Steps You Can Take Before And After Losing Your Phone

Imagine reaching for your cellphone, and not finding it.  As panic begins to set in, your thoughts quickly turn to, did I lose it?  Did someone steal it?  Here at Bolt Mobile, your SaskTel Authorized Dealer, we’re here for you when you need us most.  We know your smartphone can be your lifeline, and as such, there are several steps that you can take both before and after, losing your phone or having your phone stolen that will put your mind more at ease.

What To Do Beforehand

It is no big secret to most cell phone owners that in today’s modern world where we all rely on the internet for many aspects of our lives, just a short time without our cellphones can feel like an eternity, if not the end of the world as we know it.  But, it doesn’t have to come to this, if you have prepared ahead of time.

Remote Tracking

Whether you own a smartphone running an Android or an IOS based system, it will come equipped with a tool built-in that will allow you to track it from either the internet or another device, such as another cellphone.  This handy tool can be found and enabled under Settings>Security & Location>Find My Device on an Android system smartphone.  For an IOS system smartphone, you will look for Find My iPhone in Settings, where you will then tap your name and then tap your iPhone, which will enable the tracker and turn it on.

For an Android phone, you will be able to track your phone from any device by simply signing into your same Google account.  The same with your iPhone, only you will need to sign into the same Apple account.  If you choose to track your phone from the web, such as on a laptop, you will be required to be signed in to your Google account or the portal for iCloud.

find my iphone phone screen

Lock Screen

Take a short moment to think of all the apps that have your passwords stored on your cellphone so that you can automatically sign into—such as Facebook, Twitter, your email accounts, or even shopping accounts such as Amazon.  When it comes to securing your information, the only protection you need to keep your accounts from being hacked by a stranger is your cellphone lock screen.

Our Bolt Mobile experts cannot stress this enough—you need to put some form of protection in place.  This may mean a preset PIN, a pattern, a fingerprint, or a face recognition.  No matter what you choose, it will help secure your smartphone from anyone unauthorized trying to use it.

To put these precautions in place, navigate to the Security & location setting on the Android, and the Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID and Passcode in Settings on an IOS device.  With these requirements put into place, you will ensure that any sensitive data on your cellphone will stay on your phone, or at least make anyone trying to access the data have to work hard to get at it.

Backing Up Data

Even if you choose not to wipe your cellphone remotely, you need to come to the realization that you will most probably never see your phone again.  With this in mind, you should take steps now to back up your phone’s data elsewhere.  With most of the more popular and widely used apps today, the backing up is pretty much taken care of for you.  For instance, you only need to install Facebook on a new phone, sign in, and voila!  Your account is there just as you last left it.

For other data that needs backing up, such as your personalized system settings, you will have to enable your smartphone’s built-in default backup system.  On an Android phone, you will need to navigate to the Settings and then proceed to tap System>Advanced>Backup.  On a phone that is running IOS, you will navigate to Settings, tap your name, then your device, and then tap iCloud Backup.

If You Find That Your Phone Has Been Lost Or Stolen

Even with all of the above steps in place, if you do find that your cellphone has been either lost or stolen, there are a few more steps that you can take.

Contact Bolt Mobile

As soon as you realize that your smartphone has been either lost or stolen, call any of our 4 Bolt Mobile locations or reach out to SaskTel directly.  Our mobility experts can make sure that if an individual did steal your phone, they aren’t running your bill up as well.  SaskTel will also be able to lock your SIM card, in essence, disabling your account.  You will then be able to obtain another one.

Remote Location

If you have enabled the Find My Device or Find My iPhone options as mentioned above, you will be able to begin the process to track down your phone, and if need be disable it yourself remotely.  The procedure is pretty much the same, not matter if it is an Android or IOS system, in that you use another device, such as your laptop, and track down the missing cellphone.

Once you locate your phone, and it is just a case of being lost, you can remotely have your phone ring.  You also have the option, if you choose, of locking your screen remotely, if you feel the need, or you can erase the device remotely as well.  If you have sufficient backups in place, the last option is the safest and your best bet.

get your missing iphone back by remotely setting message contact info its lock

Online Accounts

Even with all the suggested precautions in place, it pays to go one step further and check your apps and accounts online.  This action can be performed on your computer or even another cellphone, just to make sure that there is no one trying to perform any type of unauthorized access to your data.

Many apps today have systems in place to alert you when any unauthorized attempt to access the account is made.  We here at Bolt Mobile suggest that you go to each of your apps and click on log out of all sessions.  This will force all of your devices connected to your online accounts via your smartphone.

If your phone does, in fact, have the lock screen enabled, there really shouldn’t be much to worry about when it comes to anyone accessing your sensitive data.  If you want even more peace of mind, make it a routine to occasionally change the passwords on all of your accounts so that if your cellphone is lost, or stolen, anyone who attempts to access it will be locked out.

So there you have it! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Bolt Mobile, your SaskTel Authorized Dealer in Saskatoon.

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