Smartphone users use their devices to store different types of information, which can be important and confidential. Apparently, losing a phone can be very upsetting; as it’s not only your phone but even your personal information that’s lost. However, you can try minimizing the damage by doing a few things as soon as you realize that your phone is missing. The first thing you need to do is to take quick steps to protect your information stored on the phone.
Deactivate your phone through remote access
Most smartphones nowadays have a built-in feature known as the Kill switch. Using this, you can remotely deactivate your phone. By this, you can make the phone useless for the person who has found or stolen it, as it cannot be reinstated. You can even wipe out your confidential data, which will prevent it from being stolen or misused. You can access some popular web portals that can be used to perform the action depending on the phone you have, which you can easily find online.
Inform your cell phone carrier
If you wish to avoid unauthorized use of your missing phone, you can get its network service disconnect. You can do this contacting your cellular network carrier and requesting them to block the access to your phone, as they have both the legal authority and the means to do it. You can either use your friend’s phone to do it or visit their website by logging into your account.
Change your credentials
There are many mobile apps offering cloud services, which you can install to put your data on the Cloud. By doing this, you can access your data in the cloud using your phone just by entering the right username and password. However, few apps save your password and enter it automatically when you open the app. So, when your phone is stolen or lost, you can prevent the stranger from accessing your personal data on your phone by changing your cloud password as soon as possible. Moreover, the passwords for any other accounts, such as email, banking or social media should also be changed immediately.
Get SIM Change Notification
You can track and even control your lost phone even when there are no apps installed on it. For this to happen, the phone must be connected to a network. However, a person who has got the possession of your phone can easily disable the data on it and even disconnect any Wi-Fi network. Having done this, the person might want to change the existing SIM card on the phone for personal use. When this happens, you’d be able to trace your phone through SIM change notifications, as the moment the person tries to change the SIM card, you would get a notification on your other phone number or email id that you had provided during configuration. This feature comes preinstalled in some phones, while it can also be found in antivirus apps.
While these steps can be used to minimize the damage, it would be better to take proactive measures to protect your phone from being lost or stolen physically. You can do this by activating an alarm app that rings at regular intervals, ensuring you don’t forget your phone while traveling or moving around in open space.
