# ** Turn on a simple feature on iPhone right away so you don’t regret losing your phone** **Because of the nature of work, you have to open the screen often, many people will not want to turn on this feature on the phone . But that’s the biggest mistake.** ## **Don’t forget the automatic screen lock** Losing your phone is a nightmare. A series of important work messages, phone numbers of partners, family and friends, and captured moments that have not been backed up are out of reach. It’s even worse when considering the data of all other apps like social networking, banking, health, travel, delivery, etc. Phone has too much information and becomes a big threat when fall into the wrong hands. That’s why it’s important to know the steps you need to take in case your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair. Your phone may be missing important security features, but the simple tips below work for any device type. First thing first, don’t let anyone unlock the phone. It is hard to believe that a lot of people do not automatically lock the screen because of the nature of the job, having to open the device often. However, this is the wrong habit. Because crooks can easily access all personal data when there are no protection measures on the machine. Locking the device can cause someone to give up the idea of taking the device as their own and intend to return it to the previous owner. But that possibility may be reversed if the machine is fully opened. So always keep this setting on with the auto-lock period as short as possible. ## **Be well prepared** Your phone has built-in tools to help locate it using another phone or computer. Therefore, make sure this feature is enabled in the first place. Like any product, phones have a serial number for identification. It also has an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. While the serial number comes from the manufacturer, the IMEI number is the industry-wide standard. Make a note of these numbers in case you have to report a lost or misplaced phone. Take a screenshot of the IMEI number, then save the image in a convenient place to review when needed. Lost phones can be purchased new, but most of the data inside cannot. Have an automatic backup cycle for peace of mind that nothing is lost. The best way is to back up on the machine’s own built-in cloud service. iCloud for iPhone and Google Drive for Android. Both are affordable and easy to use for everyone. ## **Do this if the phone is lost** Above are the preparation steps, but when the phone is lost, you need to do the steps below. You have searched every corner of the house without finding it, while speculating that it may have been forgotten at the diner. Don’t waste too much time. Locate with your device’s app immediately before assuming the worst. Users can use another Apple device such as a Mac, Apple Watch or iPad to find their lost primary iPhone. Open the Find My app to see the device’s location on the map. Enable play sound to see if your phone is near you. Even in case the device is not on the network, you will still see where the phone was last connected to the network. Find My works even when the phone is off or the battery is dead. Another option: Sign in to iCloud.com/find and use Find My iPhone to locate it on a map and play a sound. Use a family member’s device to find the phone if Family Sharing is on. Likewise on Android devices, users need to open the Find My Device app and tap Continue with (your name). Select lost phone and get location information. Or go to android.com/find and sign in to your Google account. If you find your phone somewhere in the house, congratulations. But if no luck. Please continue in the following ways. ## **Remote Phone Lock** This step is essential when you don’t know your phone’s location or simply accept it’s lost. From another Apple device, open the Find My app and tap Devices. Tap Activate below the Mark as Lost indicator. This will lock the phone and create a message on the lost phone itself for those holding the phone on how to contact the owner to return it. Or sign in to iCloud.com/find and go to Find My iPhone to do the same. On Android devices it works the same way. You have tried everything and still can’t find your phone. The last resort is to remotely wipe data to make sure no one else has access. This step is a last resort, but if you back up your phone in advance, it won’t hurt you. From another Apple device, open the Find My app and tap Devices, then tap Erase Device to remotely erase data. This is also applicable on Android devices. Find the serial number and IMEI number again. The police can use these numbers to identify the phone if they find one, and the service provider can intercept the IMEI code to lock the phone on the telecommunications network.