

Subsequently Turning on Lost Style
Activating Lost Mode locks the ‌iPhone‌ down, which is why turning information technology on correct abroad is imperative. Lost Mode prevents all of the higher up listed features from being used. ‌Siri‌ is inaccessible, as is the Control Center, the Notification Center, and Medical ID data.

All someone can do with your ‌iPhone‌ when it's in lost mode is call y'all, plough it off, or make an emergency call.

What Happens When a Lost iPhone is Turned Off?

If a thief turns off your ‌iPhone‌, it used to mean that your ‌iPhone‌ wouldn't be locatable. That changed with ‌iOS 15‌ and the ‌Find My‌ network. If you lot take an ‌iPhone‌ that's running ‌iOS 15‌ or later and that has ‌Find My‌ turned on, you can get pings with its location thanks to other nearby Apple tree devices fifty-fifty when your ‌iPhone‌ is off.

For this to piece of work, an ‌iPhone‌ does need to be within range of other Apple devices and information technology does also need to take some battery life remaining, then this is not a foolproof solution for finding a stolen or lost ‌iPhone‌.

What Happens When a Lost iPhone is Wiped?

Lost Fashion locks down the ‌iPhone‌ and prevents information technology from existence accessed in iTunes when plugged into a computer, just it tin't stop someone from wiping an ‌iPhone‌ via iTunes using recovery way or DFU mode.

Fifty-fifty if your ‌iPhone‌ is fully erased, the person who has it can't use it. Activation Lock stays on and there is no style to featherbed it. As soon as the ‌iPhone‌ boots up, it asks for an ‌Apple ID‌ and password and it won't become by the activation screen without the information. As of ‌iOS 15‌, an erased ‌iPhone‌ can still exist located using ‌Find My‌.

Beware of Phishing Attempts
Your ‌iPhone‌ is essentially useless without your ‌Apple ID‌ and password. Some thieves may brand an effort to get that data through phishing attempts like fake emails or messages, so it'south best to be aware of this possibility should your ‌iPhone‌ exist stolen.

iOS 6 and Earlier

Find my ‌iPhone‌ tin can no longer be downloaded on devices running iOS 6 or earlier, but older iPhones and iPads that had the app installed prior to the launch of iOS 7 will still exist able to utilize it to locate a lost device. ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ is available on iOS 5 and iOS 6.

Pre-iOS 6 devices practise not include Activation Lock, just devices running iOS 6 take admission to Lost Manner, which is the operating system where the feature was introduced. Devices running iOS 5 or earlier cannot use Lost Mode, simply there is a characteristic chosen "Lock" for rendering a device inaccessible.

With no Activation Lock feature, an ‌iPhone‌ with iOS 6 or earlier installed can exist wiped past a thief and fix up as a new device. For that reason, if you have a device that can run the latest version of iOS, it'south e'er better to update.

No Discover My iPhone

Without ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ enabled, there is no reliable way to rail an ‌iPhone‌ that's been lost as it won't exist accessible in ‌iCloud‌. Non having ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ installed also ways Activation Lock is turned off, meaning a thief can wipe an ‌iPhone‌ and set it upwards as a new device. For that reason, it's a good idea to make sure that ‌Find My‌ is always enabled.

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Source: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/what-to-do-if-your-iphone-is-lost-or-stolen/

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