What To Do If You Lost Your Android Smartphone
Loosing your phone has became a part of life now days. Almost hundreds of people are loosing their phone by miss-placing it or getting robbed or in many other way. Even I had lost my phone not once but twice. It feels very bad when you loose you phone. You have so many memories like photos, videos and other important documents or personal details. Now a days, smartphones are giving you so much options and varieties of apps to store all your personal details right from bank account details to email password. What you do when you loose your smartphone? Many of you might having the answer but many of them might not.
I have tried to gather some of the important points to look on when you loose your smartphone. This points won't give you back your phone but will give a bit surety that all your data and personal things will not be affected for will not be miss-used.
Do the following things if you loose your smartphone.
1. Track/Wipe/Locate You Android Smartphone:
Most of the people are using Android smartphone which gives you access to Android Device Manager. You don't have to install this in your phone. If your phone is synced with your Gmail account, you can access it anytime.
All you to do is to just go to the page and sign in with the Google account that you used to sign in to your Android device. The last location of your device will be shown to you down to an accuracy of about 20 meters. You will also get how far the device is from you, and its last online time.
It will not only locate your smartphone but you can also lock the device, make it ring (to make it easier for you to locate it if it is nearby) or as a last resort, erase the data you have on the device to prevent identity theft or loss of any important info.
This is one the best and well secure feature which i would prefer to use in such conditions.
2. Block You SIM Card:
You should not only think about personal data but also make sure that your number should not be mis-used. There are chances that the thief can use to number to make fraud calls or can track your other details. Secondly, the messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line WeChat and other apps will be unlinked from your account due to which it can also be secured.
You might have activated the two-step verification for your Gmail account and other such account. No need to worry about it. You can use internet on your laptop and can change this option. You will need your card, though, but you can take help of your Network Service Provider.
3. Contact nearby Police Station for Report:
Its always better to keep your IMEI number safe somewhere in email or some other place which can be easily accessible when in emergency. You should provide the IMEI number to nearby Police Station can file a complaint of loosing the smartphone. And let them work on it. Just keep update from them.
4. Secure your Accounts:
If you are using Android smartphone, its obvious that you might have linked your Gmail to Play Store and social network and other such application which requires your email. The best thing to unlink all such application is to login to all such app and change the passwords. Also, you can login to your gmail account from other device, and change the password of your Gmail account.
This way, any unauthorized person handling your phone will not receive access to your personal accounts, contacts, apps and other info. Obviously, this will also not help you in locating your device but will surely secure most of your data.
5. Unlink Your Application:
If you have linked some application where your store all your backup and data its better to unlink them from their site. For example, Dropbox. Go to Dropbox site and unlink your account. Unlike all such site where you are uploading your data, unlink them and be secure. If possible delete any personal data if its on the site.
Make sure to follow all the above steps to be safe. Surely, there is no guarantee of getting back your smartphone but this will surely help you in securing your data. There can be other ways too. I will keep you on updating with those. if you think I can add some more steps please let me know in the comment section.
Cheers!!!
I have tried to gather some of the important points to look on when you loose your smartphone. This points won't give you back your phone but will give a bit surety that all your data and personal things will not be affected for will not be miss-used.
Do the following things if you loose your smartphone.
1. Track/Wipe/Locate You Android Smartphone:
Most of the people are using Android smartphone which gives you access to Android Device Manager. You don't have to install this in your phone. If your phone is synced with your Gmail account, you can access it anytime.
All you to do is to just go to the page and sign in with the Google account that you used to sign in to your Android device. The last location of your device will be shown to you down to an accuracy of about 20 meters. You will also get how far the device is from you, and its last online time.
It will not only locate your smartphone but you can also lock the device, make it ring (to make it easier for you to locate it if it is nearby) or as a last resort, erase the data you have on the device to prevent identity theft or loss of any important info.
This is one the best and well secure feature which i would prefer to use in such conditions.
2. Block You SIM Card:
You should not only think about personal data but also make sure that your number should not be mis-used. There are chances that the thief can use to number to make fraud calls or can track your other details. Secondly, the messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line WeChat and other apps will be unlinked from your account due to which it can also be secured.
You might have activated the two-step verification for your Gmail account and other such account. No need to worry about it. You can use internet on your laptop and can change this option. You will need your card, though, but you can take help of your Network Service Provider.
3. Contact nearby Police Station for Report:
Its always better to keep your IMEI number safe somewhere in email or some other place which can be easily accessible when in emergency. You should provide the IMEI number to nearby Police Station can file a complaint of loosing the smartphone. And let them work on it. Just keep update from them.
4. Secure your Accounts:
If you are using Android smartphone, its obvious that you might have linked your Gmail to Play Store and social network and other such application which requires your email. The best thing to unlink all such application is to login to all such app and change the passwords. Also, you can login to your gmail account from other device, and change the password of your Gmail account.
This way, any unauthorized person handling your phone will not receive access to your personal accounts, contacts, apps and other info. Obviously, this will also not help you in locating your device but will surely secure most of your data.
5. Unlink Your Application:
If you have linked some application where your store all your backup and data its better to unlink them from their site. For example, Dropbox. Go to Dropbox site and unlink your account. Unlike all such site where you are uploading your data, unlink them and be secure. If possible delete any personal data if its on the site.
Make sure to follow all the above steps to be safe. Surely, there is no guarantee of getting back your smartphone but this will surely help you in securing your data. There can be other ways too. I will keep you on updating with those. if you think I can add some more steps please let me know in the comment section.
Cheers!!!
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