Maybe
you
know
that
sinking
feeling
all
too
well.
“Where
did
I
leave
my
phone?”
The
minutes
pass
as
you
search
around
the
house,
then
you
head
into
the
garage
to
look
between
the
driver’s
seat
and
console
of
your
car.
No
luck.
So
it’s
back
into
the
house
where
you
turn
over
every
couch
cushion.
Still
nothing.
Maybe
panic
is
too
strong
a
word,
but
you’re
starting
to
get
a
little
worried.
Then
comes
the
relief.
You
found
it.
But
what
if
your
smartphone
really
was
lost?
Or
worse
yet,
stolen?
Not
a
pretty
thought.
But
you
can
put
protections
in
place
that
can
help
you
recover
your
phone—or
remotely
erase
it
if
it
indeed
gets
lost
for
good.
A
few
up-front
steps
is
all
it
takes.
Before
your
phone
gets
lost
or
stolen,
protect
yourself
with
the
basics.
Preparation
is
everything.
If
your
phone
gets
lost
or
stolen,
you’ll
want
to
act
quickly.
You’ll
also
want
the
reassurance
that
you
have
measures
in
place
that
can
help
you
find
it,
recover
it,
or
even
erase
it
as
needed.
These
steps
can
get
you
set
up
so
you
exactly
that.
Lock
your
phone.
Locking
your
phone
is
one
of
the
most
basic
smartphone
security
measures
you
can
take.
Trouble
is,
few
of
us
do
it.
Our
recent
global
research
showed
that
only
56%
of
adults
said
that
they
protect
their
smartphone
with
a
password,
passcode,
or
other
form
of
lock.
In
effect,
an
unlocked
phone
is
an
open
book
to
anyone
who
finds
or
steals
a
phone.
It
gives
them
unfettered
access
to
everything
on
it.
And
that
likely
includes:
-
Personal
data,
such
as
photos,
emails,
texts,
voicemails,
and
contact
information. -
Location
data,
possibly
for
family
members
who
share
their
location
with
you. -
Financial
apps,
for
banks,
credit
cards,
and
other
accounts. -
Payment
apps,
for
transferring
money
to
friends
and
making
payments
online. -
Social
media
apps,
which
make
up
a
big
part
of
a
person’s
online
identity. -
Medical
and
wellness
apps,
each
loaded
with
personal
health
data
and
information.
Now,
imagine
that
into
the
wrong
hands.
That
might
lead
to
financial
fraud,
identity
theft,
and
even
more
egregious
crimes
like
stalking
and
extortion.
Not
to
mention
doxing,
which
involves
maliciously
posting
someone
else’s
photos,
files,
and
information
online
for
all
to
see.
Setting
up
a
lock
screen
is
easy.
It’s
a
simple
feature
found
on
iOS
and
Android
devices.
iPhones
and
Androids
have
an
auto-lock
feature
that
will
lock
your
phone
after
a
certain
period
of
inactivity.
Keep
this
time
on
the
low
end,
one
minute
or
less,
to
help
prevent
unauthorized
access.
We
suggest
using
a
PIN
or
passcode
rather
than
using
a
gesture
to
unlock
your
phone.
They’re
more
complex
and
secure.
Researchers
proved
as
much
with
a
little
“shoulder
surfing”
test.
They
looked
at
how
well
one
group
of
subjects
could
unlock
a
phone
after
observing
the
way
another
group
of
subjects
unlocked
it.
They
found
that
that
“Six-digit
PINs
are
the
most
elusive
attacking
surface
where
a
single
observation
leads
to
only
10.8%
successful
attacks,
improving
to
26.5%
with
multiple
observations.
As
a
comparison,
six-length
Android
patterns,
with
one
observation,
suffered
64.2%
attack
rate
and
79.9%
with
multiple
observations.”
Biometric
locks
like
fingerprints
and
facial
IDs
are
a
practical
option
as
well.
Yet
they
present
some
security
issues.
With
effort,
fingerprints
can
get
copied,
such
as
by
lifting
them
off
a
pane
of
glass
or
other
things
you
touch.
Facial
ID
can
open
a
phone
even
when
the
owner’s
eyes
are
closed.
Again
with
some
effort,
a
thief
or
bad
actor
can
open
the
phone
by
placing
it
by
the
sleeping
owner’s
face.
Note
that
these
are
more
extreme
cases,
yet
you
should
be
aware
of
them
when
determining
how
you
lock
your
phone.
Turn
on
“Find
My
Phone.”
Another
powerful
tool
you
have
at
your
disposal
is
the
find
my
phone
feature
made
possible
thanks
to
GPS
technology.
The
“find
my”
feature
can
help
you
pinpoint
your
phone
if
your
lost
or
stolen
phone
has
an
active
data
or
Wi-Fi
connection
and
has
its
GPS
location
services
enabled.
Even
if
the
phone
gets
powered
down
or
loses
its
connection,
it
can
guide
you
to
its
last
known
location.
Setting
up
this
feature
is
easy.
Apple
offers
a
comprehensive
web
page
on
how
to
enable
and
use
their
“Find
My”
feature
for
phones
(and
other
devices
too).
Android
users
can
get
a
step-by-step
walkthrough
on
Google’s
Android
support
page
as
well.
<h3>Back
up
your
stuff
in
the
cloud.
Thanks
to
cloud
storage,
you
might
be
able
to
recover
your
photos,
files,
apps,
notes,
contact
information,
and
more
if
your
phone
is
lost
or
stolen.
