Phones go missing all the time: left in a cart, slipped between car seats, or picked up off a table. With the holiday rush coming, it’s a good week to make sure a lost phone is an inconvenience, not a disaster.
These settings take a few minutes, and they work on both of the major phone systems.
1. A real screen lock
Use a PIN of at least six digits, a password, or a fingerprint or face unlock with a PIN behind it. Swipe-to-unlock or a simple pattern doesn’t protect your email, banking or work files from whoever finds the phone.
2. Find and erase, turned on
Every modern phone has a built-in feature to locate, lock and erase it from another device. Check that it’s switched on, then try it from a computer so you know how to sign in when you’re stressed. If you can’t sign in, the feature can’t help you.
3. Backups that actually run
Make sure your photos, contacts and messages are backing up automatically, and check the date of the last backup. If you ever have to erase a lost phone, a recent backup means you lose the hardware, not the memories.
4. A way to get it back
Most phones let you show a contact number or message on the lock screen, such as a partner’s or the office’s main line. An honest finder can then reach you without unlocking anything.
For businesses
If staff get work email on their phones, have a plan for the first hour after one goes missing: who to call, how to lock the device, and which passwords to change. Change passwords for any account that was signed in, starting with email. Then call your carrier to suspend the line so nobody else can run up charges or receive your text-message login codes.
Want help setting this up for your team? Visit our support page, or browse more tips in Tech Tonic.