Prevention is better than cure you know, but when you lose your smartphone - or even worse when you believe it has been stolen - there is very little to joke about! In this guide we will analyze step by step what to do in case of stolen or lost iPhone turned off: in all these cases Apple comes to meet us and tells us what to do!
In fact, if the "Find my iPhone”Is active on your iPhone, then you can do a lot via the remote control, and soon we will guide you in the various simple steps, even if your iPhone is turned off! Before starting though, equip yourself with a PC or other Apple device that you have configured as "Family Sharing" and let's start:
Find My iPhone is active
If the “Find My iPhone” feature is on, then most likely tracking down your stolen or lost iPhone will be a breeze! As we said earlier, the only thing you will need is a PC or other Apple device that you have configured as "Family Sharing" in order to be able to search for the smartphone.
If you are using a PC you can find your stolen iPhone by following the procedure via the iCloud.com site (click on the red text to go to the site and log in with your iCloud account credentials). If you have an Apple device instead configured with your stolen or lost iPhone, then you can follow the whole procedure via the Find iPhone app which, if not already installed, you can download from here:
- DOWNLOAD | Find my iPhone from the App Store
Well, now that everything is ready, we can proceed with the guide. Obviously you cannot know if your smartphone is on or off right now, if it is nearby or if it has been stolen. For this we advise you to follow the guide entirely starting from the first possibility: your iPhone is on!
iPhone is turned on
If yours iPhone is turned on and maybe even connected to the Internet and with Localization active, then finding it, or at least protecting your personal information, will really be a breeze! In fact, the Find my iPhone function allows you to interact with your smartphone to make it perform certain actions remotely! Let's begin:
1. Log in to iCloud
Grab your PC and go to the iCloud page dedicated to finding a stolen or lost iPhone through "this link", or from an Apple device configured as "Family Sharing", access the Find My iPhone app and enter the iCloud account with which you configured your smartphone.
You should then see a screen similar to the ones shown above, but there may be variations depending on whether it is connected to the Internet or not, or whether the location at the time of loss / theft was active or not. At best you can use all the features that we will see shortly, otherwise only some of them!
2. Use Find My iPhone
Once you reach the above screen, even if as mentioned it may be different (for example, if the location is not active you will be shown the last recorded position) you can essentially perform three options, depending on the seriousness of the situation, which now you we will explain in detail:
- "Make it ring": with this command a signal will be sent to your lost iPhone that it will start ringing and display a warning message, and it will stop ringing only after the smartphone is unlocked and the message is displayed. Very handy for annoying a potential thief, or if your smartphone is nearby and you can't find it.
- "Lost Mode": This is the most convenient feature ever! You can literally lock your stolen iPhone on one screen made by you (in which perhaps you indicate a message with a number or a method to contact you). In addition, the smartphone will not ring for notifications or alerts, but will be able to receive calls and FaceTime. In addition, all purchases with credit cards and Apple Pay will be blocked. But it doesn't stop there: if the device is online, the localization will be activated for a short time and you will be able to track it down.
- "Initialize iPhone": Desperate times call for desperate measures! With this function you can restore your device by formatting it, and thus protecting all your data. In this case, however, you will no longer be able to locate it or find it with Find My iPhone.
As mentioned if your stolen or lost iPhone is still on, but it has no Internet connection or active location, you will not be able to carry out all the operations, but only some of them. But if you want to rest assured, report the theft / loss to the authorities and also report it to your telephone operator to block connections on the SIM.
iPhone is turned off or offline
Unfortunately, if your stolen or lost iPhone is currently turned off or offline, you will not be able to use the Find My iPhone features. However, we must not lose hope, because Apple has also thought of this and will allow you to issue some orders even if the device is still off or offline for now.
In fact, through Find My iPhone, you can still activate the "Lost Mode" or use the "Erase iPhone" function that we have described to you a little while ago. These operations will remain pending until your iPhone is online. To be online, the smartphone must be turned on (even without putting the unlock code) and must have an active data or WiFi connection.
Find My iPhone is not active
Unfortunately, if you haven't activated "Find My iPhone" mode on your stolen or lost iPhone before, you will not be authorized to use the services we have described to you in the previous paragraph. In this case then, the only thing you can do is interact remotely with a few simple steps to protect your privacy, and of course report the incident.
1. Protect privacy
If you believe your iPhone has ended up in the wrong hands or you can't find it, the first thing to do is change your iCloud account passwords - not to let anyone use your credentials, iPhone features and cards. credit / debit recorded on it - change the passwords of your social accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and your personal email boxes.
2. Report theft / loss
The best thing to do in these cases is to go to the authorities to report the incident and rely on their advanced search methods to locate your stolen or lost iPhone. In this regard, in the next paragraph we will show you some useful tips to implement such a complaint in the best way!
Report stolen or lost iPhone
Let it be clear: make a report of theft or loss it is never wrong, and sometimes it should not be taken as a "last resort" because it could be a useful and effective tool to help you search for your smartphone while you also do your best to find it (for example using Find My iPhone or protecting your accounts as mentioned in the previous paragraphs).
That said, if you believe that your stolen or lost iPhone is not easily traceable, go immediately to the authorities and ask to fill out a "lost or stolen report" bringing with you some useful material such as: identification documents, purchase receipt (if you still have it) and above all the sales package of your iPhone.
In fact, during the complaint, it is possible that you will be asked for the serial number of the device: it is an identification code that particularizes each cellular device (in this case we speak of IMEI / MEID code) and you can find it on iTunes (but with the smartphone connected) or on the packaging of your iPhone, just as a dedicated page on the Apple website explains.
This code is unique and cannot be replicated, so in most cases it will be able to help the authorities find the device. But it doesn't stop there! Another step to take is to contact the customer service of your telephone company (such as Vodafone, Wind, TIM) and report the phone number of the SIM inserted in your stolen or lost iPhone. The operator can disable the account, prevent calls, send messages and use of data!
Conclusions
You can also take a look at Apple's page dedicated to the loss / theft of an iPhone, where you may also find other useful information or contact Apple support. In any case, if you have any doubts or something is wrong, feel free to leave a comment below or write us a message on our Facebook page. We will be happy to help you as soon as possible!