Android
owners
can
learn
how
to
set
up
cloud
backup
with
Google
Drive
here,
and
iPhone
users
can
learn
the
same
for
iCloud
here.
Write
down
your
phone’s
unique
ID
number.
Here
come
a
couple
of
acronyms.
IMEI
(International
Mobile
Equipment
Identity)
or
MEID
(Mobile
Equipment
Identifier)
are
two
types
of
unique
ID
numbers
assigned
to
smartphones.
Find
yours
and
write
it
down.
In
case
of
loss
or
theft,
your
mobile
carrier,
police
department,
or
insurance
provider
might
ask
for
the
information
to
assist
in
its
return
or
reimbursement
for
loss.
-
For
Android
phones,
you
can
find
it
in
Settings
à
About
Phone. -
On
iPhones,
you
can
find
it
in
Settings
à
General
à
About.
More
ways
to
protect
your
smartphone
from
loss
or
theft.
Beyond
digital
security
measures,
plenty
of
loss
and
theft
prevention
falls
on
you.
Treat
your
phone
like
the
desirable
item
it
is.
That’s
a
big
step
when
it
comes
to
preventing
theft.
Keep
your
phone
close.
And
by
close,
we
mean
on
your
person.
It’s
easy
to
leave
your
phone
on
the
table
at
a
coffeeshop,
on
a
desk
in
a
shared
workspace,
or
on
a
counter
when
you’re
shopping.
Thieves
might
jump
on
any
of
these
opportunities
for
a
quick
snatch-and-grab.
You’re
better
off
with
your
phone
in
your
pocket
or
zipped
up
in
a
bag
that
you
keep
close.
Secure
your
bags
and
the
devices
you
carry
in
them.
Enterprising
thieves
will
find
a
way.
They’ll
snatch
your
bag
while
you’re
not
looking.
Or
they
might
even
slice
into
it
with
a
knife
to
get
at
what’s
inside,
like
your
phone.
Keep
your
bag
or
backpack
close.
If
you’re
stopping
to
grab
a
bite
to
eat,
sling
the
handles
through
a
chair
leg.
If
you
have
a
strong
metal
carabiner,
you
can
use
that
too.
Securing
your
bag
like
that
can
make
it
much
tougher
for
a
thief
to
walk
by
and
swipe
it.
For
extra
security,
look
into
a
slash-resistant
bag.
Stay
aware.
Thieves
will
also
look
for
an
easy
mark.
People
who
appear
a
little
distracted,
lost,
or
even
dozing
off.
Aside
from
securing
your
bags,
keep
an
eye
on
your
surroundings.
Look
at
people
and
smile,
walk
with
purpose,
and
generally
put
across
an
air
of
confidence.
Behavior
like
this
sends
a
clear
signal
to
thieves—you’re
aware.
That
might
be
enough
for
them
to
pass
you
up.
Consider
what
you’re
carrying—and
where
you
carry
it.
If
you
have
a
credit
card
and
ID
holder
attached
to
the
back
of
your
phone,
you
might
want
to
remove
your
cards
from
it.
That
way,
if
your
phone
gets
snatched,
those
important
cards
won’t
get
snatched
as
well.
Take
a
pass
on
keeping
things
in
your
back
pocket.
Use
your
front
pocket
where
it’s
much
more
difficult
for
a
thief
to
pick
your
pocket.
And
if
the
unfortunate
happens,
know
how
to
remotely,
track,
lock
or
erase
your
phone.
In
the
event
of
your
phone
getting
lost
or
stolen,
a
combination
of
device
tracking,
device
locking,
and
remote
erasing
can
help
protect
your
phone
and
the
data
on
it.
Different
device
manufacturers
have
different
ways
of
going
about
it.
But
the
result
is
the
same—you
can
prevent
others
from
using
your
phone,
and
even
erase
it
if
you’re
truly
worried
that
it’s
in
the
wrong
hands
or
gone
for
good.
Apple
provides
iOS
users
with
a
step-by-step
guide,
and Google
offers
up
a
guide
for
Android
users
as
well.
Apple’s
Find
My
app
takes
things
a
step
further.
Beyond
locating
a
lost
phone
or
wiping
it,
Find
My
can
also
mark
the
item
as
lost,
notify
you
if
you’ve
left
it
behind,
or
trigger
a
sound
to
help
you
locate
it.
(A
huge
boon
in
that
couch
cushion
scenario!)
Drop
by
Apple’s
page
dedicated
to
the
Find
My
app
for
more
details
on
what
you
can
do
on
what
devices,
along
with
instructions
how.
Take
these
steps
as
well
if
your
phone
gets
lost
or
stolen.
-
Contact
your
mobile
provider.
They
can
suspend
service
to
your
phone
if
needed. -
File
a
police
report.
Theft
is
theft.
Report
it.
I
could
help
get
your
phone
back
if
it’s
found.
Also,
insurance
companies
may
require
a
police
report
number
if
you
file
a
claim. -
Change
your
passwords.
Mail,
social
media,
payment,
and
other
apps
may
be
accessible
to
anyone
who
can
open
your
phone.
Change
the
passwords
to
any
important
accounts
or
apps
you
have
on
your
phone
right
away.
All
is
not
lost.
With
preparation
and
prevention,
you
can
give
yourself
reassurance
if
your
phone
gets
lost
or
stolen.
You
have
plenty
of
recovery
options,
in
addition
to
plenty
of
ways
to
prevent
bad
actors
from
getting
their
hands
on
the
sensitive
info
you
keep
on
it.
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