Phone Stolen: What to Do in the First Hour — and What to Set Up Before It Happens

Your phone is gone, and it looks like theft. From another phone or a computer: mark it as lost, ask your carrier to block the SIM, lock down your main email and your bank, then report it to the police. Erasing the phone is a separate decision with consequences. And whatever the map shows, do not go after the thief yourself.

What is happening

What the thief has: a locked screen, your SIM with your number — so text messages with login codes can reach them — and apps you are still signed in to.

What stands in the way: your screen passcode; Activation Lock on an iPhone, which turns on automatically with Find My; Factory Reset Protection on Android, which asks for your Google Account after a reset; a SIM PIN. Newer systems add theft features. Stolen Device Protection on iPhone (iOS 17.3 and later) requires Face ID or Touch ID, with no passcode fallback, for saved passwords and cards, and away from familiar places makes you wait an hour before the Apple Account password can be changed. Android's Theft protection (Android 10 and later with Google Play services; some features need newer versions) can lock the screen when it senses the phone being snatched, lock it offline, or lock it remotely by phone number at android.com/lock.

Why erasing is a choice. Apple asks you to "make sure that you've tried everything else to find it, because erasing your device can't be undone". The platforms differ: an iPhone on iOS 15 or later can still be located after erasing, and Activation Lock stays on. An Android phone, once erased, "will no longer be available in Find Hub", and an SD card may not be wiped.

Why "we found your iPhone" is a warning sign. Apple says it never contacts you to tell you your device has been found. Do not sign in through such a link.

What to do

Now, in this order:

Mark the phone as lost. iPhone: Find My on another device or iCloud.com → Mark As Lost. The phone locks with its passcode and Apple Pay cards are suspended; if it is offline, your message appears when it reconnects. Android: Find Hub (formerly Find My Device) → Mark as lost locks it with your PIN, pattern or password.
Call your carrier and ask them to block the SIM and disable your account. UK: networks can also block the handset's IMEI; Ofcom advises reporting within 24 hours. US: ask the carrier to disable the device.
Lock down your accounts. Start with your main email, since password resets go through it (your recovery email is the master key), then your Apple or Google Account and banking — our suggested order, not an official rule. On Android, finish what you want to do in Find Hub first: once you sign the phone out of your Google Account (Google Account → Security → Your devices), Find Hub can no longer lock or erase it.
Bank and wallets. Lost Mode suspends Apple Pay; you can also remove cards at account.apple.com or ask your card issuer. For Google Wallet, tell your bank which cards were on it. If money has already gone: what to do if scammers stole your money.
Police. UK: 999 if you are in danger or the theft is happening now, otherwise 101 or online. Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) handles fraud, not the theft itself. US: your local police, with the model, serial number and IMEI.
Erase only once you have decided you will not get the phone back, or its data must not fall into other hands. Do not remove the phone from Find My: that turns off Activation Lock and makes resale easier. Removing it from your Apple Account device list is a different step, which Apple allows while it stays in Find My. With AppleCare+ theft cover, do not remove the device until the claim is approved.

Do not chase the thief, even when the map shows an address: give it to the police.

Afterwards: get a replacement SIM with your number; restore data from a backup — sync is not backup; check your email for forwarding rules you did not set (if your email is hacked) and statements for unfamiliar payments.

Before it happens:

A screen lock and Find My or Find Hub turned on: without it you cannot mark the phone as lost or erase it remotely.
Stolen Device Protection (iPhone: Settings → Face ID & Passcode; newer iOS versions may turn it on by default) or Theft protection on Android.
A SIM PIN. Too many wrong tries can lock the SIM for good, and you will need the PUK from your carrier.
The IMEI and serial number written down (keep device serial numbers): on an iPhone, Settings → General → About or account.apple.com; from iPhone 14 on, the IMEI is not engraved on the body.
Recovery codes kept offline. If you use an Apple recovery key, losing it can lock you out for good — do not keep it in Notes or iCloud Drive.
An authenticator app rather than text codes where possible: SMS can be hijacked with a SIM swap — SMS two-factor is better than nothing.

When this is not the case

Maybe it is just lost. Play a sound and check the map first: what to do if you lose your phone.
Find My or Find Hub was off. Remote lock and erase are out; the carrier, password and bank steps still work.
It is a work phone. Tell your IT department first: it may be managed, and they can lock or wipe it.
Your number stopped working, but the phone is in your hand. That points to a SIM swap: call your carrier from another phone and secure your email.
Wallet gone too: what to do if your wallet is stolen, if your identity is stolen.

Sources

Checked: 27 September 2026