If your iPhone is gone, you may have just misplaced it, but it's also possible that it was lost or even stolen. In such cases, Apple offers ways to protect data, find devices or, in an emergency, make them unusable for finders and thieves. But you have to be prepared.
Oh horror, the iPhone is gone! It's not just the rhyme that's bad, the situation is too. Not only may a valuable device be lost or stolen, finders or thieves could also get their hands on important data, photos and access. Luckily, Apple has strong protection mechanisms in place to prevent this from happening. But you should know beforehand what to do in an emergency and make important settings.
Preparation
The central function for locating a lost iPhone or other Apple devices and taking further steps if necessary is “Find My?” You can use it via apps or in the browser via icloud.com/find. The prerequisite for this is that the function is activated on the iPhone.
To check whether this is the case, go to the settings and tap your name at the top. Then you choose Where is? and then Find my iPhone out of. The switch there must be in green. The same applies to “Where is” network and Send last location.
In addition, they have to Location Services be activated. You can find them in the settings a little further down Privacy & Security. Here too, the switch must be set to green. Then you search Location Services the Where is?-Entry and ensures that Exact location is accepted and there is a tick When using the app stands.
To log on to the Find My website To register, you need the Apple ID data, i.e. the email address used for this and the associated password. For this reason and for other emergency measures, it is essential to know them. You should therefore remember the access data if possible. It is also a good idea to use a password manager. You can also write down your email address and password and keep them in a safe place. However, this only helps if you are not too far away from this location in an emergency.
It is extremely important to protect the iPhone with a six-digit code. In addition, you need to set up facial recognition (Face ID) or the fingerprint scanner (Touch ID) and use it as an option Unlock iPhone to use. Both can be found in the settings Face ID & Code respectively Touch ID & Code. To ensure that the protection cannot be partially bypassed, Siri and (USB) accessories should be installed in the same place below Access in locked state withdraw.
Another necessary protective barrier is “two-factor authentication”. This means that access to the Apple account is only possible if a numerical code is confirmed on another, trustworthy Apple device. “Trusted” in this case means that you have already logged in to a device using two-factor authentication.
If you don't have a “trusted device” at hand, it is possible to have the code sent to a “trusted phone number”. You can add a number by clicking on your name in Settings and then clicking Registration and security types.
In order to be prepared for an emergency, it is also important to regularly create backups of your iPhone. You can do this in iCloud. You have the option for this in the settings after clicking on your name and then on iCloud typed. Alternatively, you can save the backup on a PC connected to the iPhone. On more modern computers via the “Apple Devices” app, on older computers via “iTunes”.
Where is? to use
When you say “Where is?” If you tap on it, you can see below Devices on a map where the iPhone is located. There are also several options available to act in an emergency.
In the best case scenario, the device has just been misplaced. Then you can have it play a loud beep to find it. In addition, over route The route to the iPhone is shown on the map if you are not yet within earshot.
If the iPhone is offline because it is turned off or the battery is exhausted, the map shows the last location where the device sent a signal. But you also have a good chance of seeing the location when the iPhone is offline. Because it still sends out a Bluetooth signal that other devices in the “Find My” network receive and pass on the coordinates anonymously.
If the lost iPhone cannot be accessed quickly, you can use Where is? additionally one notice with contact information to enter to possible finders, which is shown on the display of the missing device. However, the option is only active when you have the iPhone underneath marked as lost.
If you do this, payment cards and other services as well as notification tones and alarm clocks will also be deactivated. To communicate with finders, the iPhone can still receive phone or Facetime calls.
In the worst case
If the iPhone is definitely no longer found, there is a “Find My?” finally the option to erase the device. In principle, it is reset to factory settings, i.e. all data is removed. However, the activation protection remains. This means that the iPhone cannot be used without an Apple ID, making it useless for thieves.
From iOS 15 onwards, you can continue to search for a deleted device using “Find My”. The switch at Remove this device However, under no circumstances should you set it to green, because then the activation lock will be lifted.
For iPhones with at least iOS 17.3 installed, there is an additional option to make life difficult for thieves: “Stolen Device Protection”. You can find the option under Face ID (Touch ID) & Code.
This means that a facial scan (Face ID) or fingerprint scan (Touch ID) is required for security-relevant functions “away from familiar places such as home or work”. The passcode cannot be entered as an alternative.
In addition, the new theft protection provides security delays so that in an emergency you have time to mark the iPhone as lost and thus lock it. For example, if you change your Apple ID password, you have to authenticate yourself a second time after an hour using Face ID or Touch ID. Only then will the change become active.
The iPhone determines the “familiar places” independently via the location history, but unfortunately you cannot set them yourself. At least it is possible to set the security delays in the settings always to turn on.
Inform the police and mobile phone providers
It is advisable to also report the theft to the police. You will probably need the serial number for recording. It is therefore better to write them down just in case. It is in the settings below General – Info.
You should also inform the mobile phone provider. Apple recommends asking them to suspend the account and possibly file a claim if the iPhone is covered by the contract.
