Your phone is gone. Maybe it was stolen, maybe you set it down and someone took it. The next 30 minutes matter most — your phone has access to your email, banking apps, saved passwords, two-factor authentication codes, and personal photos. Here is exactly what to do, in order of urgency.
Step 1: Lock and track it immediately
From any other device (a friend's phone, a computer, a tablet), remotely lock your phone and check its location:
iPhone
Go to icloud.com/find or use the Find My app on another Apple device
Sign in with your Apple ID
Select your phone from the device list
Click Mark As Lost — this locks the phone with your passcode, disables Apple Pay, and displays a custom message with a contact number on the lock screen. The phone cannot be used or erased without your Apple ID password even after a factory reset (Activation Lock)
Note the last known location. If the phone is moving, it may still be trackable in real time
Android
Go to android.com/find or use the Find My Device app on another Android device
Sign in with your Google account
Select your phone
Click Secure device — this locks the phone, signs out your Google account, and displays a message and contact number on the lock screen
Note the last known location
Important: Do not attempt to recover the phone yourself based on the tracking location. Phone theft rings can be dangerous. Use the location information for the police report (Step 3). If Find My shows the phone at a specific address, provide that to law enforcement — do not go there yourself.
Step 2: Protect your accounts
While the phone is locked, someone cannot easily access your apps. But if the phone was unlocked when stolen (snatched from your hand while in use), the thief may already have access. Assume the worst and secure your accounts from another device:
Change these passwords immediately
Email (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo): Your email is the master key to every other account — password resets for all services go through email. Change this first
Banking and financial apps: Mobile banking, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Zelle. Most banking apps require re-authentication after a password change, locking the thief out even if they had access
Apple ID or Google account: This controls your phone's remote lock, Find My, cloud backups, and app purchases. Changing this password also signs the thief out of your cloud services on the stolen phone
Revoke active sessions
Most services allow you to sign out of all devices:
Google: Go to myaccount.google.com then Security then Your devices. Remove the stolen phone
Apple: Go to appleid.apple.com then Devices. Remove the stolen device
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: Each has a logged-in devices section in security settings where you can end all sessions except the current one
Disable mobile payment
If you use Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or any tap-to-pay service, disable the cards remotely:
Apple Pay: Already disabled if you used Mark As Lost in Find My. You can also remove cards at icloud.com then Account Settings then Devices
Google Pay: Go to pay.google.com, click the phone, and remove it
Call your bank: Tell them the phone was stolen and ask them to suspend mobile payment for your cards. They can also flag the account for unusual activity
Step 3: File a police report
File a report with your local police department. Include:
The phone's make, model, and color
The IMEI number (found on the original box, on your carrier account, or in your Google/Apple account device list)
The last known location from Find My or Find My Device
When and where the theft occurred
Any description of the person who took it
The police report serves multiple purposes: it creates an official record (needed for insurance claims), it provides the IMEI to law enforcement (stolen phones sometimes surface in pawn shops or resale), and your carrier may require it to process a claim or issue a replacement.
Step 4: Contact your carrier
Call your phone carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) and report the phone as stolen. They will:
Suspend the line so the thief cannot make calls, send texts, or use data on your account. This prevents charges on your bill
Blacklist the IMEI — this registers the phone's unique hardware identifier in a shared database. A blacklisted phone cannot be activated on any major US carrier, making it significantly less valuable to resell. The phone becomes a paperweight for cellular service
Ask about your options for keeping your phone number. Most carriers can transfer your number to a new SIM card or eSIM on a replacement phone. Your number is not lost with the physical phone.
Step 5: Check insurance and protection plans
Carrier insurance (Asurion, etc.): If you pay for a protection plan through your carrier, file a claim. There is typically a deductible ($50 to $275 depending on the phone) and you receive a replacement device. A police report is usually required
AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss: If you have this coverage, file a claim at support.apple.com. There is a deductible, and you must have Find My enabled for the claim to be valid
Credit card purchase protection: Some credit cards include phone theft protection for phones purchased on that card within the last 90 to 120 days. Check your card benefits
Homeowner's or renter's insurance: Your policy may cover stolen electronics, though the deductible often makes small claims impractical. It is worth checking for expensive flagship phones
Step 6: Remote erase as a last resort
If you are certain the phone will not be recovered and you are concerned about data on the device:
iPhone: In Find My, select Erase This Device. This wipes all data remotely. Activation Lock remains — the phone is permanently locked to your Apple ID even after erasure
Android: In Find My Device, select Erase device. This performs a factory reset remotely. On phones with Factory Reset Protection (most modern Android phones), the phone requires your Google account sign-in after reset, making it difficult to reuse
Important: Once you erase the phone, you can no longer track its location through Find My. Only erase after you have exhausted tracking and recovery options. If the phone is already locked and you have changed your passwords, the thief cannot access your data regardless — the erase is an additional precaution, not an urgent necessity.
Prevent the next theft from being as bad
Enable Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) now if it is not already on. This is the single most important theft-protection feature — without it, you cannot remotely lock, track, or erase the phone
Use a strong passcode or biometric lock. A 6-digit PIN or Face ID/fingerprint means a stolen phone is locked within seconds of the screen turning off. Avoid pattern locks — they are easy to observe and replicate
Enable automatic cloud backup so your photos, contacts, and messages are always safely stored even if the phone is never recovered
Know your IMEI number. Dial *#06# on any phone to display it. Write it down or screenshot it and store it somewhere other than the phone itself
Enable SIM PIN — this prevents the thief from removing your SIM and using it in another phone. It also prevents them from intercepting two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS to your number
Local phone help
Marion Phone Repair in Marion, OH assists with setting up Find My, transferring your number to a new device, configuring security settings on replacement phones, and recovering data from cloud backups to a new phone after theft.